The Next Chapter of MoneyNeverSleeps
Last month, we closed the first seven-year chapter of MoneyNeverSleeps with Episode 300 - recorded live at the Podcast Studios at HeadStuff HQ, the former Westland Studios in Dublin. U2, Hozier, Christy Moore… and now, somehow, us. Not bad for a show that started with two mics, two founders, and endless questions in borrowed rooms around the city.
Episode 300 wasn’t just a milestone - it was, honestly, the feel-good moment of the year for me. The room was buzzing in a way that felt like a reunion, a celebration, and a turning point all at once. And thanks to Conan Brophy (who I finally dragged onto the mic after seven years) and the team at the Podcast Studios at Headstuff, the whole thing sounded as good as it felt.
Before we get into the recap, a confession:
I’d planned to launch the new format of the show in November. But when you’re building the next little big thing with Norio Ventures, the path has a habit of reinventing itself mid-stride. So the new era of MoneyNeverSleeps will kick off in December - sharper, faster, video-first, and built for where the world of onchain finance is actually heading.
But first, let’s talk about 300.
The Night We Hit 300
The episode opens with the countdown from the studio crew - “4, 3, 2, 1… Live from Dublin!” - and the crowd lets out a proper cheer. Right out of the gate, you can feel the energy.
Then it hits me: seven years, 299 episodes, and hundreds of conversations with founders, operators, investors, regulators, engineers, artists, and dreamers… all leading to this moment.
I was joined on stage by:
Mai Santamaria - always sharp, always honest, always willing to say the thing others are dancing around
Alejandro Gutierrez - community-builder, connector, future-spotter
Conan Brophy - the producer behind every episode since 2018
Paul Smyth - one of the show’s original supporters and recurring co-conspirators
Barry Darmody - Episode 130 legend and one of our all-time most-downloaded guests
What followed was part reunion, part time machine, part therapy session.
How It All Started
We went all the way back to 2018:
Eoin Fitzgerald stopping me in Dogpatch Labs and saying, “Pete, I want to do a podcast - will you help me?”
Two mics. Towels on tables to kill the echo. Glass-walled rooms where passers-by stared like we were zoo exhibits. Conan carrying around bins of gear across Dublin. Guests who somehow let us record them anyway.
When Eoin joined the Central Bank in 2023, I honestly thought the show was done. But through a combination of friendship, stubbornness, and a shove from a few people who told me I was mad to stop, the show found its second wind - with Mai, Alejandro, Laura Walsh, and Paul stepping in as recurring co-hosts.
To be honest, this era of the show became the most meaningful. It was more global, more technical, more personal, and more connected to the world I was working in every day.
Five Big Takeaways from 300 Episodes
1. The Power of Curiosity Compounds
What started as a simple experiment - two people trying to understand how founders think - turned into a living conversation with the people building what doesn’t exist yet. The more questions we asked, the better the answers became. Curiosity didn’t just fuel the show - it built a community.
2. Crossover Stories Hit Hardest
The episodes that consistently outperformed weren’t siloed into “just crypto” or “just fintech.” They lived in the collision zones - where stablecoins reshaped payments, RWAs transformed capital markets, and venture investors started building onchain. Those moments revealed how innovation really happens: at the edges.
3. Familiar Voices Build Trust - Big Names Bring the Heat
Recurring co-hosts and frequent guests - Alejandro, Laura, Mai, Paul, Ollie Walsh - built loyalty through continuity and trust. Meanwhile, heavyweight appearances from Joey Krug, Matthew Graham, and Sam Williams created huge spikes in audience engagement. Together, they show that trust and ambition are equally essential.
4. Founder Journeys Are Timeless
Founder origin stories remained evergreen across 300 episodes. People tuned in to hear how someone built something from nothing - the pivots, the scars, the lessons. It’s a reminder that being a founder is brutally hard - and sharing those stories helps others go further.
5. Content Is the Flywheel — and It’s Just Getting Started
MoneyNeverSleeps was never just a podcast. It became an engine - for ideas, access, and community. As we enter the next chapter - sharper, faster, video-first, and focused on the most relevant stories in onchain finance, crypto, fintech, AI, and startups - the mission remains: keep learning out loud and bring people along for the ride.
And one thing became clear in the data:
People return for the conversations, not the categories.
Authenticity always wins.
The Episodes That Stuck
My Top 14 MoneyNeverSleeps Episodes (No Particular Order)
(As mentioned live on the night - the ones that stuck with me, shifted my thinking, or just left a mark.)
🧠 Joey Krug - Pantera Capital (Ep. 166)
A masterclass in crypto economics. Joey’s ability to map out incentive design as “gameplay theatre in your head” blew mine open. It was one of those rare conversations that changed how I think about protocols, coordination, and value creation.
🌍 Matthew Graham - Sino Global Capital (Ep. 165)
A raw, unfiltered look at how venture really operates in crypto. 37 f-bombs later, I walked away with a deeper understanding of market dynamics, investor psychology, and the geopolitical chess game around blockchain.
🧱 Sam Williams - Arweave (Ep. 205)
Sam reframed my perspective on the future of the internet with one phrase: “the protocolization of web services.” It made me see web3 not as a new industry, but as a new substrate for everything built online.
🔮 2025 Predictions Special - with Alejandro Gutierrez (Ep. 280)
One of my favourite “thinking in public” episodes. Alejandro and I went deep on what the next few years of crypto, tokenization, and fintech would look like - and where the real opportunities would emerge. It wasn’t just speculation; it was an exercise in building conviction, and many of those calls are already playing out.
🧠 AI and the Future of Finance - with Mai Santamaria (Ep. 241)
This conversation felt like a turning point. Mai and I explored how AI would reshape everything from investment decisions to compliance to customer experience - and why it’s not a threat, but a multiplier. It helped crystallise how I think about AI as an accelerant to every thesis I care about.
🌀 Fintech Flywheel Origins - with Eoin Fitzgerald (Ep. 147)
This is where so many of the ideas that underpin my investing philosophy originated. In breaking down Square’s $29 billion acquisition of Afterpay, Eoin and I explored the flywheel effect that powers the most successful fintechs - how customer acquisition, network effects, product velocity, and embedded finance combine to create unstoppable momentum. That conversation shaped how I now evaluate startups and ecosystems alike.
💡 Robert Alice - Portraits of a Mind (Ep. 128)
A conversation that merged art, philosophy, and technology. Robert’s 10,000-hours thesis on creativity and persistence has stuck with me ever since - and shaped how I think about founder tenacity.
🌐 Achia Nila - Empowering Women Through Code (Ep. 143)
One of the most inspiring stories we’ve ever told. Achia’s work teaching women in Bangladesh to code is a reminder of why we do this - technology is at its best when it opens doors and changes lives.
🎤 Arabian Prince - NWA Meets RWAs (Ep. 283)
Yes, that Arabian Prince, founding member of rap legends NWA. This episode was a wild mash-up of culture and capital - exploring how technology meets art, music, and education. It also reinforced a key belief of mine: innovation doesn’t happen in isolation.
🧭 Brian McDonald - What Founders Really Want (Eps. 118 +119)
Brian helped me reframe how I support founders. His insight - that the most important question you can ask is “What do you really want to do?” - has shaped every board conversation and mentoring session since.
🇮🇪 Barry Darmody - Search4Less (Ep. 130)
Proof that local stories can have global resonance. Barry’s journey - from building in Ireland to scaling beyond it - is a reminder that proximity, relevance, and credibility still matter more than hype.
🔥 Somi Arian - Live Mentoring on Air (Ep. 236)
This was one of the most experimental episodes we ever did - a live mentoring session with a founder questioning their path. It reminded me that vulnerability, honesty, and open dialogue are as important as any product or pitch.
🔑 Lou Kerner - CryptoMondays Origins (Ep. 237)
This conversation directly sparked the creation of CryptoMondays Ireland - proof that ideas born in a podcast studio can ripple into real-world impact. It’s also a personal milestone: a reminder that MoneyNeverSleeps has always been about more than conversation - it’s about community.
🪐 Mihai Alisie - Ethereum Co-Founder (Eps. 44+45)
An early credibility milestone for the show - and for me personally. Talking with Mihai about the early days of Ethereum wasn’t just a history lesson; it was a front-row seat to the mindset, conviction, and chaos behind one of the most transformative protocols ever built. It anchored my belief that visionary founders often look naïve in the moment - right up until the world catches up.
These weren’t just big names, they were stories that shifted how I think, how I invest, and how I build.
🔮 The Predictions We Made (and Re-Made)
We revisited the 2025 bold predictions that Alejandro and I recorded earlier this year. Some landed perfectly (tokenization, stablecoins, AI agents), some are unfolding in real time (multichain developers, bank tokens), and some were…um…a touch ambitious (the US Bitcoin Reserve).
But the magic wasn’t in getting them “right.”
The magic was in how the crowd reacted - leaning in, debating with us, nodding along. You could feel how fast the world is moving, and how badly people want clarity, direction, and real stories from the front lines.
🇮🇪 Ireland’s Onchain Moment
One of the best parts of the night was talking about the green shoots in Ireland:
Solana Superteam Ireland ramping up
New founders building with real fire at grassroots level
Irish-led Solana projects like Keel launching globally
Stablecoin & tokenization conversations finally reaching boardrooms
Younger developers showing up at events with better questions than we asked in our 30s
It’s happening - quietly yet quickly. And that night, we all felt it.
What’s Next - The New Era of MoneyNeverSleeps
The long-form interview format?
Beautiful, but no longer sustainable with Norio Ventures kicking into its next chapter.
So here’s the plan:
🔹Shorter
10–15 minute weekly riffs.
One theme. One story. One insight.
🔹 Video-First
YouTube as the primary home.
Spotify/Apple via auto-audio from video.
Clips for social to widen the funnel.
🔹 Guest co-host Format
Mai, Alejandro, Paul, Laura, and others rotating in depending on the story, but also a crop of new faces who bring me the stories they’re the most passionate about.
🔹Still MoneyNeverSleeps at its core
Curiosity.
Momentum.
The builders’ mindset.
And the belief that the next generation of founders will push the edges of what finance can become.
The themes, the founders, the trends - all tied into what we’re building next.
Target: kickoff in December, unless building steals every hour between now and then - but either way, it’s coming fast.
And… yes… the cheeky pint format may emerge at some point, John Collison style.
💬 Quote of the Night
“This community - whether you’re listening, reading, watching, mentoring, building - is what makes all of this possible. It’s the reason we kept showing up for seven years. And it’s the reason this isn’t the end. It’s just a pivot.”
That’s the heartbeat of the whole episode.
A Final Reflection
There was a moment at the live show where someone asked:
What inspired you to get into blockchain?
And all I could think about was the whitepaper landing in my lap in 2014, being fed up with financial plumbing, and the hope - the belief - that someone would fix it.
Ten years later, I’m more convinced than ever:
The rails are here, and we’re finally finishing the bridge.
MoneyNeverSleeps has always been about belief.
Belief in founders.
Belief in momentum.
Belief in the future.
Seven years down, a new era ahead, and the flywheel keeps spinning.
🎧Don’t forget to follow MoneyNeverSleeps on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
