The Next Chapter For Phantom | Brandon Millman & Sam Rosenblum
The Next Chapter For Phantom | Brandon Millman & Sam Rosenblum
270 days agoLightspeedBlockworks
Podcast1 hr 1 min
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

The intense competition to build a "super app" on Solana signals a strong bullish outlook for the ecosystem's growth, supporting a positive view on SOL and related assets like JUP. The memecoin trend is a primary driver of this activity and is now viewed as a durable market segment, further validating investment in the Solana ecosystem. In the decentralized derivatives space, Hyperliquid is identified as a clear market leader with superior technology, making it a key platform to watch for future opportunities. For investors seeking public market exposure, Coinbase (COIN) is consistently highlighted as a blue-chip industry leader with a resilient business model. These insights suggest a focus on the Solana ecosystem, the Hyperliquid platform, and COIN stock for a diversified crypto investment strategy.

Detailed Analysis

Solana (SOL)

  • The podcast guests, from the major wallet provider Phantom, describe themselves as "Solana maxis and Solana bulls." They originally chose to build on Solana over Ethereum due to its fast and cheap infrastructure, which enables a better user experience.
  • A major theme is the race to become the "Solana DeFi super app." Key players like Phantom, Jupiter (JUP), and Pump.fun are all adding similar features (perpetual futures, advanced trading tools) to capture and retain users.
  • This intense competition is driving innovation within the ecosystem, but it also suggests that product offerings may converge over time, with companies competing on user experience and brand rather than unique features alone.

Takeaways

  • The continued commitment and development from major players like Phantom signal strong, ongoing confidence in the Solana ecosystem's future.
  • The competition to build a "super app" is a bullish indicator for user activity and growth on Solana, as companies are aggressively building to attract and serve a growing user base.
  • Investors should monitor which platforms are winning the "super app" race, as owning the end-user relationship is seen as strategically critical for long-term success and profitability.

Meme Coins (Investment Theme)

  • The "meme coin wave of 2024" is highlighted as a significant and hard-to-predict trend that has brought a massive number of users and activity on-chain.
  • Phantom's recent acquisition of SoulSniper, a trading terminal, was a strategic move to provide better tools for memecoin traders. This shows that major infrastructure players are taking the memecoin phenomenon seriously as a key part of the market.
  • Competitors like Axiom are also noted for successfully combining memecoins and perpetual futures trading, indicating a trend of integrating memecoin trading with more advanced financial products.

Takeaways

  • Meme coins are being treated as a durable and important market segment by major crypto companies, not just a passing fad.
  • The development of specialized tools and integrations for memecoin traders validates this sector as a significant driver of user acquisition and trading volume.
  • Investors should view the infrastructure being built around memecoins as a sign of the sector's maturation and its importance to the health of underlying blockchains like Solana.

Hyperliquid (Platform)

  • Phantom, a historically Solana-focused wallet, made the strategic decision to integrate Hyperliquid for its perpetual futures trading feature instead of a Solana-native option.
  • The reasoning was purely based on providing the best user experience, citing Hyperliquid's superior price execution, liquidity, and broader access to markets. The speakers noted that Hyperliquid's liquidity is, in some cases, an "order of magnitude greater" than its competitors.
  • Since the integration, Phantom has become the #1 source of new referrals and the top trading venue on Hyperliquid outside of its own native interface, proving strong user demand for the product.

Takeaways

  • Hyperliquid is identified as a clear market leader in the perpetuals trading space, with a product strong enough to attract users and integrations from outside its native ecosystem.
  • This "best-in-class" status suggests Hyperliquid has significant momentum and a strong competitive advantage that could be difficult for others to overcome.
  • For investors looking at the decentralized derivatives space, Hyperliquid's dominance and successful integrations make it a key platform to watch.

Coinbase (COIN)

  • Coinbase is repeatedly referenced as the benchmark for a successful, publicly traded crypto company.
  • The Phantom team notes that they measure their own business against public company standards set by Coinbase, focusing on operational maturity, profitability, and revenue quality.
  • Coinbase's strategy of diversifying its revenue streams is highlighted as a key lesson for building a resilient crypto business.

Takeaways

  • The discussion reinforces Coinbase's position as a blue-chip leader in the crypto industry, with a business model that other aspiring companies seek to emulate.
  • Its focus on operational maturity and diversified revenue is a positive indicator for its long-term stability and growth, making it a potential cornerstone for a public crypto portfolio.

On-Chain Equities & Stablecoins (Investment Themes)

  • On-Chain Equities: The guests believe bringing traditional assets like equities on-chain is a "matter of time" and a massive future opportunity. However, they note it's a long-term play that depends heavily on regulatory changes and shifts in public sentiment. The more immediate, high-growth opportunity is in crypto-native markets like perpetuals and prediction markets.
  • Stablecoins: Described as a massive success story that has achieved significant regulatory clarity. The guests envision a future where a user's first financial experience is downloading Phantom and loading it with stablecoins. Recent legislation has made stablecoin platforms hot targets for investors and acquirers.

Takeaways

  • On-Chain Equities represents a long-term, venture-style bet. It's a theme to monitor for regulatory breakthroughs, but it is not expected to be a major market driver in the short term.
  • Stablecoins are a foundational and bullish theme for the entire crypto space. Regulatory progress and their role as the bridge between traditional finance and crypto make companies and protocols in this sector highly valuable and strategically important.
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Episode Description
Gm! This week, Brandon Millman & Sam Rosenblum join the show to discuss what's next for Phantom. We deep dive into the state of Solana DeFi, the super-app vision, crypto's IPO window, growing through acquisition & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Brandon: https://x.com/BChillman Follow Sam: https://x.com/sjrosenblum Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Subscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed Join the Lightspeed Telegram: https://t.me/+QUl_ZOj2nMJlZTEx -- Crypto’s premiere institutional conference returns to London in October 2025. Use code LIGHT100 for £100 off at checkout: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2025-london -- Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and real yield, by redirecting chain revenue back to active DeFi users. The 1 billion KAT campaign is live. Bridge and deposit directly into vaults in one simple click and start earning immediately on your ETH, BTC, USDC, and more. Go to app.katana.network to check it out. -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:40) The State Of Solana DeFi (08:46) The SuperApp Vision (10:33) Katana Ad (11:31) Onchain Equities (14:57) Partnering With Hyperliquid (19:58) Owning The End User (24:00) Phantom’s M&A Strategy (32:10) How To Make Successful Acquisitions (35:49) Katana Ad (36:48) Is Phantom Considering An IPO? (43:23) Phantom’s Next Chapter (56:20) Advice For Founders -- Disclaimers: Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation. Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Jack, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
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