Fireside Chat I Kartik Talwar and Roham Gharegozlou I Pragma Cannes 2025

Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 12:00 AM

In this fireside chat at Pragma Cannes 2025, Kartik Talwar interviews Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs, about the evolution and mainstream adoption of consumer crypto, NFTs, and blockchain technology. They discuss the shift from early projects like CryptoKitties to mass adoption driven by partnerships with major brands such as NBA, NFL, and Disney, highlighting regulatory clarity and improved infrastructure as key enablers. Roham emphasizes the importance of abstracting blockchain complexity for users, true digital ownership, and composability. The conversation explores the convergence of AI and crypto, with programmable on-chain agents and open data layers enabling new use cases. Hackathons and developer engagement are credited for ecosystem growth, especially with Flow’s EVM equivalence. Looking ahead, they predict a future where AI, AR/VR, and crypto create seamless, composable consumer experiences, with entertainment and co-creation at the forefront. 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Crypto Adoption Waves & Early Days 01:29 What’s Different Now: Regulation & Infrastructure 02:32 Mainstream Adoption: Games, Entertainment, and Institutions 03:28 Disney Partnership & Regulatory Clarity 04:08 Comparing Crypto to Early Internet Adoption 04:59 Brand Partnerships: NBA, NFL, Disney 05:49 Changing Brand Perspectives on Crypto 06:46 Digital Collectibles & Monetization Models 07:32 Open Ecosystems & User Ownership 08:51 Abstracting Blockchain for Mainstream Users 09:42 Platform Risk & Open Standards 11:25 Digital Identity & Interoperability 12:21 Blockchain as Immortal Software 12:47 AI and Crypto: Overlap & Opportunities 13:30 On-Chain Agents & Programmability 15:24 Smart Resources & Autonomous Agents 16:53 Scheduled Callbacks & Flow Features 18:02 Hackathons, Developer Ecosystem & EVM Equivalence 19:47 AI, Security, and Developer Tools 20:40 The Future of Consumer Crypto (5-Year Outlook) 21:30 Entertainment, AI, and Seamless Interfaces 22:24 Co-Creation, IP, and the Future of Experiences 23:45 Closing Remarks _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *Pragma Cannes* Pragma Cannes 2025 was held on July 3rd at the Carlton Cannes in Cannes, France and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Cannes YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6jZYPY5-YIBzvMtUT3ajjI 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 Dapper Labs X: https://x.com/dapperlabs ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 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 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _