In this special LA 26 conference edition of Level Up, David and Sean sit down with three leading voices across institutional investing, blockchain infrastructure, and enterprise fintech. Cambridge Associates' Joe Marenda shares an allocator's perspective on blockchain venture, valuations, institutional adoption, and liquid strategies. Eigen Labs founder Sreeram Kannan discusses why blockchain is foundational to the AI agent era, the security challenges AI introduces to DeFi, and how Eigen is positioning itself for agentic commerce. Finally, Knova founder Natalya Thakur explains how financial institutions can unify traditional and tokenized assets through enterprise infrastructure designed for scalable digital asset operations. 

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Key Points From This Episode:

00:00 Introduction & live from Medici LA

01:21 Joe Marenda (Cambridge Associates): allocator perspective

02:36 Blockchain venture valuations and market outlook

04:32 Why blockchain venture looks attractive today

06:42 Digital money as blockchain's clearest use case

08:47 Common institutional misconceptions about tokens

10:50 Institutional interest in liquid digital asset strategies

13:45 The future of institutional digital asset allocations

14:28 Sreeram Kannan (Eigen)

15:02 Building for the AI agent era

18:35 AI-driven security risks in DeFi

23:20 Restoring trust through security and settlement design

24:40 Eigen's business model and infrastructure roadmap

27:12 Natalya Thakur (Knova)

27:51 Simplifying digital asset operations for financial institutions

31:51 Enterprise adoption and key use cases

33:06 Distribution strategy and regulatory considerations

36:39 Knova’s business model

37:58 Closing remarks

Links: 

The Medici Network:https://www.medici.network/  

Podcast Site:https://levelup.medici.network/  

Cambridge Associates: https://www.cambridgeassociates.com/

Eigen Labs: https://www.eigenlabs.org/

Knova: https://www.knova.finance/

Interested in being a Guest? Connect with Elmira on X:https://x.com/elmira_yilham  

Co-Hosts 

David Grider, Finality Capital –https://x.com/David_Grid 

Sean Farrell, Fundstrat Global Advisors –https://x.com/SeanMFarrell 

Guests 

Joe Marenda, Cambridge Associates

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-marenda

Sreeram Kannan, Eigen

X – https://x.com/sreeramkannan

Natalya Thakur, Knova

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nthakur9

Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant  –https://thepodcastconsultant.com/