When DeFi Breaks: How Not to Get Rekt (again)
When DeFi Breaks: How Not to Get Rekt (again)
Trust the code? Let’s find out.
CryptoMondays London is back on 16 June with a special edition hosted as part of Superteam UK’s London Start-Up Village. This month, we’re diving deep into the mechanics, meltdowns, and magic of DeFi.
Join us for a night of hard truths and hot takes as we ask:
When DeFi breaks… who picks up the pieces?
💥 Why do some protocols fail?
🧠 What can audits actually prevent?
🛠️ How do smart contracts build—or break—trust?
🔥 What’s changing in the next wave of DeFi infrastructure?
Expect a candid, a no-BS panel, and the usual high-signal conversation over drinks and snacks.
MEET OUR INCREDIBLE SPEAKERS:
🎤 Elena Alicea, Lead Product Manager, Gemini
Elena Alicea is the Product Lead for the European region at Gemini, where she drives strategy and development for crypto products across diverse markets. She has experience in both centralised and decentralised finance, with a focus on building compliant, user-centric platforms. Prior to Gemini, she worked at Palantir as a Deployment Strategist, advising global clients on AI strategies and digital transformations. Elena has led market launches across the UK, EU, and beyond, blending regulatory insight with product innovation. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College and is passionate about expanding access to crypto through thoughtful design.
🎤 Samantha Bohbot, Partner & Chief Growth Officer, RockawayX
Samantha is Partner & CGO at RockawayX, that runs venture, liquid, and DeFi yield investment strategies, and operates infrastructure, crypto security, and solver divisions. The firm was a seed investor in Solana and remains one of the most active backers of projects across that ecosystem. Previously, Samantha spent nearly four years at DCG, as its VP, Head of Growth. In that role, Samantha oversaw the firm’s venture portfolio post-investment engine and strategic growth initiatives. Samantha started her career in asset management, before transitioning to startup world - originally on the operating side, leading partnerships strategies.
🎤 Dr Michael Bentley, Euler Labs
Cofounder and CEO of Euler, a modular lending protocol. Before DeFi he conducted postdoctoral research in dynamical systems at Oxford.
🎤 Emma Mkrtchian, Fractional CMO
Emma is a marketing leader with 12 years of experience, including the last 5 years focused on Web3. She’s worked with 30+ startups across DeFi, AI, DePIN, and RWA—leading product launches, token strategies, and full-funnel growth campaigns. Her past roles include Head of Marketing at CUDOS and NodeShift, where she scaled communities, built teams, and drove major partnerships. She also mentors startups at Outlier Ventures and serves as a marketing advisor for Crypto Mondays London.
🎤 Matthieu Barret , Incentive CEO and DeFi OG
Former Business Development Manager at TFL, ex-Shares.io Ambassador with 4,000+ users onboarded. Finance graduate from Panthéon-Sorbonne University
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Huge shoutout to our venue partner
London Startup Village @ Shoreditch Exchange for hosting us!
London Startup Village is taking over Shoreditch Exchange with a 10-day immersive experience for founders, creators, engineers, and the curious. Every day is a new frontier: RWA, gaming, payments, infrastructure, and much more. All happening in a high-energy, community-first space, with the vibes to spark ideas and create meaningful connections.
📍 RSVP now – space is limited.