Connor Howe: Building the Onchain Execution Engine with Enso Network

Join Ashwath Balakrishnan and Neel Daftary as they explore the future of DeFi infrastructure with Connor Howe, co-founder of Enso. After nine years of building in crypto, Connor has created what he calls "the shortcut to building on-chain applications" - a developer tool that abstracts away the complexity of integrating with hundreds of DeFi protocols. From powering Berachain's $3.1 billion launch to enabling developers to reduce build times from seven months to just days, Enso is positioning itself as the Unity engine for Web3. Enso: https://www.enso.build 🎯 Key Highlights ▸ Connor's nine-year journey from writing Solidity in Mist Wallet to building crypto infrastructure ▸ How Enso powered Berachain's $3.1 billion DeFi launch behind the scenes ▸ Reducing developer build times from 7 months to 1.5 days through abstraction ▸ Why crypto needs more apps (4,800) than blockchains (1,000+) for mass adoption ▸ The "fat engine thesis" - how abstraction layers will control blockchain routing ▸ Enso's upcoming network model: action providers, grafters, and validators ▸ The "Enso Drop" - accessing 370+ potential airdrops through network participation ▸ Security through simulation: 4ms response times vs industry standard 2.6 seconds ▸ Chain abstraction vs. application abstraction: the real path to user adoption ▸ Why product beats paper in crypto's current critical juncture 💡 Subscribe for more crypto & AI insights! 🔔 🧠 Follow the Alpha ▸ Connor's Twitter: @connor_enso ▸ Enso's Twitter: @EnsoBuild 🔗 Connect with Delphi 🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/ 🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/delphi_digital 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1RigLG2YN5Pelq6UY9?si=18ac7ccf36ab4753&nd=1&dlsi=50105fd66e6c4124 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delphi-podcast/id1438148082 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Yy99ZlQIX9-PdG_xHj43Q Timestamps 00:00 — Intro: Connor Howe, Enso co-founder 01:15 — Nine years building in crypto: from Bitcoin to Ethereum 03:00 — Early DeFi development challenges and the birth of Enso 05:00 — Chain abstraction vs. application abstraction philosophy 08:30 — Serving 8% of Web3's developer mindshare (2,250+ developers) 11:00 — Berachain's $3.1B launch: Enso's behind-the-scenes role 13:15 — AI agents, automation, and new use cases emerging 15:00 — Reducing build times: from 7 months to 1.5 days case study 17:30 — Security through simulation: 4ms response times 21:30 — Why we need products people actually want to use 23:15 — New developer onboarding trends and product directions 26:30 — The Enso Network: action providers, grafters, validators 30:00 — Self-service protocol integration and scalability 33:00 — Enso vs. Yearn comparison and strategy differences 35:15 — Network economics and fee distribution mechanisms 39:00 — Upcoming TGE and token utility design 41:00 — The "Enso Drop": accessing 370+ protocol airdrops 42:00 — Developer relations strategy: YouTube, universities, incubators 45:15 — Keeping developers away from crypto Twitter for innovation 47:15 — Fat protocols vs. fat apps: the abstraction layer thesis 51:30 — "Product beats paper" - crypto's critical juncture Disclaimer This podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens