The Pomp Podcast
#549 Alex Taub on Digital Horse Racing
- Digital horse racing on Zed.run functions as both a breeding and racing ecosystem where users buy, breed, and race NFT horses with documented provably fair odds based on distance preference and win rates.
- Genesis horses are minted in 10 tiers (Z1 Nakamoto through Z10 Buterin), with only 38,000 ever to exist; Z1 horses currently cost $10–16k and command premium breeding fees of $500–1000+ per offspring.
- Stud farm breeding generates passive income: horses produce seven offspring every two weeks (females) or can breed up to 250 times annually, with owners setting breeding fees; some horses have earned six figures without racing.
- Upstream is building a mobile-first professional networking platform focusing on events, community groups, and strength-of-relationship utility to challenge LinkedIn's monopoly.
- NFT sustainability depends on three factors: strong IP (NBA Top Shot, SoRare, Zed), built-in utility (earning yields, breeding, access), and digital/physical scarcity—most cash-grab NFTs will fail.