Institutional Capital & the Metaverse with Polygon
In this conversation, Polygon is presented as a foundational piece of Ethereum’s multi-chain future—offering high-speed, low-cost infrastructure for everything from DeFi to enterprise adoption. With gas fees on Ethereum still pricing out many users and businesses, Polygon delivers the same EVM compatibility and tooling with a fraction of the cost. The platform now hosts hundreds of DeFi dApps and continues to lead in gaming, NFTs, and enterprise integrations. A recent partnership with Ernst & Young marks a major step in bridging traditional finance with blockchain, signaling confidence in Polygon’s role as the go-to enterprise solution.
The discussion also explores how smart contracts, zero-knowledge proofs, and Web3-native business models will redefine industries like law, finance, and healthcare. As blockchain accelerates, there's a growing need for young professionals to discover where they can provide the most value—whether in technical development, business, marketing, or community building. This is a moment where talent, not titles, shape the future. With the open-source ethos at its core, the space rewards initiative, creativity, and mission-driven thinking—making it one of the most dynamic fields for anyone ready to build.
In this podcast episode, Chris Buren from BEN, interviews the fascinating Dean Thomas who transitioned from the traditional finance juggernauts of Goldman Sachs and Blackstone before switching paths and joining Polygon to head their Institutional Capital wing. He announces Polygon's new ties with EY before discussing the indelible influences crypto and technology will have on all of our futures.
What is Polygon?
Polygon is the first well-structured, easy-to-use platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. Its core component is Polygon SDK, a modular, flexible framework that supports building multiple types of applications.
Using Polygon, one can create Optimistic Rollup chains, ZK Rollup chains, stand-alone chains, or any other kind of infra required by the developer.
Polygon effectively transforms Ethereum into a full-fledged multi-chain system (aka Internet of Blockchains). This multi-chain system is akin to other ones such as Polkadot, Cosmos, Avalanche, etc. with the advantages of Ethereum’s security, vibrant ecosystem, and openness.
🐦 Dean Thomas on Twitter/X: https://x.com/DThomasStealth
🤵 Chris Buren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisburen/
🎙️ Antonio Gomes on Twitter/X: https://x.com/cryptonioooo
👤 Antonio Gomes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cryptoniooo/
⛓️ ChainStories on Twitter/X: https://x.com/chainstoriesxy
