Tarun Chitra vs. DeSci Debate with Benji Leibowitz

For today's episode, we explore whether or not the saying: "Most DeSci projects today are just ICOs in a lab coat" is truth or an overexaggeration.

When Tarun Chitra dropped this line during our chat, the Pump.Science founder Benji Lebowitz nearly hopped out of his seat. What followed was one of the most fascinating debates we've had on the show about where crypto tools meet scientific research.

If you've been following the rise of decentralized science (DeSci), you know it's generating serious buzz - and serious skepticism. Can blockchain really fix science funding? Are tokenized research papers the future or just another crypto flex?

Today's episode cuts through the hype. Tarun brings his signature brutal honesty about why most DeSci projects are missing the mark on accountability. Meanwhile, Benji shows us live demos of how his team at Pump.Science is literally streaming experiments to prove their research isn't vaporware.

The parallels to early DeFi experiments are fascinating - and potentially warning signs we should heed.

Whether you're a scientist tired of grant politics, a builder curious about new token models, or just someone who wants to understand if DeSci could be the next big thing - this episode is your crash course in what's really happening at the intersection of science and crypto.

Let's dive in.

The Rollup