Alex Nwaka sits down with Salvador Gala, Co-Founder of Escape Velocity (EV3), to discuss Sal’s...
Alex sits down with Nick van Eck, CEO and Co-Founder of Agora Finance, to discuss the potential of stablecoins and the future of financial services. In this episode, Nick shares his journey from venture capital at General Catalyst to launching Agora Finance. Nick and Alex explore the evolution of blockchain adoption, the competitive dynamics of the stablecoin space, and Agora’s mission to make the US dollar more accessible globally. Nick also provides insights into key milestones, and market adoption trends.
Episode Overview
- Nick's journey from growth-stage investing at General Catalyst to exploring early-stage crypto startups.
- He discusses his decision to leave VC and pursue a long-term vision for blockchain and financial services with Agora Finance.
- Lessons Nick learned from his family business, VanEck, that apply to founding a business and crypto adoption.
- Why Agora aims to make the US dollar more accessible globally through stablecoins and revolutionize cross-border payments.
- Nick's perspective on Stripe's acquisition of Bridge and what it means for stablecoins.
- How stablecoins enable tokenized assets, on-chain FX, and financial innovation.
- Agora’s key wins include becoming the stablecoin partner for Agglayer, signaling its growing role in the ecosystem.
- Nick outlines the hurdles in building infrastructure and trust for businesses to adopt stablecoins.
- Nick's High Stakes Hot Take for 2025.
About Validation Cloud
Validation Cloud is a Web3 data streaming and infrastructure company that connects organizations into Web3 through a fast, scalable, and intelligent platform. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Validation Cloud offers highly performant and customizable products in staking, node, and data-as-a-service. Learn more at Validationcloud.io | LinkedIn | X | Podcast
