High Stakes Podcast

Web3. Institutions. Visionaries.

Insights from the leaders shaping the future of Web3, AI, and institutional finance.

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Denelle Dixon

CEO, Stellar

Vivek Raman

CEO, Etherealize

Paul Thomas

CEO, Somnia

Dan Doney

Managing Director, DTCC

Michael Tannenbaum

CEO, Figure

Yuval Rooz

CEO, Digital Asset

Alon Muroch

CEO, SSV Labs

Charles d’Haussy

CEO, dYdX Foundation

Toma Heremans

CEO, Obol Association

Alex Pruden

Executive Director, Aleo

Brian Mahoney

Co-Founder, Mezo

Sidney Powell

CEO, Maple Finance

Where Industry Leaders Convene

Each episode dives into the shifts, opportunities, and challenges shaping Web3—featuring leaders building the future of blockchain, AI, and institutional finance.

About the host

Alex Nwaka

Alex brings more than a decade of experience investing and operating in enterprise software and emerging technologies, with a focus on AI-driven applications. At Touchdown Ventures, he led the firm’s enterprise SaaS investing, backing transformative companies that applied AI to specific verticals. Earlier in his career, Alex worked in private equity and M&A at various private and listed companies, including Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE: EL), Virgin Management, UBS, and Morgan Stanley. Alex holds degrees from The Wharton School (UPenn) and Columbia Business School.

Featured Episodes

Blockchain's BIGGEST Bottleneck (What The Market Is Getting Wrong)

Dan Doney

Managing Director, DTCC Digital Assets

Can blockchain really support $4 quadrillion in annual transactions?
In this episode of High Stakes with Alex Nwaka, Dan Doney, Managing Director at DTCC Digital Assets, joins the show to break down what institutional tokenization actually requires. From clearing and settlement mechanics to liquidity constraints, compliance frameworks, and the realities of operating systemically important infrastructure, this conversation goes far beyond surface level Web3 narratives.If you want to understand how global market infrastructure is evolving, and what must be true for blockchain to become tier one financial infrastructure, this is essential listening.

AI Underwriting Meets Blockchain: The Compliance Challenge

Michael Tannenbaum

CEO, Figure

Is blockchain the real disruptor in finance, not AI?
In this episode of High Stakes, host Alex Nwaka sits down with Michael Tannenbaum, CEO of Figure and former SoFi and Brex exec, to unpack how blockchain infrastructure is reshaping capital markets. From tokenized mortgages to AI-integrated underwriting, Michael offers real-world insight on what it takes to modernize financial systems, and why the biggest innovation in finance is just getting started.Whether you're navigating regulation or building financial products at scale, this is a conversation you can't afford to miss.