Validated is a no-hype, no-advice podcast hosted by Austin Federa, featuring deep-dive interviews on Solana engineering, validators, networking, wallets, privacy, and cross-chain perspectives. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or the Validated hub.
About Validated
Validated is a long-form interview podcast that explores how blockchains—and Solana in particular—are built, scaled, and used in the real world. Each episode features a focused conversation with engineers, researchers, founders, and policy experts working on core infrastructure, validator clients, networking, zero-knowledge cryptography, wallets, and developer tooling. The editorial stance is explicit: skip the hype and market chatter, and concentrate on the ideas, trade-offs, and engineering decisions that shape the next generation of internet products. “No hype cycles. No financial advice.”
Episodes are hosted by Austin Federa and are available across major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube) and on the Solana “Validated” hub. Guests span Solana-native teams and adjacent ecosystems—think validator client maintainers, networking experts, wallet builders, and researchers from other chains—so listeners get a pragmatic view of how different approaches compare.
If you’re a Solana trader, validator, builder, or simply a beginner who wants clear, technically grounded explanations without price talk, Validated is a reliable, evergreen learning resource. The show launched with an “Introducing Validated” trailer in January 2023 and has continued to publish deep-dive episodes on topics like validator clients (Agave), hardware-accelerated sidechains (Solayer), real-time execution architectures (MegaETH), zero-knowledge privacy (Arcium), and even comparative discussions with leaders from other chains (e.g., Aptos).
What makes Validated special?
Validated stands out by consistently offering access to primary sources—the builders and researchers making architectural choices that affect throughput, latency, state growth, privacy, and developer experience. Sample episodes illustrate the range:
Validator clients & core engineering: Deep dives into Agave and broader client evolution that directly affect Solana’s reliability and performance.
Scaling paths tailored to market structure: Hardware-accelerated sidechains (e.g., Solayer) designed for market makers and high-frequency use cases, discussing how specialized execution contexts reduce priority fees.
Networking & node specialization: Explorations of improved bandwidth/latency and node role specialization for real-time applications—critical context for traders who rely on execution speed.
Security and privacy primitives: Conversations on ZK proofs and privacy layers (e.g., Arcium) that influence wallet design, compliance, and user safety.
Cross-chain and policy awareness: Episodes featuring other ecosystems (e.g., Aptos) and policy figures (e.g., Coin Center discussions) that give Solana users a broader map of the regulatory and technical landscape.
These discussions are hosted by Austin Federa (as indicated in the show’s feed and X bio), whose background in Solana’s strategy and communications helps surface the right technical questions without drifting into hype.
Pricing
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Free
The Validated podcast is free and accessible to everyone.
Simply visit your preferred podcast platform to listen to the episodes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who hosts the Validated podcast?
The podcast is hosted by Austin Federa, who engages with various experts and innovators in the blockchain and technology sectors.
Is the Validated podcast free to listen to?
Yes, the Validated podcast is available for free on all major podcast platforms.
Where can I listen or watch?
Stream on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Validated hub, or watch via the YouTube playlist.
Is the content only about Solana?
The focus is Solana, but the show also covers adjacent ecosystems and comparative architectures (e.g., Aptos, MegaETH) to give broader context.
