Very rarely do you get to listen to top visionaries like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman talk about technological shifts that changed the world, but in today’s episode, Ian Andrews (CMO, Chainalysis) speaks with Michael Gronager (Co-Founder & CEO, Chainalysis ) about building the the first blockchain analytics company that forever will change cryptocurrency industry. Michael takes us on his journey from chemistry and computational studies to virtual reality and launching one of the first crypto exchanges. He shares his innovative approach to cryptography and distributed systems and how this benefited him with his time at building up Kraken and recounts the early days of cryptocurrency before regulations and bank acceptance on his path to creating Chainalysis. The duo discuss the evolution of crypto compliance, the creation of Chainalysis' flagship solution, Reactor, on a shoestring budget and the challenges faced in bringing transparency to the crypto world. Minute-by-minute episode breakdown 2 | Michael’s journey from chemistry to computational studies to virtual reality 8 | What happened when Michael finally hears about Bitcoin in 2010 11 | Challenges and innovation in Bitcoin micro payments 17 | Launching Kraken: Overcoming challenges in early crypto exchange era 24 | The industry tipping point that started the creation of Chainalysis 32 | The serendipitous journey of the founding team of Chainalysis and first investor / customer convos 39 | Crypto is starting to look more like finance rather than finance looking more like crypto 42 | The evolution of trust and stablecoins in the crypto ecosystem Related resources Check out more resources provided by Chainalysis that perfectly complement this episode of the Public Key. Website: Chainalysis: Building Trust in Blockchains Blog: How the Chainalysis Crypto Investigations Solution Supports Cases From Lead Discovery to Illicit Seizures Article: Edge Middle East: How an 11-hour flight inspired Michael Gronager’s $8.6B Chainalysis prototype Podcast: Public Key: Ep. 11 - Chainalysis: The Past, The Present, The Future Article: World Economic Forum: Why we still need cryptocurrency for an ‘internet of value’ Blog: OFAC Sanctions Russian Drone Developer KB Vostok Linked to Ukraine Invasion Report: The Chainalysis Malign Interference and Crypto Report YouTube: Chainalysis YouTube page Twitter: Chainalysis Twitter: Building trust in blockchain Tik Tok: Building trust in #blockchains among people, businesses, and governments. Telegram: Chainalysis on Telegram Speakers on today’s episode Ian Andrews * Host * (Chief Marketing Officer, Chainalysis) Michael Gronager (Co-Founder & CEO, Chainalysis) This website may contain links to third-party sites that are not under the control of Chainalysis, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively “Chainalysis”). Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein. Our podcasts are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Listeners should consult their own advisors before making these types of decisions. Chainalysis has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. Chainalysis does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Chainalysis. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Chainalysis employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.
