#12 - David Stancel: Teaching Crypto Clearly, Building with AI, and Designing for Autonomy

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with David Stancel about teaching complex ideas clearly, building practical tools with AI, and designing infrastructure that supports individuals gaining freedom and sovereignty over their lives.David is an educator, entrepreneur, advisor and founder of Polystate.io.  He's spent the last 12 years in crypto, initially researching and then building infrastructure for financial freedom. He first had a failed crypto startup, then successful Fumbi, the market leader for Czech and Slovak Republic crypto investing then CorkProtocol, backed by a16z. Drawing on his work in crypto education, network states, and remote-first systems, in this conversation, David reflects on teaching, his entrepreneurial experiences, and why grounded thinking matters at the edge of technology.This conversation is about digital literacy, autonomy, and building thoughtfully with emerging tools.This episode explores• A simple explanation of Bitcoin, blockchain, and why it matters• Teaching as translation and credibility• AI tools for building faster, learning faster, and shipping more often• Polystate.io and infrastructure for digital nomads• Building tools for digital nomads, for autonomy and mobilityGuest links• David: https://davidstancel.com/• Learn about crypto and network states with David: https://davidstancel.com/slides• David's news https://davidstancel.substack.com • David’s latest company: https://polystate.io/• Coin Story, David's book: https://coinstory.tech/ • Cursor: https://cursor.com• VS Code: https://vscode.dev/• Replit: https://replit.com/• Loveable: https://loveable.dev/• Network School: https://ns.comChapters3:06 Teaching crypto clearly7:40 Beginner-friendly definition of blockchain and Bitcoin13:44 Building community and belonging through inspired events18:40 Ninety million digital nomads, autonomy and building Polystate.io22:00 Solo time: writing a book on Madeira Island, deep work and getting things done25:07 The future skill: getting fluent with AI tools and AI use cases27:40 App-building stack: IDEs, Claude Cowork, VS Code, Cursor, Replit, and LoveableExplore furtherBook a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.auLearn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.auSubscribe to hear future episodes.CreditsHosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Melbourne and Network School, January 22, 2026Produced at the Travancore, Violet Town, Peregian and Sunshine Motorway offices, 26 January - 22 February, 2026Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au