Lightspeed
A technical crypto podcast from Blockworks exploring how builders are creating new financial products and protocols, with a heavy focus on the Solana ecosystem.
A builder-focused crypto podcast that alternates between two formats. One format is a long-form interview with a founder or lead developer, methodically unpacking a specific protocol's history, technical architecture, and economic model. The other is a news-of-the-week roundtable with research analysts from Blockworks and other firms, debating market trends and new developments like AI or tokenomic proposals.
“Its dual format of deep protocol interviews and expert news roundtables sets it apart. The host's ability to engage on a technical level and the show's consistent focus on the Solana ecosystem provide a specific, in-the-weeds perspective not found in more general crypto podcasts.”
Who hosts this show
Lightspeed is a podcast from the crypto media company Blockworks, hosted by Danny K. The show features interviews with the founders and developers behind crypto projects to understand how they are building new products and solving problems. Episodes are released twice a week and often alternate between deep-dive interviews and news-focused roundtable discussions with crypto research analysts. The podcast was initially kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.
Credentials & credits
- Host, Lightspeed Podcast
- Blockworks Media
Other ventures
- Blockworks
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01Is DePIN Entering Its Next Growth Phase?Jun 25, 2026 · 58 min
- 02Future-Proof Money on Solana | Hardhat ChadJun 23, 2026 · 56 min
- 03From Memecoins to Markets: Solana’s Next TradeJun 18, 2026 · 58 min
- 04Flash Trade Is Reinventing Perps on Solana | Anas KhaderJun 16, 2026 · 53 min
- 05Solving Sol Value AccrualJun 11, 2026 · 58 min
- 06The Era of Tokenized Yield Strategies | Ben NadareskiJun 9, 2026 · 51 min
- 07US Crypto Perps Arrive, Solana Rethinks FeesJun 4, 2026 · 1h 04m
- 08Building the Onchain Brokerage: Glider's Vision for Investing | Brian HuangJun 2, 2026 · 51 min
Notable episodes
- 01Future-Proof Money on Solana | Hardhat Chad
A deep dive into the ORE protocol, a project that famously caused early Solana network congestion, with the host acknowledging his own early experiences with it.
- 02Flash Trade Is Reinventing Perps on Solana | Anas Khader
Details a protocol offering up to 500x leverage and a novel "Magic Blocks" co-processor architecture, showcasing the cutting edge of Solana DeFi.
- 03Is DePIN Entering Its Next Growth Phase?
A representative roundtable episode analyzing the acquisition of Helium Mobile and breaking down the complex economics of the DePIN sector.
What you'll be asked on this show
Danny typically opens interviews by asking for the project's origin story to set the stage. He leverages his own familiarity with the crypto space to build rapport and ask informed, multi-layered questions that connect technical specifics to broader market narratives. He often probes on design trade-offs ('Why did you choose this model?'), security concerns, and future roadmaps, guiding the conversation chronologically from the project's past to its future. His questions often start with phrases like 'Talk me through...' or 'How do you think about...' to encourage detailed, open-ended explanations.
The show alternates between one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions. In interviews, host Danny K. methodically unpacks a single protocol. In roundtables, he acts as a moderator, introducing broad news topics and facilitating a debate between a panel of crypto researchers.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
1- Q.01
“Can you share the origin story of the protocol and how it has evolved?”
This is usually the opening question, used to establish the project's history and background for the listener.
craft
1- Q.01
“Why did you choose a specific model [e.g., pool-to-peer] and why does it still hold up?”
The host asks this to understand the core design choices and their strategic rationale.
money
1- Q.01
“Can you explain the protocol's revenue, buyback, and burn mechanism?”
This question is used to dig into the specific economic and value accrual model of the token.
future
2- Q.01
“What are the biggest technology changes coming in the next version?”
Asked towards the end of an interview to give listeners a preview of the project's roadmap.
- Q.02
“What's the next big thing for your market, and how are you positioning for it?”
A forward-looking question to understand the guest's perspective on broader market trends.
controversy
3- Q.01
“How do you approach security, especially regarding price manipulation or other challenges?”
The host brings this up to probe the protocol's security measures and architectural trade-offs.
- Q.02
“What are your thoughts on the various forks or competitors that have appeared?”
This question gauges the guest's perspective on imitation and competition within their niche.
- Q.03
“How does the risk of [a new trend like AI] weigh on your mind for crypto valuations?”
In roundtables, he uses this to connect a broad topic back to its specific impact on the crypto market.
industry
1- Q.01
“What is your outlook on the future of the Solana network and its impact on your success?”
Given the show's focus, this question links the protocol's fate to the underlying blockchain's growth.
process
1- Q.01
“How do you balance the need for future flexibility with locking down core protocol mechanics?”
This explores the philosophical and practical trade-offs in decentralized protocol design.
advice
1- Q.01
“For the listeners, what should they look for when they check out the product?”
A closing question that serves as a direct call to action and helps listeners engage with the project.
market analysis
1- Q.01
“Do you have any big takeaways from [a recent major news event]?”
This is a standard opener for the roundtable episodes to gauge initial expert reactions.
Signature segments
- · Dual-format: founder interviews and researcher roundtables
- · Deep focus on the Solana ecosystem
- · Opening line: "Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the Lightspeed podcast."
- · Technical breakdowns of protocol mechanics
- · Discussions on value accrual and token economics
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books two distinct types of guests: founders or lead developers from crypto protocols (often Solana-based) for technical deep dives, and research analysts from firms like Blockworks and Kairos Research for news analysis roundtables.
- Hardhat Chadon Future-Proof Money on Solana | Hardhat Chad
- Anas Khaderon Flash Trade Is Reinventing Perps on Solana | Anas Khader
- Carloson Is DePIN Entering Its Next Growth Phase?
- Nick Carpinitoon Is DePIN Entering Its Next Growth Phase?
- Ian Unsworthon Solving Sol Value Accrual
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is a Blockworks media property and primarily promotes its own products. This includes frequent mentions of Blockworks' research platform and its flagship Digital Asset Summit (DAS) conferences.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of Lightspeed?
- The host is Danny K, who works with Blockworks, the media company that produces the show.
- Is the Lightspeed podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes multiple times a week, typically on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- What is the format of the show?
- The show alternates between two formats: one-on-one deep-dive interviews with crypto founders/developers, and roundtable discussions with crypto research analysts about the week's news.
- What topics does Lightspeed cover?
- The show focuses on the technical and economic aspects of crypto, with a strong emphasis on the Solana ecosystem, DeFi, perpetuals, tokenomics, and protocol design.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Lightspeed is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
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