This episode explores the unconventional team behind FINREV and the tension between redemption story leadership and institutional-grade execution. When Scott Phillips (self-described "reformed scumbag" with a criminal past) teams up with James Hodges (BlackRock physicist, PhD), something unexpected emerges: ruthless meritocracy.

We examine how Artem, a Ukrainian refugee and former drone pilot who joined as a junior developer, built quant models that outperformed the BlackRock PhD's work in certain sectors—and how the team immediately deployed his strategy because "the math wins."

The discussion addresses the elephant in the room: bootstrapped with zero VC funding, how does FINREV replace traditional oversight? Through on-chain vesting, where founders' tokens are cryptographically locked until community milestones, and radical transpar ...