The Capital Summit

@CapSummitGlobal in Denver during ETHDenver was a resounding success! 🚀 We hosted 26 top-tier speakers from 26 leading firms, sharing groundbreaking insights on crypto M&A, VC trends, stablecoins, payments, DeFi, privacy, RWAs, AI, and MEV. With 452 participants joining the action, the energy was electric—networking, debates, and visions for web3's future.

Panel: Agentic Alpha vs. Passive Staking - The Yield Optimization Revolution DeFi is undergoing a yield revolution, pitting "agentic alpha"—AI-driven, autonomous strategies that dynamically hunt for optimal returns—against traditional passive staking. Panelists explored how intelligent agents will automate yield farming, risk management, and portfolio optimization, unlocking superior returns while minimizing human error. The shift promises to democratize high-yield opportunities, but raises questions about accessibility, security, and the role of humans in an increasingly bot-dominated ecosystem. Passive staking may soon be obsolete as agentic tools redefine efficiency. Speakers: IOSG Principal Joey Shin @jshinny12 @IOSGVC Theoriq COO Pei Chen @PeiChen01 @TheoriqAI Superform Head of Ecosystem Christian Dumas @0xCrouton @superformxyz Haiku Chief Scientist Tom @HaikuTrade

Decentralized AI and Verifiable Trust: Averting a Black-Box Dystopia As AI agents prepare to manage trillions, a critical question emerges: how do we trust them? The answer may lie in "verified intelligence," a new paradigm discussed by top AI builders. By using blockchain to create an immutable, auditable record of an AI's operations, we can prove its outputs are correct and not the result of a bug or manipulation. This is the key to unlocking a reliable, automated future. Speakers: APL Founder Ming-Chang Chiu @MCEChiu Ambient Founder and CEO Travis Godwin Good @ambient_xyz @ambient_finance Gensyn Co-founder & CEO Ben Fielding @benfielding @gensynai Nexus CEO Daniel Marin @danielmarinq @NexusOfficial Blockchain builder fund Partner blockchain builder fund Gil Rosen @theBBFund @gilswrld Supernet Co-founder CEO Juan Bruce @Supernet_AI @jbruce

Stablecoin Settlement Goes Mainstream: How Network Rails + Product UX Unlock Merchant & B2B Adoption Stablecoins are breaking into mainstream commerce, powering seamless merchant and B2B payments that rival traditional rails. Panelists unpacked how advanced network infrastructure—combined with intuitive UX design—is driving adoption by solving pain points like high fees, slow settlements, and cross-border friction. From instant B2B invoicing to global merchant payouts, the focus is on building user-friendly tools that make stablecoins the go-to for real-world transactions, outpacing legacy systems and unlocking trillions in economic flow. Speakers: Caladan Director Head of US Institutional Gian-Paul Caccia @_chatGP @caladanxyz Tria Co-founder Parth Bhalla @parthbl @useTria Mastercard SVP Digital Assets and Blockchain Christian Rau @_rawchristian_ @Mastercard Finality Capital Partners Partner Nicholas Tang

Keynote: Fixing Crypto's Broken Foundation A top MIT professor just called out crypto's dirty little secret: its foundational communication layer is broken. In a stunning keynote, Morel Medard revealed that the "gossip" protocols powering most blockchains are inherently slow and wasteful. Her solution, "Mosquito," offers a mathematically proven, optimal way to spread data. Optimum Co-Founder & CEO Muriel Médard @MurielMedard @get_optimum

RWA Gold Rush: Who Owns the On-Chain Value Chain? The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) is igniting a modern gold rush, with trillions in off-chain value poised to migrate on-chain. Panelists broke down the battle for control over the value chain—from asset origination and compliance to tokenization platforms, liquidity providers, and end-user distribution. The consensus? Winners will be those mastering regulatory hurdles and seamless integration, turning traditional assets like real estate and commodities into programmable, global opportunities. Crypto's next mega-trend is here, but only the strategic will strike gold. Speakers: Pharos Network CSO David @pharos_network @pharos_network Centrifuge CEO Bhaji Illuminati @itsbhaji @centrifuge Superscript Principal Pranav Pandya @0xpranav @Superscrypt

The Absolute Need for Privacy: Crypto's Fatal Flaw Crypto's radical transparency is its fatal flaw for business adoption. A panel of privacy experts delivered a stark reality check: no serious company will ever run its operations on a public ledger. The killer example? Payroll. Exposing every employee's salary to the world is an HR nightmare and a competitive disaster. Without robust privacy, blockchain is doomed to remain a speculative playground. Speakers: 071labs Partner Taehee @taeheecrypto @071labsTool Fhenix Founder Guy @guyitz @FhenixIO Aleo CEO Ko @AleoHQ Miden Co-Founder Bobbin Threadbare @bobbinth @0xMiden

The Evolution of Stablecoins: Coming for the Banks Forget simple payments. The next generation of stablecoins is coming for your bank account. Insiders revealed a major shift away from speculative, subsidized yields toward sustainable "real-yield" generated from on-chain credit and tokenized real-world assets. This isn't just a new feature; it's the opening shot in a war to replace traditional banking by offering depositors returns the old guard can't match. Speakers: EVG VP of US Devin Ardalan @Warplord_eth @EVGHQ Alumni Venture Principal Bryan Liu @BrokenBarbers @alumniventures CAP CTO Weso @caplabs_ infinifi CEO Rob Montgomery @RobAnon @infiniFi

The Crypto VC "Identity Crisis": The Party's Over In a shockingly candid panel, top crypto VCs admitted they're having an "identity crisis." They confessed their old playbook—riding hype cycles and zero-interest-rate policy for quick token exits—is now completely broken. They're being forced to become actual long-term investors, ditching speculative narratives for hard fundamentals and facing the harsh reality of 10-year fund cycles. Speakers: Maelstorm Venture Capital Analyst Kushagra Aryal @etherary @MaelstromFund EVG VP of USA Devin Ardalan @Warplord_eth @EVGHQ Big Brain Holdings Investor Derrick @zeebradoom @BigBrainVC Superscript Principal Pranav Pandya @0xpranav @Superscrypt

Excited to share key insights from @CapSummitGlobal held on February 18th in Denver during ETHDenver! Here's a recap: The New Investment Thesis: The Shark Tank Era Begins The era of easy token flips is officially dead. A new class of crypto investor is emerging, acting less like wide-eyed VCs and more like private equity sharks. Their new playbook: hunt for profitable, revenue-generating crypto-native companies that the market has overlooked. The game has shifted from hype to fundamentals, and the preferred exit strategy is no longer a hyped token launch, but a strategic acquisition. Speakers: Steph Zoo (@curiouszoo), Head of Ecosystem at Caladan @caladanxyz Maelstorm Venture Capital Analyst Kushagra Aryal @etherary @MaelstromFund Spartan Group Executive Director Yan Ma @zirn0rn0 @TheSpartanGroup Bitmart CEO Nenter Chow @50Nent @BitMartExchange

Excited to share the lineup at The Capital Summit @CapSummitGlobal I 3:40 - 4:00 | MEV Topic: "Internet Protocol for Web3" Join this industry leader for insights on the foundational protocols powering Web3: Muriel Médard (@MurielMedard), Co-Founder & CEO at Optimum (@get_optimum

Excited to share the lineup at The Capital Summit @CapSummitGlobal |1:45 - 2:05 | Payment Panel: "Stablecoin Settlement Goes Mainstream: How Network Rails + Product UX Unlock Merchant & B2B Adoption Join these industry leaders for insights on stablecoin adoption in mainstream payments: Gian-Paul Caccia(@_chatGP ), Director, Head of US Institutional at Caladan @caladanxyz Parth Bhalla (@parthbl), Co-founder at Tria @useTria Christian Rau (@_rawchristian_), SVP Digital Assets and Blockchain at Mastercard @Mastercard

Excited to share the lineup at The Capital Summit @CapSummitGlobal | 3:15 - 3:45 | AI Panel: "The Agentic Economy - Infrastructure for Autonomous Financial Actors" Join these industry leaders for insights on AI-driven infrastructure in the agentic economy: Founder at APLMing-Chang Chiu (@MCEChiu Travis Godwin Good (@ambient_xyz), Founder and CEO at Ambient (@ambient_finance Ben Fielding (@benfielding), Co-founder & CEO at Gensyn (@gensynai Daniel Marin (@danielmarinq), CEO at Nexus (@NexusLabs Juan Bruce (@bruce), Cofounder & CEO at SuperNet (@Supernet_AI Gil Rosen (@gilswrld), Founding Partner at Blockchain Builders Fund (@theBBFund

Excited to share the lineup at The Capital Summit @CapSummitGlobal |2:50 - 3:10 | RWA Panel: "RWA Gold Rush: Who Owns the On-Chain Value Chain?" Join these industry leaders for insights on the RWA ecosystem and on-chain value chains: David (@pharos_network), CSO at Pharos Network (@pharos_network Bhaji Illuminati (@itsbhaji), CEO at Centrifuge (@centrifuge Pranav Pandya (@0xpranav), Principal at Superscript (@Superscrypt

Excited to share the lineup at The Capital Summit @CapSummitGlobal | 2:30 - 2:50 | Privacy Panel: "The Infrastructure Layer Debate - L1, L2, or Privacy-as-a-Service? Join these industry leaders for insights on privacy infrastructure in blockchain: Taehee (@taeheecrypto), Partner at 071 Labs (@071_labs Guy (@guyitz), Founder at Fhenix @fhenix Ko (@AleoHQ), CEO at Aleo @AleoHQ Bobbin Threadbare (@bobbinth), Co-Founder at Miden @0xMiden

Excited to share the lineup at The Capital Summit @CapSummitGlobal |2:10 - 2:30 | DeFi Panel: "Agentic Alpha vs. Passive Staking - The Yield Optimization Revolution Join these industry leaders for insights on the future of yield optimization in DeFi: Joey Shin (@jshinny12), Principal at IOSG (@IOSGVC Pei Chen (@PeiChen01), COO at Theoriq (@TheoriqAI Rob Kopp (@KoppKnows), CEO at Etherfi (@ether_fi Christian Dumas (@0xCrouton), Head of Ecosystem at Superform (@superformxyz Tom (@HaikuTrade), Chief Scientist at Haiku (@HaikuTrade