In this episode of Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with Danielle Tichner, founder of W Source, a deep-tech venture builder operating at the intersection of infrastructure, crypto, and global commercialization. Danielle shares her journey from a red-headed, left-handed, dyslexic kid trying to “fit in” to becoming a top negotiator at Philips Electronics and then building her own firm that helps complex technologies actually reach real markets.

We dive into what “deep tech” really means, how W Source evolved from cross-border hardware advisory into software, crypto and full-blown venture building, and why Danielle only wants to work on hard, complex problems. From decentralized vault infrastructure like Lagoon to the emerging world of Bitcoin layer-2s (RGB, OP_CAT and more), she breaks down what she’s excited about, how she evaluates teams and tech, and why most projects underestimate go-to-market far more than they underestimate code.

The conversation also detours into negotiation as an art of “perceived win-win,” cultural nuance in Asia and beyond, how to actually get value out of crypto conferences, and closes with Danielle turning the mic on Yitzy to ask whether our future will be governed by regulators or by code.

Find Danielle on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielletichner/

X: https://x.com/danielletichner

EY’s Global Blockchain Leader Paul Brody joins Yitzy on Beyond the Code to peel back the curtain on how big companies really operate (“chaos on the inside”), why public blockchains beat private networks, and what it takes to ship serious enterprise workflows on Ethereum.

We trace Paul’s zig-zagging path—Nigeria during a coup, Apple’s textbook S&OP, a Samsung prototype with a young Vitalik—to EY’s privacy stack (Nightfall/Starlight) and his “pragmatic ETH-maxi” thesis. Also: the lore behind EY’s most coveted swag.

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• • Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbrody/

  • Paul on X: https://x.com/pbrody

  • Book — Ethereum for Business (in Plain English): https://www.amazon.com/Ethereum-Business-Plain-English-Generate-Management/dp/1954892101

    Buenos Aires event:⁠ https://luma.com/kylnbzb8

  • EY Blockchain (Nightfall/Starlight code): github.com/eyblockchain ・ blockchain.ey.com

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  Timestamps:

• • 00:00 EY boxer-shorts 😄

  • 07:06 Paul’s backstory: Africa studies → Nigeria mobile → first trip to Israel

  • 10:49 The coup, payroll, and a Swissair IOU

  • 13:35 “Chaos on the inside”: Samsung & big-company reality

  • 21:33 Apple’s S&OP masterclass (sales/marketing/supply chain in lockstep)

  • 33:48 Bitcoin → Ethereum: CES 2015 prototype with Vitalik; the light-bulb moment

  • 37:43 EY Blockchain: services + software; why zero-knowledge privacy mattered

  • 45:36 OpsChain, tokenizing “stuff,” notarization, contract manager; Xbox case study

  • 51:15 “Pragmatic ETH-maxi”: why standardization and network effects matter

  • 54:37 Enterprise Ethereum Alliance: becoming chair; back to public-chain roots

  • 56:50 ETH as an asset; closing notes & where to follow Paul

In this episode, Yitzy is joined by Yehuda Lindell—founder of Unbound Security (acquired by Coinbase), longtime professor and one of the earliest researchers in secure multiparty computation (MPC).

We trace his journey from Australia to Israel and from theory to industry, then dive into how Coinbase secures customer assets using layered cryptography: MPC, secure enclaves, HSMs, cold elements, and rigorous review processes. Yehuda explains MPC in plain English (with a great DNA example), why “defense-in-depth” beats any single fortress, how insider threats are modeled, and what Coinbase’s production bar looks like.

We also talk CS education in the age of AI, and why students should learn to program with AI rather than fear it. Yehuda closes with a pointer to CB-MPC, Coinbase’s open-source MPC engine, and a broader call for rigor when turning cryptography papers into production systems.

Resources and Links:

Yehuda on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yehudalindell/

Yehuda on X: https://x.com/LindellYehuda

Coinbase's CB-MPC library: https://github.com/coinbase/cb-mpc

Timestamps:

• 00:00 — Intro & Yehuda’s background

• 05:43 — What is cryptography (for non-experts)

• 16:00 — MPC 101 (privacy, correctness, shard thresholds)

• 19:36 — Real-world key splitting; surviving full IT compromise

• 23:38 — Coinbase’s defense-in-depth philosophy

• 24:34 — What secure enclaves are (and side-channel realities)

• 28:52 — Cold elements, cross-domain guards, layered participants

• 31:31 — Coinbase’s production bar & independent reviews

• 35:54 — CS, AI, and training “with” AI
  41:59 — CB-MPC and parting advice