Solana Sessions: Backpack's Journey to Building Better Crypto Exchanges

Welcome back to Talking Tokens.

Yes, we saw the Solana Foundation ad yesterday and no, we can’t read the room. With that said, we’re launching our first episode of Solana Sessions - a monthly series focused on founders building within the ecosystem. More details below 🤝

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The latest Talking Tokens podcast 🎙️

For this week’s Tuesday episode, we’re sharing the first Solana Sessions episode with Armani Ferrante, Backpack and Mad Lads cofounder and CEO. 

We discuss his journey from Apple to Alameda to building multiple startups on Solana. We also dive into his experience operating during the FTX collapse, how that shaped him to operate Backpack’s business, what he’s doing to scale the exchange and more.

This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Talking Tokens and Token Relations is doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana. 

Check out the accompanying deep-dive newsletter via Token Relations here.

Talking Tokens episodes are released on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at 6AM EST or YouTube at 8AM EST every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen in!

Make sure to subscribe to keep up with the latest episodes. Feel free to leave a review and tell us your thoughts.

Money and people moves

1. Solana-based hackathon taps mrink0 to join the Colosseum team

2. Oro raised $1.5M in a pre-seed round for its app focused on improving the gold markets via Solana

3. Dan Chen departs Affirm, to join Gemini as its chief financial officer

4. Young Yang Liauw joins Movement Labs as VP of engineering

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Please note that this content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Any views shared should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research. We may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this newsletter.