Avalanche DeFi: the Journey to Bring Institutions Onchain
In the second episode of Ecosystems: Avalanche, we track the protocol’s trajectory, which included a peak valuation of $13 billion, followed by a period of consolidation and strategic redevelopment.
The Defiant founder Camila Russo and Ava Labs' Chief Strategy Officer Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo are joined by founders from BENQI, Euler Labs, and LFJ, who are building on the Avalanche protocol. The conversation covers technical upgrades such as Octane and Etna, aimed at reducing fees, and Interchain Messaging, designed to enhance interoperability between blockchains. It also addresses the strategy to onboard institutional clients, including T. Rowe Price and Wellington, through customized Layer 1 solutions.
Can Avalanche cultivate an ecosystem that thrives without relying on constant incentives, particularly regarding liquidity and user retention? Join us to find out.
How Avalanche is Tackling the Blockchain Trilemma
Avalanche says it can finally square the circle: sub‑second finality, a large decentralized validator set, and thousands of sovereign L1s connected through native messaging for shared liquidity.
In the genesis episode of our new ECOSYSTEMS podcast, Camila Russo and guest cohost Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo of Ava Labs unpack the Avalanche story—from Team Rocket’s probabilistic consensus and the stadium sampling intuition, to today’s “city of chains” (C‑Chain liquidity hub, P/X chains, and customizable L1s). We discuss:
How random sampling achieves speed and safety/liveness guarantees
Customization without fragmentation via inter-chain messaging (ICM)
L1 vs L2 trade-offs: shared security vs shared risk, costs, and interoperability
Enterprise paths (FIFA, Toyota, fintechs), privacy options, and Ava Cloud’s “L1 in minutes”
Decentralization in practice: validator counts, Nakamoto coefficient, and hardware accessibility
What real adoption looks like for payments, DeFi, and emerging markets
If Avalanche is right, it has the chance to make finance programmable at scale. If not, we add to the L1 graveyard.