[E4] From Terra Intern to Co-Founder of Initia, Rebuilding the Multichain World

Zon Mangalji began his journey in the Cosmos ecosystem as a smart contract development intern at Terra. While working on a new protocol on top of Luna after leaving Terra, he successfully completed a funding round. However, soon after, Terra collapsed. A few months later, after returning the raised funds to the VCs, Zon and Stan co-founded Initia, a new Layer 1 blockchain. Initia aims to address key challenges in blockchain, particularly with interoperability. The project seeks to streamline the process of building app-chains, improve interactions between chains, and create aligned incentives for both developers and users. Today, we explore Zon’s path from his time at Terra to the founding of Initia, including Initia’s vision, its incentive model, and his perspective on the future of the crypto industry. Timestamps 00:00 Highlights 01:46 Introduction 04:06 Issues with Interoperability 05:16 The Biggest Challenge in the Cosmos Ecosystem 06:24 How Initia is Enhancing the Protocol 07:45 Overview of Initia’s VIP Program 09:48 How Initia Stands Out in User Retention 12:01 Zon’s Favorite Apps 14:22 Sectors Initia is Focusing On 16:27 Current Interactions Between Layer 2s (L2s) 18:14 Initia’s Value Proposition as a Layer 1 (L1) 29:02 Why Choose Layer 1? 30:19 Is Initia the “Apple” of Blockchain? 33:38 How Initia Empowers Developers to Create Advanced Apps 37:40 What Sets the Developer Experience on Initia Apart? 40:04 Zon’s Journey to Becoming a Developer at Terra 42:34 Co-Founding Initia with Stan 46:32 Zon’s Transition from Smart Contract Developer to CBDSM 47:45 Can Initia Replicate Terra Luna’s Success? 48:46 Zon’s Thoughts on the Next Crypto Cycle 52:39 The Vision for Initia 54:55 Initia’s Community 58:32 In-House Design Team at Initia 1:00:00 Why We Need a Separate Wallet 1:04:35 How to Hire the Right Talent 01:09:40 Jessie’s Elevator Pitch Co-Hosts Brian: @brianjhhong Jessie: @0xJESSIE_ JW: @pillarbear_ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EjrWcgasA3AQlYkXFFSV8?si=dd4132dcc2ee436f Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/profile-pictures/id1762620325 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pfppod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ICeZS4bNOphbfDKuTzygy?si=c9c1815d0b5b423e Youtube: https://youtu.be/5Nt9SV5dqyA