Media
Talks, interviews and demo days.
Conversations Pete has had on other people's stages and shows, along with the Techstars Web3 demo days where the founders he backed pitched.
01 · Talks and interviews
On other people's stages.
Newest first.
Business Post · September 2026
Ireland’s ‘huge opportunity’ to build up tokenised finance startups
Speaking at the FPAI FintechNation conference, Pete argues that Ireland’s funds industry could produce tokenisation startups the way pharma and medtech investment led to a wave of Irish life sciences spinouts. “Firms like BlackRock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton and Baillie Gifford have made big investments in this area, and the opportunity is there for Ireland.” Subscriber article.
Silicon Republic · March 2025
Beyond Big Tech: Building Ireland's start-up community
Laura Varley interviews Pete on why Ireland does so well for its size in start-ups, why pre-seed founders should plan on pitching a hundred or more VCs, and what Irish founders, investors, government and universities could gain by pulling in the same direction.
Crypto Backstage · June 2024
Investors beware! Charismatic founders can sell you anything
An inside look at how the Techstars Web3 accelerator picked its teams, how Mentor Madness matched founders with more than 100 web3 experts, and why a charismatic pitch is no substitute for a good idea.
Venture with Hesus · November 2023
Pete Townsend and the Techstars Web3 story
A long conversation with Hesus Inoma about building companies from Boston to Galway, launching an accelerator into a volatile market, NFTs, and how crypto regulation has shifted.
The Fintech Blueprint · September 2023
The Techstars Web3 thesis, with Lex Sokolin
Lex Sokolin and Pete on technologists as a source of new wealth, go-to-market for blockchain and fintech startups, incentives inside traditional financial firms, and the thinking behind the Techstars Web3 program.
EY FinTech Beyond Borders · July 2022
Deconstructing DeFi
Pete and Hugh Karp, founder of Nexus Mutual, on decentralized finance, hosted by Hesus Inoma and Sharon Chen of EY-Parthenon Ireland.
TOKEN2049 London · October 2021
The 2020s: the decade ahead for crypto
A panel with Diana Biggs of Valour, Max Kordek of Lisk and James Hume of Huobi Global.
EY FinTech Beyond Borders · February 2021
The business case for digital assets
Central bank digital currencies and the wider business case for digital assets.
Dublin Tech Summit · April 2019
From collected intelligence to collective intelligence
Pete hosts a fireside chat at the RDS with Mihai Alisie, co-founder of Ethereum and Bitcoin Magazine and founder of the AKASHA Foundation, on moving from collected to collective intelligence, and why social networks need new foundations that no single company controls.
Blockchain for Finance Conference Europe, Dublin · October 2018
The future role of digital tokens in financial services
Pete moderates a panel with Jeremy Wilson, Vice Chair of Barclays, Maura McLaughlin, partner at Arthur Cox, Paul Claudius of BlockState, Ioana Surpateanu of Citi and Jens from BaFin, on how regulators should classify payment, asset and utility tokens, the patchwork of rules across Europe, and whether token offerings could one day replace IPOs.
Blockchain for Finance Conference Europe, Dublin · October 2018
DLT: an emerging consensus on the buy-side
Chris Mills and Dr Ian Hunt, co-authors of the buy-side DLT report of the same name, lead a panel with Sara Feenan of Clearmatics and Gavin Wells of Digital Asset. Pete talks about islands of DLT activity at the ASX, Calastone and Northern Trust linking up, why custody will be valued for cyber security more than safekeeping, and what the shift means for jobs in Ireland’s funds servicing industry.
Blockchain for Finance Conference Europe · October 2017
Blockchain for trade finance
A panel discussion on putting trade finance on blockchain rails.
02 · 11:FS, 2017 to 2018
The 11:FS years.
In 2017-2018, Pete was a regular voice on 11:FS's Fintech Insider and Blockchain Insider podcasts.
11:FS Fintech Insider · May 2018
Digital asset management
Pete hosts two funds-industry panels, recorded at the Irish Funds London Alternative Investments Seminar and the Calastone Connect London Forum, with guests from Mercer, Eagle Alpha, AQMetrics, Deloitte, Calastone and Hunch.
11:FS Blockchain Insider · May 2018
Circle the bitcoin unicorn
With Colin G. Platt and R3 CTO Richard Brown on Circle's Bitmain-backed round, ConsenSys teaming up with Amazon, and the SEC's fake Howeycoin ICO.
11:FS Fintech Insider · April 2018
Insights: HL techover
Recorded at Hargreaves Lansdown's new tech office in Warsaw, with CEO Chris Hill and the HL Tech team on building the platform and staying close to customers.
11:FS Fintech Insider · January 2018
Investing's future: a platform for your future wealth?
Investment platforms, how robo-advisers could scale 'do it for you' investing, and why millennials struggle with long-term investing.
11:FS Fintech Insider · January 2018
Understanding wealth: the best asset of asset managers
How inheritances and longer lifespans are changing what investors want from asset managers, and where robo-advice, blockchain and AI fit.
11:FS Blockchain Insider · December 2017
Keanu Reeves on bitcoin, Vanguard on blockchain and Cardano
With Simon Taylor and Colin G. Platt on CME's bitcoin futures, whether bitcoin is a bubble, Vanguard's blockchain plans and Cardano's rise.
11:FS Fintech Insider · November 2017
News: high rate of return
Fintech news with Caroline Plumb of Fluidly: P2P payments from Facebook, Apple and Walmart, Revolut's banking licence application and N26's UK plans.
11:FS Fintech Insider · September 2017
Insights: asset management
A back-to-basics roundtable on asset management with Simon Taylor and Chris Mills of KPMG.
11:FS Fintech Insider · September 2017
News: iPhone Ex
The week's fintech news with Kadhim Shubber of FT Alphaville and Sophie Guibaud of Fidor, from Apple's P2P payments to Jamie Dimon on bitcoin.
03 · Techstars Web3 demo days
The founders on stage.
Pete ran four cohorts of the Techstars Web3 Accelerator. Each one ended with a demo day, and three of them were recorded.
New York · June 2025
Techstars Web3 Demo Day NYC 2025
Five startups pitched at Civic Hall during NY Tech Week, followed by a fireside chat with Dfns CEO Clarisse Hagège.
Livestream · June 2024
Techstars Web3 Demo Day 2024
Twelve early-stage companies pitched, working across decentralized identity, DeFi and AI.
Dublin · June 2022
Techstars Web3 Demo Day 2022
The first Techstars Web3 class in Dublin: nine founders pitching blockchain and tokenization companies.
04 · The show
MoneyNeverSleeps.
Pete's own podcast: more than 300 conversations with the founders, operators and investors building the bridge. Episode notes and longer pieces go out on the MoneyNeverSleeps Substack.