The Darwin Cycles of Crypto: What Survives and Why with Aryan Sheikhalian of CMT Digital

Episode notes

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Aryan Sheikhalian, Head of Research at CMT Digital, a global blockchain and Web3 proprietary trading and venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments that accelerate the adoption of blockchain technology. Together, they dive into what it really takes to build sustainable decentralized systems. What you’ll learn: How Aryan's early exposure to cryptography and Blockchain Research Institute shaped his investment lens What CMT Digital looks for in pre-seed and seed-stage startups Why Ethereum's shift to a data availability layer could be both a superpower and a challenge What modular blockchain design unlocks for institutional adoption and infrastructure composability Why stablecoins are the real killer use case in crypto, and how U.S. policy is accelerating their global reach And much more! Aryan Sheikhalian is the Head of Research at CMT Digital, a Chicago-based VC firm backing early-stage blockchain startups. With roots in cryptography, economics, and distributed systems, Aryan brings a pragmatic and research-driven lens to Web3.