# Fireside Chat I Tarun Chitra, Robert Leshner and Kartik Talwar | Pragma New York 2023

- Speakers: [Kartik Talwar](https://streameth.org/speakers/kartik-talwar), [Tarun Chitra](https://streameth.org/speakers/tarun-chitra)
- Channel: [ETHGlobal](https://streameth.org/ethglobal)
- Date: 2023-10-09
- Duration: 29:34
- Topics: Tarun Chitra, Robert Leshner, Gauntlet, Compound, Superstate, Pragma NYC, DeFi, mechanism design, game theory, MEV, ZK proofs, smart contract wallets, MPC wallets, appchains, L2s, composability, bridging, asset tokenization, yield optimization, simulation, cross-chain DeFi, real-world assets, crypto finance, financial infrastructure, telegram bots, DePIN, smart wallets, unibot, Ethereum, optimism, Arbitrum, rollups, defy investing, defi founders
- Watch: https://streameth.org/watch/yt-iEHLeYrv6Ek
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEHLeYrv6Ek

## Description

Join Tarun Chitra (Founder of Gauntlet) and Robert Leshner (Founder of Compound and Superstate) in a high-level fireside chat at Pragma New York 2023, hosted by Kartik Talwar. This conversation explores the evolving landscape of DeFi, game theory, mechanism design, on-chain asset tokenization, multi-chain interoperability, MEV, ZK proofs, smart wallets, MPC, and what it will take to make DeFi truly Wall Street-grade.

Tarun and Robert share candid insights on where DeFi is succeeding, where it’s still falling short, and the infrastructure shifts required to unlock the next wave of innovation. Whether you’re a founder, developer, investor, or just curious about the future of finance and decentralized systems, this talk will inspire you to think deeper about composability, fragmentation, UX, and the technical challenges ahead.

00:00 Intro: Tarun Chitra & Robert Leshner
00:45 Why Robert left Compound to build Superstate
01:48 The $900T opportunity: Bringing assets on-chain
03:27 What Gauntlet does and why mechanism design matters
05:02 Simulation examples: Average vs worst-case risk
07:07 Cross-chain MEV and L2 mempool complexity
08:16 DeFi's future: Not products, but info flow
10:35 The ZK boom and fragmented asset domains
11:37 Redefining composability across chains
13:12 Fragmentation and synchronous liquidity
14:13 Synthetic assets, bridges, and trust
15:14 Telegram bots, MPC, and asset abstraction
16:21 Revisiting Compound Chain and bridge risk
19:30 Appchains vs major L2s: UX and asset flow
20:34 UX upgrades: Rules-based vs transaction-based
22:35 Custody and rethinking protocol architecture
24:07 Moving beyond depositing funds into contracts
25:17 ZK use cases beyond rollups
26:49 What it takes to make DeFi Wall Street-grade
28:19 Final advice for DeFi founders

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🇺🇸 *Pragma New York*
The fifth edition of Pragma took place in New York in September 2023 with a curated series of high-quality talks that sparked thought and discussion. 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. Watch the full Pragma New York 2023 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6xsRbmx2niHEDyOyt1mddu&si=6Ic960b2hQyz9RGw

ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Ever since we first introduced our new event series, Pragma, in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, we have been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. 

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✅ *Follow Kartik Talwar*
X: https://x.com/therealkartik
Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik

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X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​
Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal
Website: https://ethglobal.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal 

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