In this episode of Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with David Alexander “Alex” Scheer, founder and CEO of zkMe, a zero-knowledge identity network that lets users prove who they are - and meet KYC/AML requirements - without exposing their personal data.

zkMe builds identity oracles that turn existing credentials (passports, bank accounts, credit scores, tax records and more) into reusable, privacy-preserving proofs using zero-knowledge technology.

Alex shares how a career that started in mechanical engineering and aerospace, moved through automotive supply-chain consulting and software, and eventually led him to Shanghai, MiCA, and the decision to jump head-first into decentralized identity. We dig into why MiCA’s early drafts convinced him that Web3 would need a decentralized identity primitive to survive, and how zkMe is now serving millions of verified users while staying fully privacy-first and compliant.

Together we unpack what zero-knowledge proofs actually are (in human language), why Alex thinks ZK is more foundational than blockchains themselves, and how zk-based KYC can both meet FATF-level requirements and keep users pseudonymous until regulators really have grounds to pierce the veil. We explore the tension between regulators who are increasingly open to ZK approaches and compliance officers who’ve done things the same way for 40 years, as well as how stablecoins, self-custodial wallets and secondary markets are forcing a rethink of identity and risk.

From open banking ZK credentials and under-collateralized lending, to AI agents, the “machine economy,” and the business model behind decentralized compliance, Alex explains where zkMe is growing next and why he sees ZK identity as an anti-cyclical bet on crypto’s regulated future.

In this episode of Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with Danielle Tichner, founder of W Source, a deep-tech venture builder operating at the intersection of infrastructure, crypto, and global commercialization. Danielle shares her journey from a red-headed, left-handed, dyslexic kid trying to “fit in” to becoming a top negotiator at Philips Electronics and then building her own firm that helps complex technologies actually reach real markets.

We dive into what “deep tech” really means, how W Source evolved from cross-border hardware advisory into software, crypto and full-blown venture building, and why Danielle only wants to work on hard, complex problems. From decentralized vault infrastructure like Lagoon to the emerging world of Bitcoin layer-2s (RGB, OP_CAT and more), she breaks down what she’s excited about, how she evaluates teams and tech, and why most projects underestimate go-to-market far more than they underestimate code.

The conversation also detours into negotiation as an art of “perceived win-win,” cultural nuance in Asia and beyond, how to actually get value out of crypto conferences, and closes with Danielle turning the mic on Yitzy to ask whether our future will be governed by regulators or by code.

Find Danielle on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielletichner/

X: https://x.com/danielletichner

EY’s Global Blockchain Leader Paul Brody joins Yitzy on Beyond the Code to peel back the curtain on how big companies really operate (“chaos on the inside”), why public blockchains beat private networks, and what it takes to ship serious enterprise workflows on Ethereum.

We trace Paul’s zig-zagging path—Nigeria during a coup, Apple’s textbook S&OP, a Samsung prototype with a young Vitalik—to EY’s privacy stack (Nightfall/Starlight) and his “pragmatic ETH-maxi” thesis. Also: the lore behind EY’s most coveted swag.

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• • Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbrody/

  • Paul on X: https://x.com/pbrody

  • Book — Ethereum for Business (in Plain English): https://www.amazon.com/Ethereum-Business-Plain-English-Generate-Management/dp/1954892101

    Buenos Aires event:⁠ https://luma.com/kylnbzb8

  • EY Blockchain (Nightfall/Starlight code): github.com/eyblockchain ・ blockchain.ey.com

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  Timestamps:

• • 00:00 EY boxer-shorts 😄

  • 07:06 Paul’s backstory: Africa studies → Nigeria mobile → first trip to Israel

  • 10:49 The coup, payroll, and a Swissair IOU

  • 13:35 “Chaos on the inside”: Samsung & big-company reality

  • 21:33 Apple’s S&OP masterclass (sales/marketing/supply chain in lockstep)

  • 33:48 Bitcoin → Ethereum: CES 2015 prototype with Vitalik; the light-bulb moment

  • 37:43 EY Blockchain: services + software; why zero-knowledge privacy mattered

  • 45:36 OpsChain, tokenizing “stuff,” notarization, contract manager; Xbox case study

  • 51:15 “Pragmatic ETH-maxi”: why standardization and network effects matter

  • 54:37 Enterprise Ethereum Alliance: becoming chair; back to public-chain roots

  • 56:50 ETH as an asset; closing notes & where to follow Paul