The Owl Explains Hootenanny
We aim to bridge the gap between the builders of Web3 and the people shaping the rules. On the our podcast, you’ll hear from policymakers, developers, academics, and others working at the edge of tech and regulation. We ask the questions everyone’s actually wondering and keep it easy to follow.
Hootenannies
Hootenannies are informal gatherings where folk musicians would jam in front of a crowd. In the same spirit, we like to bring together blockchain innovators, lawyers, technologists and policymakers for laid-back conversations on the regulatory landscape of Web3.

Ep 52: Rethinking Cities with Blockchain ft. Former Lord Mayor of London Michael Mainelli
Michael Mainelli, former Lord Mayor of London, joins Owl Explains to unpack how blockchain can help cities govern smarter: from planning records to transit data. From congestion charges to building permits, Mainelli explains why cities need better memory systems and not just better apps. It’s local meets ledger, and a reminder that blockchain’s real power might lie in fixing what cities forget to track. 🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Ep 51: Justice in the Age of Blockchain and AI—The Case for Tech Courts
Professor Michele Neitz (University of San Francisco) makes the case for tech courts, a bold idea that could help us rethink how justice works in a digital-first world. As AI and blockchain reshape everything from contracts to crime, our legal system needs to evolve. Tech-savvy justice isn’t a luxury anymore but a necessity for protecting rights and resolving disputes in the age of code. 📝 Check out Michele's paper here. 🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
US Congress
We feature smart, candid conversations with members of US Congress who are shaping the future of blockchain and Web3. Whether they’re crafting policy, asking tough questions, or just getting curious about crypto, these episodes bring you front-row access to how decisions get made—and why they matter.

Ep 47: US Rep. William Timmons (R-SC)
With stablecoin and market structure bills moving fast, and NFTs waiting in the wings, Rep. William Timmons explains how 2025 could finally bring clarity, credibility, and competitiveness to digital assets. From reshoring innovation to rethinking how government spends money, he walks us through the big vision—and the even bigger questions—behind America’s crypto comeback.

Ep 46: Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15)
US House Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson breaks down what blockchain has to do with wheat futures, GPS networks, and bipartisan cooperation. He shares how Congress is handling blockchain’s regulatory gray zones through committee cooperation and public input. It’s a grounded discussion of what’s being built, what’s still unclear, and why it matters. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 👓 Read "A Blueprint for Digital Assets in America" co-written by Representatives French Hill and Glenn Thompson.
Ava Labs x CBER
We are proud to partner with the Crypto and Blockchain Economic Research (CBER) Forum on this academic podcast series called Crafting the Crypto Economy podcast series. These feature deep dives into notable research subjects such as lending platform economics, DEX design, DAO governance, and much more.

Ava Labs x CBER Ep 10: Tokenization of Real-world Assets in Avalanche
This podcast provides a deep-dive on the Avalanche blockchain. The podcast discusses how Avalanche's blockchain can be used for tokenization of real-world assets. The podcast also explains the Avalanche consensus protocol and how this protocol is an important differentiator between Avalanche and other blockchains. 🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Ava Labs x CBER Ep 8: Decentralized Exchange (DEX) Aggregators and Solvers
This podcast covers DEX Aggregators and Solvers. In more detail, DEXs are not isolated entities. Rather, a variety of "intents markets" have arisen (e.g., Uniswap X, CoW Swap) where users can express "intents" to trade and then these markets execute the intents by relying on DEX liquidity and also potentially other sources of liquidity (e.g., fillers). Intents markets are generally classified as aggregators or solvers, and this podcast explains the space of intent markets, clarifying the distinction between aggregators and solvers. The podcast particularly focuses on economic implications of intents markets. An important point is that assertions that these markets are likely to entail favorable outcomes for traders are not necessarily correct due to the underlying economic structure. Guest: Professor Mallesh Pai (Rice University) Paper: An Analysis of Intent-Based Markets 🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts