Sunny Ray talks with Vincent Charles of Unchain Data about how the next generation of blockchain analysts can learn their craft as free practice platforms disappear. Charles, who has eight to nine years of experience in data and worked on the European business intelligence team at Binance, explains why public blockchain data is uniquely valuable to analysts. He describes how one major free query platform shut down in 2026 and another added a paywall, which led him to build a guided, affordable education product that teaches SQL on real Ethereum and Solana data. He also covers Unchain Data's B2B services, its crypto data job board, and his outreach to universities and communities. The conversation turns to vanity metrics such as trading volume and total value locked, why retention and churn tell a truer story, and how AI and MCPs are commoditizing basic dashboards. Charles closes with blunt advice for newcomers: pick a niche, publish consistently, and be ready to grind, because the jobs are there.
Free places to learn on-chain analytics are vanishing, so Vincent Charles built a guided path for the next blockchain analysts.
What is Unchain Data and what problem are you solving?
Unchain Data is data analytics focused on blockchain. On chains like Ethereum, transactions are public, so we analyze what is happening, including the financial health of ecosystems and protocols, and we study competitors. It is competitive intelligence, mostly for B2B clients and enterprises that want to understand their markets using open on-chain data.
What makes blockchain data so appealing to a data person?
Blockchain is an open ledger, so all the data is there. In Web2 or more traditional industries, you cannot compute your competitors' retention or churn. On a blockchain you can access that data yourself. I have eight to nine years in data, and I think that openness is what makes this industry unique.
What led you to build an education platform?
Free platforms where you could sign up and query chains were where analysts learned. One major platform shut down earlier this year, and the biggest one added a paywall at about 75 USD a month. My first reaction was worry, since I learned that way too. Then I saw an opportunity for guided learning at 15 USD a month, with a generous free tier.
Why teach SQL on real Ethereum and Solana data instead of sample files?
Each chain has a different data model, and Ethereum's differs from Solana's. You also need to understand DeFi, such as lending and decentralized exchanges. Querying real data teaches you which metrics matter from a business point of view, so you can get a job and produce analysis that is actually useful, which generic CSV files cannot teach.
What is the main vanity metric problem teams should be asking about?
Headlines love big numbers like trading volume or total value locked, but they can hide the truth. You need to ask what is artificial and what is organic. Maybe 80% of a protocol's liquidity comes from two or three actors. As an analyst, that concentration tells you whether the business is resilient or at risk.
How can analysts show a protocol has real, lasting users?
Measure retention and churn, borrowing traditional statistical methods from Web2 and SaaS and applying them to blockchain data. Teams often keep that analysis private, but an analyst can do it independently. Publishing precise reports on one protocol and its competitors gives real business insight, and that opens a lot of doors.
If AI makes dashboards nearly free, what skill keeps an analyst worth hiring?
Dashboards and writing SQL have been commoditized. What remains is an analytical mindset and deep understanding of blockchain and protocols, so you can ask the right question. If a new EIP changes how gas is computed, it affects your analysis. AI and MCPs are only as good as what you ask them.
What is the uncomfortable truth about breaking into this field?
There is no magic. You need to grind. Pick a vertical and a chain, become an expert in that niche, and write articles and share dashboards for months before getting hired. You must be passionate because you will put in many hours. But the jobs are there, they pay pretty well, and most are remote.
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