Kautuk Kundan I General Purpose vs App Specific Systems I Stackr I Pragma San Francisco 2024

Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 12:00 AM

n this insightful presentation from Pragma San Francisco 2024, Kautuk Kundan, founder of Stackr Labs, dives deep into the debate between general-purpose and application-specific blockchain systems. Explore critical insights into Ethereum, Solana, rollups, ZK VMs, domain-specific chains, and the rise of custom L2 solutions. Understand the trade-offs in scalability, decentralization, efficiency, resource allocation, and value capture strategies. Ideal for developers, blockchain enthusiasts, and crypto industry professionals exploring rollups, blockchain infrastructure, and decentralized application (dApp) optimization. 00:00 Intro - General Purpose vs App-Specific Systems 00:49 Speaker Intro - Kautuk Kundan & Stackr Labs Overview 01:18 General vs Specific Systems Explained with Examples 02:11 Defining General Purpose & App-Specific Systems 02:40 Advantages of General Purpose Systems (Ethereum, Solana) 03:38 Limitations of General Purpose Blockchains & ZK VMs 04:32 Benefits of App-Specific Blockchain Systems 05:29 Innovation Examples from App-Specific Systems (Formula 1) 05:58 Examples of App-Specific Chains & ZKMs (dYdX, Cairo, Noir) 06:30 Challenges & Limitations of App-Specific Systems 07:23 Common Issues: Silos, Niches & Resource Intensiveness 08:19 Finding Balance: Domain-Specific Chains as a Solution 09:14 Domain-Specific Chains Defined & Explained 09:43 Benefits & Examples of Domain-Specific Blockchains (OP Stack) 10:40 The Future: App-Specific Chains with Better UX & Tooling 11:06 Rise of Domain & App-Specific Chains in Blockchain 11:35 How to Choose Between General & App-Specific Systems 12:28 Evaluating Resource Costs for Blockchain Projects 13:21 Path to Building an App Chain (Decision Mindmap) 13:47 App-to-App Chain Cycle Explained (John Sharp Model) 14:12 Real-World Examples of App-to-General Chain Evolution (AO) 14:44 Stackr Labs SDK Overview - Custom L2 Rollups 15:14 Why Projects Launch Custom L2s: Value & Revenue Capture 15:43 Revenue Data: Sequencer Fees & Value Capture 16:11 Decentralization Issues with Custom L2 Sequencers 16:38 "Fat App" Thesis: Shifting Value Capture to Applications 17:03 Cost-Benefit Analysis: App Chains, Domain Chains & Sequencing 17:30 Value Capture Examples: Blast & App-Specific Sequencing 17:58 Final Thoughts & Advice for Blockchain Infrastructure Devs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma San Francisco* Pragma San Francisco 2024 was a special gathering of founders and builders that took place October 16th and 17th at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA. Pragma San Francisco 2024 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma San Francisco playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4LcwDpGf_itZrAu7XRNb07&si=3x3y9J3avgNTITUe ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow the Kautuk Kundan* X: https://x.com/Kautukkundan ✅ *Follow the Stackr Labs* X: https://x.com/0xStackr ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _