Back To The Basics: Why VanEck Wants To Invest In Great Products and Founders Who Won’t Rug Us
Pranav Kanade is Portfolio Manager for Digital Assets at VanEck.In this episode, we break down why altcoins have struggled this cycle, what sets the few winners apart, and where real opportunities lie—both in crypto and public markets. We also explore how stablecoin legislation could unlock new value and what’s next for ETFs in the digital asset space.------🔗 Essential Show Links 🔗► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Youtube: https://youtube.com/@DeFiDad► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------The Edge Podcast Sponsor Resources🔮 PYTH NETWORK | SMARTER DATA FOR SMARTER CONTRACTS⏳ HOURGLASS | LEVERAGED AIRDROP FARMING AND BOOSTED POINTS📊 iYIELD | YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED🐐 GOAT NETWORK | A BITCOIN L2 TO EARN WITH BTC & DOGE🧪 MANTLE | START YOUR RESTAKING JOURNEY TODAY WITH CMETH🐡 PUFFER UNIFI | A BASED ROLLUP TO ETHEREUM WITH NATIVE YIELDS🌔 MOONWELL | THE LEADING LENDING AND BORROWING APP ON BASE⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | ONCHAIN LENDING REIMAGINED📈 DEFINITIVE | THE MOST ADVANCED PLATFORM FOR ONCHAIN TRADE EXECUTION------Timestamps0:00 - Intro5:44 - Pranav’s background and VanEck11:43 - A day in the life as an investor13:50 - Thoughts on Kaito and InfoFi17:03 - What’s been different this cycle with altcoins?19:06 - Mantle mid-roll19:44 - Oversupply of tokens, plus lessened demand for quality projects23:29 - Fundamentals investing and the memecoin casino can coexist26:59 - What can we learn from alts that have done well?29:16 - Will we have a true alt season ever again?33:05 - Sponsor mid-roll34:44 - What’s the lesson from the LIBRA blowup?39:51 - Stablecoin legislation and how it’s bullish for tokens + equities46:49 - Identifying publicly traded companies to benefit from stablecoins48:59 - How will stablecoin growth in Web2 affect what’s built onchain?51:20 - Do AI agents have staying power?56:47 - How new ETFs could impact us this year59:06 - Thoughts on ETH ETFs1:01:28 - Closing------🔗 Guest Links 🔗► VanEck website: https://www.vaneck.com/► VanEck on X: https://x.com/vaneck_us► Pranav on X: https://x.com/vaneckpk------If you're a DeFi/Web3 builder, contact our team at: https://fourthrevolution.capital/All opinions expressed by hosts and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and not necessarily those of Fourth Revolution Capital. Podcast guests and 4RC may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Do your own research. This is not a recommendation or endorsement to buy any token(s) related to any platform(s) discussed.