
Episode #24
EP 24. “Don't Fall in Love With Your Bags" - The Hard Truth From a DeFi Builder
What if the NFT crash made your career?In this episode of SwapSpace Huddle, Wesley S. talks with Roman Prokhorenko (Mellow Protocol, formerly Rarible and Reclaim Protocol), who experienced the NFT downturn from the inside. Rather than leaving crypto, he pivoted into zero-knowledge technology and institutional DeFi. In this conversation, Roman shares his insights on DeFi, RWA crypto, crypto investing, NFT markets, and where Web3 is heading next.The podcast will cover:- What actually killed NFTs and why they're not coming back- How institutional investors are entering DeFi today- How can you get S&P 500 exposure for $3 - What modular DeFi vaults are and what makes them different from using Aave- Why RWA is no longer a hype cycle: commodities and physical mining are already on-chain- What surviving the NFT collapse taught Roman about building through bear markets"Embrace the cringe" - Roman's one rule for anyone starting out in Web3This crypto podcast is for anyone interested in:• DeFi and crypto investing• Real-world assets (RWA)• Institutional crypto adoption• Tokenization• Web3 career• Building during bear markets 🕔 TIMESTAMPS 🕔 00:00 - Intro00:31 - From telecom contracts to DeFi vaults: the unlikely road to Web305:52 - Ideology, tech, or FOMO? What actually pulls people into crypto08:41 - One career, three completely different worlds: was any of it planned?14:30 - Leading growth at Rarible while NFTs were dying 18:55 - The NFT cycle's hard lesson: "Don't fall in love with your bags"20:18 - Mellow Protocol explained: why DeFi still scares most people (and how to fix that)24:26 - Is Mellow for institutions, or can retail actually use it?25:40 - "They're already here" - institutions in DeFi, and it's not going back27:08 - Bear market building: does slowing down actually make you more stable?28:50 - AI vaults, RWA, autonomous yield - Roman's honest verdict33:30 - Where real Web3 growth is coming from (and it's not what Twitter says)35:17 - One piece of advice for anyone starting out: "Embrace the cringe"Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile. Always conduct your own research before making any financial decisions.

