205: Building the Everything Layer for Rollups: Matt from Caldera on Scaling Ethereum

Web3 with Sam Kamani

In this episode of Web3 with Sam Kamani, I sit down with Matt, co-founder of Caldera, live at DevCon.

Caldera is building the everything layer for rollups, helping Ethereum scale with reliable, customizable blockspace. Matt shares insights on:

• How Caldera helps projects like Zerion and ApeChain launch dedicated L2s.

• The challenges Web3 developers face compared to Web2 devs.

• Innovations like chain abstraction and cross-chain connectivity.

• Why Ethereum’s scaling roadmap and rollups are the future of blockchain.

If you’re curious about how rollups as a service can power on-chain applications or how infrastructure enables the next wave of adoption, this episode is a must-listen!

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam introduces Matt from Caldera and the focus on rollups at DevCon.

[00:02:00] Matt’s Journey: From Bitcoin in 2011 to building scalable blockchain infrastructure.

[00:04:00] What Sets Caldera Apart: Reliable rollup infrastructure, developer support, and ecosystem growth.

[00:06:00] Real-World Use Cases:

• Zerion’s Zero Network: Enabling free GAS transactions for users.

• ApeChain: Turning communities into platforms with unified L2s.

[00:08:00] Key Innovations at DevCon: The rise of chain abstraction and lowering friction for users.

[00:09:00] Challenges for Web3 Developers: Balancing cost, decentralization, and speed compared to Web2.

[00:12:00] Caldera’s Roadmap:

• Enabling cross-chain connectivity for value and data transfer.

• Integrating third-party infrastructure like oracles and indexers seamlessly.

[00:16:00] The Infrastructure vs. Apps Debate: Why infrastructure needs to come first to enable innovation.

[00:18:00] Shifts in Funding Trends: From apps in 2021 to infrastructure today, and where it’s heading.

[00:21:00] On-Chain Adoption: Why stablecoins are the “killer app” and how Web3 lowers barriers for new platforms.

[00:26:00] Challenges Ahead: Maintaining infrastructure quality and long-term vision as Caldera scales.

[00:29:00] Advice for Fundraising: Why fundraising is about alignment rather than persuasion.

[00:32:00] The Ask: Hiring top talent and building a vibrant developer community.

Connect

https://www.caldera.xyz/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/calderaxyz/

https://x.com/Calderaxyz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mykatz/

https://x.com/0xkatz

Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
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