The People in Crypto category covers everyone working to grow the crypto space from developers to artists to marketers to policy makers and everyone in between.

People in crypto

**Sunny Lu** is the co-founder and chief commanding officer of [VeChain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/vechain), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based platform that focuses on providing supply chain solutions for businesses. [\[1\]](#cite-id-tpvtj90yl9i)  
  
# Education  
  
Sunny Lu enrolled in Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1998 and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. After graduation, became a Cisco certified engineer, receiving the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification. [\[2\]](#cite-id-972a90q5p9q)[\[3\]](#cite-id-ejws9x200cv)  
  
# Career  
  
Soon after graduation in 2002, Sunny took a job at Netstar, a IT service company as the Global Network Center (GNC) Manager. This is where he first learned about data tracking and its significance which is later reflected in the use cases of VeChain. After he left Netstar in 2005, he became the IT infrastructure manager at 3M China, a manufacturing and distributing company in February 2006. He then moved on from 3M China in May 2009 to take a job at one of the leading spirits company, Bacardi as their IT manager in China. In 2010 he left Bacardi to join Louis Vuitton China where he was the chief technology officer as well as the organisation and performance (O&P) manager. He was later promoted to the position of chief information officer and the Information Systems and Technology director in June 2014, which he states had an impact on the work he does in the future. [\[2\]](#cite-id-972a90q5p9q)[\[4\]](#cite-id-eturkme3phk)[\[5\]](#cite-id-jfu6rri2tl)  
  
> “CIO is acting as a bridge between the technology and the business. So usually I’m doing two things, either I find new technology or I think about what business can benefit from the technology”  
  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](aEzFBkt8UA8)$$  
  
# Beginning of Lu's Crypto Career  
  
Sunny Lu first encountered [cryptocurrencies](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) when he was offered to trade items for [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) whilst playing a game called World of Warcraft, which he thought was suspicious and didn't take the offer. However, years later around 2013, he became interested in studying Bitcoin after working on a project at Louis Vuitton where he proposed the idea of accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for stores when people traveled abroad. This is where he did a lot of research into the technology behind Bitcoin and was captivated by its capabilities and proposed that it would be a good solution for people who had difficulty carrying large amounts of cash or had credit card limitations. [\[5\]](#cite-id-jfu6rri2tl)[\[6\]](#cite-id-kal4qzt1m3l)[\[7\]](#cite-id-6d0mfljtefo)  
  
> “I took a study about the theory the technology even I read about the codes it's about like a 110 lines of codes of bitcoin, I was really impressed about the design about you know the simplicity of the coding so i was fascinated about the bitcoin, about the blockchain technology”  
  
After this revelation and new interest in blockchain technology, his position as CIO of Louis Vuitton helped him realise that “the profile missing from the entire blockchain space” was the integration of blockchain technology in businesses to bring back value for both sides of the partnership which was his starting point in creating VeChain. [\[5\]](#cite-id-jfu6rri2tl)[\[6\]](#cite-id-kal4qzt1m3l)  
  
# VeChain  
  
Sunny Lu founded [VeChain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/vechain) in 2015 with the help of [Changpeng Zhao](https://iq.wiki/wiki/changpeng-zhao), co-founder and CEO of [Binance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance). VeChain started from a “small idea” that rooted from Sunny Lu’s job at Louis Vuitton where he worked on a project called “track and trace” that aimed to track all products’ throughout the entire manufacturing process. He noticed that this was only possible within the premise of a single enterprise and wanted to create a solution to this. His idea was to replicate this project but make it accessible to multiple different entities by assuring trust and security through the use of blockchain technology. This idea was fully put into action when Sunny Lu had the chance to speak with the founder of [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum), [Vitalik Buterin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/vitalik-buterin) in late 2015, where he realized the effectiveness and ingenuity of [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) on the Ethereum [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) and decided to build VeChain on Ethereum. [\[4\]](#cite-id-eturkme3phk)[\[5\]](#cite-id-jfu6rri2tl)[\[6\]](#cite-id-kal4qzt1m3l)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](9MmMIqmbG0g)$$  
Since then, Sunny Lu has led the VeChain team to create an enterprise friendly blockchain platform, leading to multiple partnerships with various enterprises and also has launched their own public blockchain, VeChainThor and multiple other applications that build off the blockchain such as VeChain ToolChain. [\[8\]](#cite-id-o26gdqwp8br)  
  


Sunny Lu is the co-founder and chief commanding officer of VeChain, a blockchain-based platform that focuses on providing supply chain solutions for businesses....

Sunny Lu

Silvio Micali is a co-founder of the [Algorand](https://iq.wiki/wiki/algorand) cryptocurrency protocol. He is a computer scientist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is best known for his work on cryptography and information security on the [Algorand](https://iq.wiki/wiki/algorand) protocol. In 2012, he received the Turing Award, the most prestigious award in computer science. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Accademia dei Lincei.[\[1\]](#cite-id-4ip7n0p7apg)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](zNdhgOk4-fE)$$  
  
# Career  
  
Micali has been part of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at MIT since 1983. He is a leading expert in the fields of cryptography, blockchain technology and in particular, the areas of zero-knowledge proof, pseudorandom generation, secure protocols and mechanism design. He is recognized for co-inventing probabilistic encryption, Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Verifiable Random Functions, and several protocols that are now considered as fundamentals of modern cryptography.[\[1\]](#cite-id-4ip7n0p7apg)  
  
> What really attracted me in blockchain was an intersection over three fields: one is cryptography, one is distributed computation (...) the third field is economic incentives (...) . I felt that the blockchain and the intersection of these three things was ideal for my expertise and i really want to throw all of myself into this venture and found that Algorand found a new way of doing things  
  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](Ttw4DpDNSo8)$$In 2001, he co-founded CoreStreet Ltd, a company that was invested by In-Q-Tel, the venture arm of the CIA. Later, the corporation obtained a patent for its technology that allows for the verification of credentials across a decentralized infrastructure. This was the company's 15th patent, the majority of which were developed by Silvio himself. Micali also founded Peppercoin, a cryptographic system for micropayments. The system was firstly presented at the RSA Conference in 2002, and later bought out in 2007.[\[5\]](#cite-id-lockvzzrq3b)  
  
Micali also founded Peppercoin, a cryptographic system for micropayments. The system was firstly presented at the RSA Conference in 2002, and later bought out in 2007.[\[6\]](#cite-id-3vx27rgl665)  
  
## Algorand  
  
In 2017, Silvio Micali founded [Algorand](https://iq.wiki/wiki/algorand), a blockchain protocol based on an algorithm called Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS). It aims to be a greener protocol than other blockchains such as [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin), as it utilizes less energy to validate blocks.[\[7\]](#cite-id-6cwlgpy4rg9)  
  
> “Bitcoin absorbs as much electricity as a small country, and we are going to consume as much electricity as roughly 10 homes. [Algorand uses a so-called pure proof-of-stake method for validating blocks of transactions, versus bitcoin’s far more energy-intensive proof-of-work system.]”  
  
Micali aimed to design something that retained the ethos and the idea of Bitcoin but in a “technologically sound way”. With [Algorand](https://iq.wiki/wiki/algorand), through PPoS, blockchain sustainability can be achieved and at the same time enables to solve the blockchain trilemma of scalability, security, and decentralization. It randomly selects nodes to create blocks and earn rewards, making it resistant to centralization and manipulation. The platform supports large numbers of transactions per second, making it scalable. It also has built-in support for smart contracts, allowing the creation of decentralized applications. [\[8\]](#cite-id-u51mvbfd78)  
  
# Awards and Honors  
  
Throughout his career, Micali has been recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of theoretical computer science and cryptography. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Gödel Prize in Theoretical Computer Science in 1993 and the Turing Award in 2012 for his work in computer science. He was also awarded the RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics in 2004.[\[3\]](#cite-id-xh4gc1a0ogb) Other achievements include:  
  
* of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (January 2003)  
* Rademacher Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania (January 2005)  
* Distinguished Alumnus Award in Computer Science, by UC Berkeley (January 2006)  
* Member of the National Academy of Sciences (January 2007)  
* Member of the National Academy Engineering (January 2007)  
* Fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (January 2007)  
* Chair Professor at Tsinghua University (January 2007)  
* Socio Corrispondente of Accademia dei Lincei (January 2017)  
  
![43109724F0CD420345FE58ABC15_866CD4D5_2CA26.jpg](https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmRgddHsiywedJvLHMPgvyXEQjtuoxHa7ehaTPtGvQKo6F)  
  
# Education and Personal Life  
  
Silvio Micali was born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1954. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics at La Sapieza University of Rome and obtained a PhD in Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley. Later, he continued his education as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto from 1982 to 1983. Micali's research centers around the theoretical foundations of cryptography and information security.[\[2\]](#cite-id-elg7qhax87t)

Silvio Micali is a co-founder of Algorand protocol, an esteemed computer scientist and professor at MIT, and recipient of the Turing Award for his work on crypt...

Silvio Micali

**Illia Polosukhin** is an artificial intelligence researcher and software engineer, best known as the Co-Founder of [NEAR Protocol](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol), a layer one [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) protocol that allows the creation and execution of decentralized applications and [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract).  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](94TA0Ksn3rE)$$  
  
# Early Life & Education  
  
Polosukhin holds a Master’s degree in Applied Math and Computer Science from the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”, institution where he also studied his undergraduate studies. [\[1\]](#cite-id-dh9ve1ij02h) [\[4\]](#cite-id-smqgtdxe58g)  
He is a fan of Russian science fiction literature and particularly enjoys reading the works of Heinlein and Asimov. [\[7\]](#cite-id-jiu32jboxi)  
  
# Career  
  
Started his career as a software engineer at Salford Systems, where he was in charge of the development of new tools for big data predictive analytics, text mining, geo mining, and the refinement of the existing Salford Predictive Miner toolkit. [\[1\]](#cite-id-dh9ve1ij02h)  
Afterwards, at Google Research, Polosukhin managed a team of researchers focused on Deep Learning and Natural Language Understanding. He also worked on TensorFlow (specifically TF.Learn, also known as SKFlow). [\[1\]](#cite-id-dh9ve1ij02h)  
  
## NEAR Protocol  
  
In 2017, Illia Polosukhin co-founded [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) with Alexander Skidanov. The original name was “Near.ai”. The idea for NEAR began with Illia's participation in programming competitions during his high school and college years. [\[3\]](#cite-id-38w9y7k7238)  
  
> "Is not starting something that makes me proud, but executing a vision of what that can be. That’s definitely what I’m proud of."  
  
The team delved into research on smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technologies as they searched for a suitable platform to build their applications. However, they were unable to find one that met their needs, leading them to develop NEAR Protocol to fulfill their desired requirements. [\[3\]](#cite-id-38w9y7k7238)  
  
# Investments  
  
Polosukhin has made around nine investments, which include Clear Street, 3Box, Kurtosis, ClayStack, Syndicate, KYVE, SEDA, Datrics, and [1inch](https://iq.wiki/wiki/1inch). [\[2\]](#cite-id-0qbsltzaji1)

Illia Polosukhin is a Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol, a layer one blockchain protocol, and an AI researcher & software engineer. He holds a Master’s degree in Appl...

Illia Polosukhin

**Nikolai Durov** is a Russian programmer and mathematician. He is the elder brother of [Pavel Durov](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pavel-durov), together with whom he founded the social networking site VK[\[2\]](#cite-id-acxma0ron77) and later Telegram Messenger[\[1\]](#cite-id-mt25jts8qx8), an encrypted messaging application.  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](kkcIugljUtE)$$  
  
# Overview  
  
Nikolai Durov is a bi-lingual mathematician and programming specialist with a passion for connecting intelligent technology with opportunity. His companies have products that have a combined reach of 300 Million (100M Vkontakte & 200M Telegram). He is responsible for programming the infrastructure for those products, representing over $2 billion in assets. [\[3\]](#cite-id-3u624ybofg7)  
  
He has worked with world-class programmers to create products for the masses and is a senior researcher in the Saint Petersburg Department of V.A. Steklov Institute of Mathematics. He is experienced in independently creating large infrastructures for managing products for the masses, and he has won international gold medals in Olympiads in mathematics. [\[3\]](#cite-id-3u624ybofg7)  
  
Intimately working with top programming teams and family offices for more than 15 years, he understands trust is established by two-way communication, transparency, education, and client empowerment. He believes we can create a better-interconnected world together by empowering information. [\[3\]](#cite-id-3u624ybofg7)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](oCD2Ohfgklk)$$  
  
# Early Life & Education  
  
Nikolai Durov is the brother of [Pavel Durov](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pavel-durov) and the son of Valery Durov, a Doctor of Philological Sciences and a professor of philology during Nikolai's time at Saint Petersburg State University. As a youth, he reportedly could read at an adult level by age three and solve cubic equations by age eight. [\[3\]](#cite-id-3u624ybofg7)  
  
He won gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in the 3 years he participated; 1996, 1997, and 1998. He accrued 3 silver medals and 1 gold medal in the International Olympiad in Informatics from 1995 through 1998. He also was a member of the Saint Petersburg State University ACM team, which won the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest in 2000 and 2001. [\[4\]](#cite-id-wifo7tjlz6)[\[5\]](#cite-id-g9b05lttt2o)[\[6\]](#cite-id-0gh5c4u5rxja)[\[7\]](#cite-id-nafetk7fog8)  
  
He received his first Ph.D. from Saint Petersburg State University in 2005 with his thesis "New Approach to Arakelov Geometry". Continuing at the University of Bonn, he obtained a second Ph.D. under the supervision of Gerd Faltings with his thesis on singular Arakelov geometry in 2007. [\[8\]](#cite-id-d47wi535hbr)[\[3\]](#cite-id-3u624ybofg7)[\[9\]](#cite-id-ftt3rsrqzs)  
  
# Career  
  
## Research  
  
Nikolai Durov introduced commutative algebraic monads as a generalization of local objects in a generalized algebraic geometry. Versions of tropical geometry, absolute geometry over a field with one element, and an algebraic analog of Arakelov geometry were realized in this setup. [\[9\]](#cite-id-ftt3rsrqzs)  
  
He holds the position of senior research fellow at the Laboratory of Algebra and Number Theory at the St Petersburg Department of Steklov Institute of Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. [\[10\]](#cite-id-ihfvelrtxpq)  
  
## Technology  
  
* Nikolai Durov was the lead developer of the VK team until 2013. [\[3\]](#cite-id-3u624ybofg7)  
* Together with his brother Pavel Durov, Nikolai founded Telegram and developed the MTProto protocol for Telegram in 2013. [\[1\]](#cite-id-mt25jts8qx8)  
* Durov is the author of the original [TON](https://iq.wiki/wiki/the-open-network-toncoin) (Telegram Open Network) whitepaper. [\[11\]](#cite-id-upz05qgagp)  
  
# Personal Life  
  
Nikolai Durov was born on November 21, 1980, in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is not a media person, so he doesn't entertain many interviews. [\[12\]](#cite-id-2uefo4c9smy)

Nikolai Durov is a Russian programmer and mathematician. He is the elder brother of Pavel Durov, together with whom he founded the social networking site VK and...

Nikolai Durov

**Stefan Olaru** is the Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder of [Ofero Network](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ofero-network) an asset-backed innovative ecosystem based on the PoTT protocol (Proof of Trust and Transparency), developed on [MultiversX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/elrond). He is a software engineer with more than 10 years of experience.[\[1\]](#cite-id-vbcmdjosnva)   
  
Stefan Olaru is a pioneer of banking digital security and a former Senior programmer at NTT DATA. He is a smart, social person, creative, always with a positive attitude and with team spirit.[\[2\]](#cite-id-0uuinps193th)  
  
# Early life and Education  
  
edddd  
  
# Personal Life  
  
as hobbies, I have Cinema, fancy restaurants  
I was married for 10 years and I have a kid that was born on 25.07.2014 (I was my entire life bonded to the number 7, same is Adrian Vasiu)  
  
# Career  
  
# Ofero Network  
  
Ofero Network (launched in 2021) is a tokenization platform based on the PoTT protocol (Proof of Trust and Transparency), built on the MultiversX blockchain (previously Elrond). Its goal is to use the power and innovation of its technological products and services to create a synergy between real-world and crypto assets.

Stefan Olaru is a software engineer who currently serves as the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Ofero Network.

Stefan Olaru

**Pavel Valierevich Durov** is a Russian entrepreneur, CEO, and founder of Telegram[\[3\]](#cite-id-zgdmgsot1bt), an encrypted messaging application that attracted over 60 million active users in less than 2 years since its start in 2013. Before that, Pavel founded VK[\[2\]](#cite-id-rxwcruyuzcs) – a popular social network in Russia and some other countries with over 100 million active users. [\[1\]](#cite-id-l9sm2sbj45)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](DDJrJ4q1e_U)$$  
  
# Overview  
  
Pavel Durov is the younger brother of [Nikolai Durov](https://iq.wiki/wiki/nikolai-durov) and he is also known as the "Russian Mark Zuckerberg" as the app he founded, VKontakte (VK)[\[2\]](#cite-id-rxwcruyuzcs) is quite similar to Facebook. Some years after his dismissal as CEO of VK in 2014, the Durov brothers traveled the world in self-imposed exile as citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 2017, Pavel joined the World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leaders as a representative of Finland. Durov was naturalized as a French citizen in August 2021. As at 29 September 2022, his net worth is estimated at $15.1 billion. In 2022, he was recognized as the richest person in the United Arab Emirates according to Forbes. [\[4\]](#cite-id-fxz7tnnx8f6)[\[5\]](#cite-id-5p4pot22m3r)[\[6\]](#cite-id-zm70meh09lj)[\[7\]](#cite-id-n1nrttg5vqm)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](4tNfVwkZT-c)$$  
  
# Career  
  
## VK  
  
Pavel Durov's career began in 2006 when he developed VKontakte[\[2\]](#cite-id-rxwcruyuzcs) with Ilya Perekopsky[\[8\]](#cite-id-asm083tdtvl) later known as VK, which was initially influenced by Facebook. The company grew to a value of $3 billion during which he and his brother Nikolai Durov built up the VK website. [\[9\]](#cite-id-f7dvfj4eum7)  
  
In 2011, Pavel was involved in a standoff with the police in Saint Petersburg when the government demanded the removal of opposition politicians' pages after the 2011 election to the Duma; Durov posted a picture of a dog with his tongue out wearing a hoodie and the police left after an hour when he did not answer the door. [\[9\]](#cite-id-f7dvfj4eum7)[\[5\]](#cite-id-5p4pot22m3r)  
  
In 2012, Pavel publicly posted a picture of himself extending his middle finger and calling it his official response to Mail.ru Group's efforts to buy VK. In December 2013, Durov decided to sell his 12% to Ivan Tavrin (at that time 40% of the shares belonged to Mail.ru Group, and 48% to the United Capital Partners). Later, Tavrin resold these shares to Mail.ru Group. [\[10\]](#cite-id-ioq1voc1art)[\[11\]](#cite-id-0mlgfaimkfea)  
  
### Dismissal from VK  
  
On April 1st, 2014, Durov submitted his resignation to the board; at first, due to the fact the company confirmed he had resigned, it was believed to be related to the Russo-Ukrainian War which had started in February. However, Durov himself claimed it was an April Fool's Joke on the 3rd of April 2014. [\[12\]](#cite-id-k9o3uyclykk)[\[13\]](#cite-id-jduifimtzq)  
  
On the 16th of April 2014, Durov publicly refused to hand over the personal data of Ukrainian protesters to Russia's security agencies and block Alexei Navalny's[\[15\]](#cite-id-4wvy2hy2mh7) page on VK. Instead, he posted the relevant orders on his own VK page, claiming that the requests were unlawful. [\[14\]](#cite-id-4oemweevzwk)[\[16\]](#cite-id-yu9mbqzv9pf)  
  
On the 21st of April 2014, Durov was dismissed as CEO of VK. The company claimed it was acting on his letter of resignation a month earlier that he failed to recall. Durov then claimed the company had been effectively taken over by Vladimir Putin's allies, suggesting his ouster was the result of both his refusal to hand over personal details of users to federal law enforcement and his refusal to hand over the personal details of people who were members of a VK group dedicated to the Euromaidan protest movement. Durov then left Russia and stated that he had "no plans to go back" and that "the country is incompatible with Internet business at the moment". [\[17\]](#cite-id-lkk5pkoskn)[\[18\]](#cite-id-yxclqj2nx2q)  
  
## Telegram  
  
Pavel Durov founded Telegram[\[3\]](#cite-id-zgdmgsot1bt), an encrypted messaging service in 2013. Upon leaving Russia, he obtained Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship by donating $250,000 to the country's Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation and secured $300 million in cash within Swiss banks. This allowed him to focus on developing Telegram. Telegram was headquartered in Berlin and later moved to Dubai. [\[19\]](#cite-id-2a9cgv2dr5)[\[20\]](#cite-id-eo320q9qiat)  
  
In January 2018 it was revealed that, in a bid to monetize the growing success of Telegram, Durov was launching the "Gram" cryptocurrency and the [TON](https://iq.wiki/wiki/the-open-network-toncoin) platform. It raised a total of $1.7 billion from investors. However, these ventures were halted by the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) which argued in courts that Grams bypassed U.S. financing laws and should return the money to its investors. [\[21\]](#cite-id-xwpyu71sh6)  
  
In 2018, Russia attempted to block Telegram, after the company refused to cooperate with Russian security services. A leaked letter by an FSB employee stated that the block was tied to the company's intention to launch the Telegram Open Network. During the attempted block period, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to operate official channels on the app. The block order was lifted in 2020, after two years of block attempts, which the service reportedly evaded using domain fronting. The stated reason was Telegram agreeing to "counter terrorism and extremism" on the platform. [\[22\]](#cite-id-zslitk7jre)[\[23\]](#cite-id-pica6z0tkp)  
  
### TON  
  
Telegram Open Network ([TON](https://iq.wiki/wiki/the-open-network-toncoin) Network) is a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) project created by brothers [Nikolai](https://iq.wiki/wiki/nikolai-durov) and Pavel Durov to build a platform that disrupts the [decentralized application](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-application) space by leveraging Telegram’s wide user base. The platform promised the speed and scalability important for the mass adoption of [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency). Through TON, Telegram users were supposed to be able to buy, transfer, and store value in ID-verifiable wallets facilitated by the GRAM coin. [\[21\]](#cite-id-xwpyu71sh6)  
  
However, SEC intervened in October 2019 asking Telegram to temporarily restrict the distribution of Gram tokens. The agency argued that the initial purchasers of Gram would be acting as underwriters, and the resale of Gram, once distributed, would be an unregistered distribution of securities. After a long court fight, Pavel Durov announced the end of Telegram's active participation with the [TON](https://iq.wiki/wiki/the-open-network-toncoin) blockchain in May 2020. Durov referenced third-party efforts to launch independent versions of the [TON](https://iq.wiki/wiki/the-open-network-toncoin) blockchain but said no Telegram employee is involved with these projects. [\[21\]](#cite-id-xwpyu71sh6)[\[24\]](#cite-id-65jxnxzchc)  
  
> "While networks based on the technology we built for TON may appear, we won't have any affiliation with them and are unlikely to ever support them in any way. So be careful, and don't let anyone mislead you," Durov wrote. [\[24\]](#cite-id-65jxnxzchc)  
  
# Personal Life  
  
Pavel Durov was born on October 10th, 1984. He received his United Arab Emirates citizenship in April 2021 and that is where he is based. He is single and has 2 children. [\[7\]](#cite-id-n1nrttg5vqm)[\[25\]](#cite-id-1dkhcvkke0q)  
  
Durov was listed on the Forbes Billionaires List in 2022, with a net worth of $15.1 billion. His fortune is largely driven by his ownership of Telegram[\[3\]](#cite-id-zgdmgsot1bt). As of September 2022, Durov was the 104th richest person in the world. [\[7\]](#cite-id-n1nrttg5vqm)  
  
# Education  
  
Pavel Durov went to Saint Petersburg State University where he studied for a Master of Science, and graduated in 2006. [\[9\]](#cite-id-f7dvfj4eum7)  
  
# Awards & Recognition  
  
In August 2014, Durov was named the most promising Northern European leader under 30. [\[26\]](#cite-id-l022clkc1oc)  
  
In 2017, he was chosen to join the WEF Young Global Leaders, representing Finland. [\[27\]](#cite-id-i0fo9lpwlh)  
  
In June 2018, the Union of Kazakhstan's Journalists awarded Durov "for his principled position against censorship and the state's interference into citizens' free online correspondence." [\[28\]](#cite-id-6tregr6ur2m)  
  
In 2018, Fortune magazine included Durov in their "40 Under 40" list, an annual ranking of the most influential young people in business. [\[29\]](#cite-id-zsdikpwcrbn)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](8zTx7up1dEQ)$$  
  
<br>  
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Pavel Valierevich Durov is a Russian entrepreneur, CEO, and founder of Telegram. He also founded VKontakte (VK), a popular social network in Russia.

Pavel Durov

**Craig Sellars** is a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) innovator, inventor of the [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin), and co-founder of [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether). [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) (USDT) is a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and backed 100% by actual assets in the Tether platform’s reserve account. [\[1\]](#cite-id-awe8g0u6ydf)[\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](lmb5pEbxe1I)$$  
  
# Overview  
  
Craig Sellars leads the development of global [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) innovations as the inventor of the [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin), the digital US dollar on top of the Bitcoin blockchain as a founder of [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), the NFT 101 with Eric Pulier in 2015 at vAtomic Systems, and as the Chief Technologist of Bitcoin’s Omni Layer[\[5\]](#cite-id-3igk1zkrxb4), a protocol which supports the creation, movement and exchange of digital assets. He focuses on the creation of open-source decentralized identity protocols and applications.   
  
He acts in a variety of roles as Co-Founder, Technologist, Facilitator, Director, Diplomat, and Advisor for several [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) projects, companies, and organizations including the Omni Foundation[\[5\]](#cite-id-3igk1zkrxb4), [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex), vAtomic Systems, BlockV[\[4\]](#cite-id-xrp2jroe7rh), Polymath[\[6\]](#cite-id-xkmvzvs89in), Unsung and Tau Chain. Occupying several entrepreneurial and C-level executive roles over the past 2 decades, Craig continues to push the boundaries in cutting-edge technology, decentralized systems, and software development.   
  
As a Chief Technologist, he is responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient creation and delivery of the technologies that power organization initiatives and empower the teams and the community. Mr. Sellars has been a technologist for his entire professional career. His focus is on the development of people and technologies needed to ensure innovation and success, with an emphasis on interoperability, usability, flexibility, and access.   
  
**Specialties**: decentralized systems, [blockchains](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), structure, governance and process, executive coaching, team building, information flow and frameworks, human-computer interaction, user interfaces, software, and architecture design and engineering, vendor and supplier references and relationships, research and development, and internal and external facing systems. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)[\[1\]](#cite-id-awe8g0u6ydf)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](vwZSg8qR9NQ)$$  
  
# Education  
  
Craig Sellars attended Montessori school and The Westminster Schools where he completed his basic high school education in 1994. He joined Georgia State University - J. Mack Robinson College of Business and graduated with an MBA in International Entrepreneurship in 2004.   
  
He enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology and obtained a BS in computer science in 2002. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
  
# Career  
  
## 2002  
  
Craig Sellars was the Co-Founder and Principal at Netconx D&C Wireless, LLC[\[3\]](#cite-id-jgaohm16h6m) for a period of three years and five months. He worked on the engineering and deployment of large-scale and high-density wireless network deployments for municipalities and residential communities. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
  
## 2004  
  
He was the President and CEO at O2 Secure Wireless, Inc. where he managed the growth and overall strategy of the company, to create partnerships and opportunities within a growing marketplace. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
  
## 2009  
  
In 2009, Sellars joined Wavelength Corporation as the Chief Technology Officer where he worked on strategic technology management, systems development, and integration. He was also involved in service enhancement and process improvement. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
  
## 2013  
  
Chief Technology Officer at Pavlov Media, he led the development of new technologies and coordinated the internal and external-facing technology teams within Pavlov Media. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
  
## 2014  
  
He co-founded [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and backed 100% by actual assets in the Tether platform’s reserve account alongside [Reeve Collins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/reeve-collins) and [Brock Pierce](https://iq.wiki/wiki/brock-pierce) and served as the CTO in 2016. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)[\[1\]](#cite-id-awe8g0u6ydf)  
  
## 2015  
  
CTO at [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) and co-founder and chief scientist at vAtomic Systems, Inc. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)  
  
## 2017  
  
Co-founder and blockchain architect at Blockv[\[4\]](#cite-id-xrp2jroe7rh)  
  
## 2020  
  
Co-Founder, CEO, and Interim CTO at Self ID, Inc. [\[2\]](#cite-id-rblb9hvyt6)

Craig Sellars is a blockchain innovator and co-founder of Tether, a blockchain-based stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the dollar. He is also the inventor of the stablec...

Craig Sellars

**Brock Jeffrey Pierce** is an American entrepreneur, futurist, philanthropist, economist, creator, and previous actor known primarily for his work in the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) industry. He ran as an independent candidate in the 2020 United States presidential election. [\[1\]](#cite-id-ejibylwbo59)  
  
# $$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](VH6i19XUZEw)$$  
  
# Overview  
  
Brock Pierce is a futurist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and impact investor with a track record of founding, advising, and investing in disruptive businesses. He is credited with pioneering the market for digital currency and has raised more than $5B for companies he has founded, opening opportunities for millions of people. [\[9\]](#cite-id-u0m1mv5hfw8) In 2020, Brock Pierce received the first U.S. presidential vote cast on blockchain when he ran as an independent candidate. [\[14\]](#cite-id-tsh7pi3ngc9)  
  
Pierce is the Chairman of the [Bitcoin ](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin)Foundation and co-founder of EOS Alliance[\[2\]](#cite-id-82vkxhuvzgu), Block.one[\[3\]](#cite-id-ey8kq5pbx3u), Blockchain Capital[\[4\]](#cite-id-qvr6tn8olye), [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), and Mastercoin[\[5\]](#cite-id-lwcy6k0xhd) (first [ICO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/initial-coin-offering)). Pierce is an early investor in [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and one of the largest investors in the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) crowdsale. He is the founder of IMI Exchange[\[6\]](#cite-id-dzk00q0wgou), the world’s leading digital currency marketplace for games, with annual sales exceeding $1B and investors such as Goldman Sachs, which was sold in 2016 for more than $100M. [\[9\]](#cite-id-u0m1mv5hfw8)  
  
Pierce founded ZAM[\[7\]](#cite-id-jeca8skb7z), one of the world’s largest media properties for gamers, which was acquired by Tencent[\[8\]](#cite-id-jasyu8k8q99) in 2012. He founded IGE[\[10\]](#cite-id-v2ut3bbypno), the pioneer of digital currency in online games, achieving revenues exceeding $100 million in 2006 and sold in 2007. Pierce is also a co-founder of D10e[\[11\]](#cite-id-n5b4ip4yi9a), GoCoin[\[12\]](#cite-id-n43gs6hhtik), Blade Payments[\[13\]](#cite-id-rop7jv7wew), Five Delta (sold NASDAQ: SRAX), Xfire 2.0, Playsino, Evertune, GamesTV, and DEN. [\[9\]](#cite-id-u0m1mv5hfw8)  
  
Pierce is a sought-after speaker who has spoken about the power of [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) technology and decentralization at global events and institutions. Brock Pierce has been a lecturer at Singularity University and has spoken at Milken Global Conference, Mobile World Congress, Wired, INK, Stanford University, USC, and UCLA. He has also been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, Wired, and Rolling Stone. [\[9\]](#cite-id-u0m1mv5hfw8)  
  
# Career  
  
## Actor  
  
Brock Pierce was born in Minnesota and appeared in commercials as a toddler. His first major role was playing a young Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks (1992)[\[15\]](#cite-id-q16ne9quqmq). He starred as Luke Davenport in First Kid (1996)[\[16\]](#cite-id-eyrwihicwaj). Pierce had small roles in Little Big League (1994)[\[17\]](#cite-id-6609zqwar0o), Ripper Man (1995)[\[18\]](#cite-id-b7nepvuoy1f), Three Wishes (1995)[\[19\]](#cite-id-732wz1hvjo), Earth Minus Zero (1996)[\[20\]](#cite-id-jgqa9su5jw), and The Ride (1997)[\[21\]](#cite-id-9lxl4z1y48m). [\[22\]](#cite-id-nfxd4nhag09)  
  
## Digital Entertainment Network  
  
Brock Pierce retired from acting at the age of 16 and joined as a minor partner with Marc Collins-Rector[\[24\]](#cite-id-kee4ubbs2ta) and Chad Shackley[\[25\]](#cite-id-cl0mjq7ix2) in setting up a Digital Entertainment Network (DEN), which succeeded in raising $88 million in venture capital. DEN intended to supply unique episodic video content over the internet geared toward the area of interest to audiences. DEN was one of the dot-com startups that focused on the creation and delivery of original video content online in the late 1990s prior to the wide adoption of broadband internet access. Pierce produced its first show, a pilot for homosexual teenagers called Chad's World[\[23\]](#cite-id-se6j51ddy8). As an 18-year-old, Pierce was making $250,000 a year and held 1% of the company's shares. [\[1\]](#cite-id-ejibylwbo59)  
  
DEN became slated for a $75 million IPO in October 1999, however, the IPO was withdrawn in the wake of allegations of sexual assault against Collins-Rector[\[24\]](#cite-id-kee4ubbs2ta). All three executives subsequently resigned. Layoffs followed in February 2000. While a new executive team led by former Capitol Records President Gary Gersh and former Microsoft executive Greg Carpenter attempted to relaunch in May 2000, DEN filed for bankruptcy and shut down in June 2000. [\[1\]](#cite-id-ejibylwbo59)  
  
## Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency  
  
In 2013, Brock Pierce joined brothers Bart[\[27\]](#cite-id-i504avb9zcf) and Bradford Stephens[\[26\]](#cite-id-cv18npaaza8) in founding venture capital firm Blockchain Capital (BCC)[\[4\]](#cite-id-qvr6tn8olye) which was reported to have raised $85 million in two venture funds by October 2017. Blockchain Capital[\[4\]](#cite-id-qvr6tn8olye) raised a 3rd fund using digital security offering on the [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), one of the first traded security tokens. [\[29\]](#cite-id-4u8xzg7ga5c)  
  
Pierce worked with Mastercoin[\[5\]](#cite-id-lwcy6k0xhd), a startup that raised capital via an [initial coin offering](https://iq.wiki/wiki/initial-coin-offering) (ICO) in 2013. According to Bloomberg, this “kicked off a worldwide [ICO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/initial-coin-offering) craze, with hundreds of startups raising billions of dollars”. [\[28\]](#cite-id-z5mod67ztvm)  
  
In March 2014, Brock Pierce and a group of investors filed an offer to buy the assets of Mt Gox[\[31\]](#cite-id-hjkb8hpd5sg) using a Cypriot entity called Sunlot Holdings Ltd. The month before, Mt Gox had shut down operations and filed for bankruptcy in Tokyo after announcing that it had lost 850,000 Bitcoin. [\[30\]](#cite-id-btpvbhbb235)[\[32\]](#cite-id-mncx91q3ny)  
  
In May 2014, Brock Pierce was elected Director of the Bitcoin Foundation[\[44\]](#cite-id-jaqgvnf9i6q). Several members of the Bitcoin Foundation resigned over concerns about the directors and the organization announced its insolvency in July 2015. [\[33\]](#cite-id-vupkle8gu4h)[\[34\]](#cite-id-4fm25x35anl)  
  
In a February 2018 issue of Forbes magazine Pierce was named in the *"top 20 wealthiest people in crypto"* with an estimated net worth between $700 million and $1.1 billion. [\[35\]](#cite-id-ndvfle34mf)  
  
### Tether  
  
Brock Pierce co-founded the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) with [Reeve Collins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/reeve-collins) and Craig Sellars in 2014. Tether surpassed [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) in trading volume with the highest daily and monthly trading volume of any [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) on the market in 2019. [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) is a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and backed 100% by actual assets in the Tether platform’s reserve account. In 2020, a court permitted the Attorney General of New York to pursue a claim that [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex), an affiliated exchange, did not disclose the loss of over $800 million in commingled funds. [\[36\]](#cite-id-c7o2ibncnr5)  
  
In an interview in July 2020, Pierce said his involvement in [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) ended in 2015 but described [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) as "one of the most important innovations in currency." [\[37\]](#cite-id-18y5tk4l8c4)  
  
> "I was one of the principal founders of Tether, but I was never a director, nor officer of the business. I was passively involved. In 2015, I transferred 100 percent of my ownership to our minority partners in exchange for zero consideration. I have never made one cent from Tether." *-* Brock said.  
  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](77bgZAh_frw)$$  
  
### Block.one  
  
Pierce co-founded Block.one[\[3\]](#cite-id-ey8kq5pbx3u) in 2017, a company that released the EOS.IO software[\[2\]](#cite-id-82vkxhuvzgu). The [ICO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/initial-coin-offering) raised more than $4 billion, the largest in history. By March 2018, Pierce's role at Block.one[\[3\]](#cite-id-ey8kq5pbx3u) had changed to Chief Strategy Officer and he resigned from the company that month to pursue community building. [\[38\]](#cite-id-yj81glmf66s)  
  
# Education  
  
Brock Pierce studied Film at the University of Southern California but dropped out in the first year and did not graduate. [\[9\]](#cite-id-u0m1mv5hfw8)  
  
# Philanthropy  
  
Brock Pierce is the vice chair and spokesperson of the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation of New York, Long Island, and Puerto Rico. In late 2021, Pierce funded a new NYPD Gaming Trucks initiative in New York City. [\[39\]](#cite-id-9kv0x6wcvgn)[\[40\]](#cite-id-kd5vnysziy)  
  
# Personal Life  
  
Brock Pierce was born on November 14, 1980, and is married to Crystal Rose, CEO of Sensay and co-chairman of the United Council of Rising Nations. [\[41\]](#cite-id-hfaoktdd1b8)  
  
# Controversy  
  
In 2000, 3 former DEN employees filed a lawsuit against Marc Collins-Rector[\[24\]](#cite-id-kee4ubbs2ta) and Pierce alleging that they provided the plaintiffs with drugs and pressured them for sex when Pierce and one of the plaintiffs were still teenagers. [\[42\]](#cite-id-ybo5ytwfvwb)   
  
Brock Pierce fled the United States and was arrested by Interpol in 2002 in Marbella, Spain. Pierce was released without being charged. Rector[\[24\]](#cite-id-kee4ubbs2ta) eventually pleaded guilty and left the United States. [\[42\]](#cite-id-ybo5ytwfvwb)  
  
The 3 plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed all charges against Pierce without receiving any compensation. Court records show that Pierce paid $21,600 to one of the plaintiff's attorneys because said attorney refused to file the order of dismissal requested by his client until the attorney's expenses were reimbursed. [\[43\]](#cite-id-8zp4xuccuwb)

Brock Pierce is an American entrepreneur, futurist, philanthropist, economist, and 2020 independent US presidential candidate. He is credited with pioneering th...

Brock Pierce

**Jeremy D. Allaire** (born 13 May 1971) is an American-born technologist and Internet entrepreneur. He is currently CEO and founder of the digital currency company Circle and Chairman of the Board of Brightcove. With his brother JJ Allaire, he co-founded Allaire Corporation in 1995. Allaire Corp. had a successful IPO in January 1999[\[1\]](#cite-id-jvhmy4uyo8g) and was subsequently acquired by rival Macromedia in 2001. Allaire served as CTO of Macromedia following the acquisition and helped develop the Macromedia MX platform (a suite of software tools and servers aimed at enabling rich applications delivered using Flash Player).  
  
Allaire left Macromedia in February 2003 to join venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners as a technologist and executive-in-residence. In 2004, Allaire founded Brightcove, an online video platform used by many top media and marketing organizations worldwide. After a successful IPO in early 2012,[\[2\]](#cite-id-zlmb8b7zwb) Allaire stepped down as Brightcove CEO in 2013 and currently serves as Chairman of the Board.  
  
In October 2013, Allaire announced the launch of Circle, an Internet-based consumer finance company that aims to bring the power and benefits of digital money, such as Bitcoin, to mainstream consumers.  
  
# Early life and education  
  
Allaire was educated in the Montessori tradition, which he says, “built into me a belief in self-direction, in independent thought, in peer collaboration, in responsibility.” [\[3\]](#cite-id-qk578c6q74f)  
  
In 1993 Allaire graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he received a double-major degree in political science and philosophy, with a concentration in economics. While at Macalester, his college roommate and high-school friend, who worked for the campus IT group, rigged a high-speed Internet connection to their dorm room, which allowed Allaire to access and experiment with the Internet in its early days. [\[4\]](#cite-id-9fj0lzvwy8h)  
  
From 1990 until his graduation, Allaire became obsessed with the Internet and how it could be applied to transform existing systems of communications and media, as well as its impact on fundamental human rights, such as free speech. Jeremy was an early follower of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and later recruited EFF founder Mitch Kapor to the board of directors of Allaire Corporation.  
  
In 1992, Allaire authored a policy proposal for the creation of a National Information Network, based on the National Research & Education Network (NREN, the precursor to the commercial Internet), proposing methods to commercialize access to IP services. This paper was submitted to the Senate Subcommittee on Science and Technology, whose chair was Senator Al Gore.  
  
In 1992 and 1993, with a college friend, Allaire developed an application called “World News Report” which aggregated news feeds and mailing list content from independent media sources available on the Internet, and provided a full-text indexed browsable and searchable interface to access independent journalism on the Internet (built using Apple Hypercard).  
  
Also while in college, Allaire created NativeNet, which created a decentralized communications and collaboration platform for Native American tribal schools in the Midwest, built on top of UUCP, an early internet protocol for distributed communications. [\[5\]](#cite-id-5r8xkvoj4uf)  
  
While at Macalester, Allaire became more politically active, finding a particular interest in U.S. foreign policy and global human rights issues, including the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rise of authoritarian capitalist regimes in the east, and the Balkan Wars. [\[5\]](#cite-id-5r8xkvoj4uf)  
  
Upon his graduation from Macalester, Allaire found that the Internet was “the central passion” in his life.[\[6\]](#cite-id-t88oi19aqd)  In the fall of 1993, he launched an Internet-consulting firm, Global Internet Horizons, aimed at helping media publishers and marketers understand and build a presence on the nascent World Wide Web.[\[6\]](#cite-id-t88oi19aqd)  
  
During 1994-1996, Allaire collaborated with prominent American linguist and political activist, Noam Chomsky, and his wife Carol to develop the first comprehensive online archive of his political works. Chomsky’s libertarian socialist and globalist views resonated with Allaire.[\[7\]](#cite-id-r84ukwe8pe7)  
  
## Allaire Corporation  
  
In early 1994, Allaire became convinced that the architecture of the Web could disrupt how software was built and distributed, transforming the browser from being a document browsing system into a full online operating system for any kind of software application.  
  
In 1995, Jeremy and his brother J.J. Allaire, along with a group of close college friends, founded their own web company, Allaire Corporation, using $18,000 of J.J.’s savings.[\[8\]](#cite-id-bs5fsjcsnd8) Allaire Corporation aimed to provide easy-to-use web development tools.  
  
The brothers invented ColdFusion, a rapid web application development platform designed to easily connect simple HTML pages to a database using its associated scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML). ColdFusion was widely used, and companies including Myspace, Target, and Toys R Us (along with millions of other websites) relied on the technology from Allaire to develop their online properties.  
  
Allaire Corp. grew rapidly, from just over $1M in revenue in 1996, to $120M in revenue in the year 2000, growing to over 700 employees and operating with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In addition to its flagship product ColdFusion, Allaire launched HomeSite, which became the most popular Windows HTML Editor in the world, and JRun, one of the first and most widely adopted Java app servers. [\[9\]](#cite-id-0lyehnvqkkq)  
  
Allaire also helped to pioneer foundational ideas in open distributed computing based on light-weight HTTP-based distributed objects. In particular, the company developed the Web Distributed Data Exchange (WDDX) in 1998, an open source format for using HTTP for simple remote procedure calls, a precursor to the adoption of REST and JSON for web software APIs.  
  
Allaire Corp. had its IPO in January 1999  and was acquired by Macromedia in March 2001 for US$360M in a deal that included cash and stock. As a result of this acquisition, Jeremy Allaire became CTO of Macromedia.  
  
## Macromedia  
  
As CTO of Macromedia, Allaire helped to develop the Macromedia MX platform, a suite of software tools and servers for building and deploying content rich, interactive software applications on the Web.  
  
After the Allaire/Macromedia merger, as CTO, Allaire helped to drive platform and product strategy for Macromedia, including adding capabilities into Flash Player (a more advanced language runtime, web services connectivity, a component model) that enabled it to become a widely used platform for interactive software on the Web.  
  
When Macromedia added video playback features into Flash Player in March 2002, Allaire became enthralled with the idea that the ubiquitous distribution of Flash Player on 98% of PCs in the world, combined with growth in broadband and WiFi adoption, would lead to a video publishing revolution on the Web. He started an internal product project at Macromedia code-named ‘Vista’ that enabled easy browser based capture, upload and publishing of video into any website, blog or instant message. When Macromedia decided not to pursue this project, Allaire left the company.  
  
## General Catalyst  
  
In February 2003, Allaire became technologist and executive-in-residence at the venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners. While at General Catalyst Partners, Allaire focused on identifying investment opportunities in broadband media, mobile content, internet identity and security, and other Internet technologies.  
  
During his time at General Catalyst, Allaire began to incubate Brightcove, which was originally operating under stealth as Video Marketplace, Inc. or Vidmark, and he left General Catalyst in 2004 to launch this new venture.  
  
## Brightcove  
  
In 2004, Allaire founded Brightcove, an online video platform that distributes video content across devices.  
  
Brightcove filed for its initial IPO in 2012 with a valuation of around US$290M.[\[10\]](#cite-id-y7t0hmbfcmc) Allaire stepped down as Brightcove’s CEO in the second quarter of 2013 to serve as Chairman of the Board. [\[11\]](#cite-id-bqjeuej8u7h)  
  
## Circle  
  
In October 2013, Allaire launched Circle, a digital currency company that aims to bring digital money like Bitcoin to the mainstream, with US$9m in Series A funding from Jim Breyer, Accel Partners, and General Catalyst Partners.  
  
Circle closed an additional US$17m Series B in March 2014 in a round led by Breyer Capital, Accel Partners, General Catalyst Partners, and Oak Investment Partners. The company announced simultaneously the release of its product to a limited audience. [\[12\]](#cite-id-v1xi6myh5tr)  
  
Allaire has said of Circle and Bitcoin, “We want to make this as easy to use as Gmail, Skype, and other consumer services on the Internet today.” [\[13\]](#cite-id-mfjv4zvc7dg)  
  
# Honors and Awards  
  
* Technology Pioneer  
* Issued by World Economic Forum · Jan 2009  
* Associated with Brightcove  
* Entrepreneur of the Year  
* Issued by Ernst & Young · Jun 2008  
* Associated with Brightcove

Jeremy D. Allaire (born 13 May 1971) is an American-born technologist and Internet entrepreneur. 

Jeremy Allaire

**Reeve Collins** is a long-standing pioneer in the [bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin)/[blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) space and is currently Co-founder of SmartMedia Technologies/Vatom Labs[\[2\]](#cite-id-l59uhhn0nhe). Previously, Collins was Co-founder and CEO of [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), which introduced the concept of the [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) to the market. [\[1\]](#cite-id-odx4z598kcc)  
  
# $$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](uVZ-BaM_Tqk)$$  
  
# Overview  
  
Prior to co-founding Smart Media Technologies[\[2\]](#cite-id-l59uhhn0nhe), Reeve co-founded and was the CEO of BLOCKv[\[3\]](#cite-id-449h953d1p7), his second [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) company. There, he raised $22 million in an [ICO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/initial-coin-offering) to deliver the first-ever platform for the creation of NFTs. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
At his first [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) venture, he invented the [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) as the co-founder and CEO of [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar. Before the [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), Collins founded several successful ventures, including Traffic Marketplace[\[4\]](#cite-id-g8xh5g2fof), one of the first online ad networks which was acquired by Vivendi Universal[\[5\]](#cite-id-o9qlogxms7), he then created RedLever[\[6\]](#cite-id-em672yr378d), a branded entertainment studio, acquired by Adconion Media Group[\[7\]](#cite-id-6j2k5t2y2rv). [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
After that, he raised $70 million to launch a legal, real-money gambling site based in the US called Pala Interactive[\[8\]](#cite-id-i4v476xignb). His most memorable experience though was his first job, as one of the initial 10 employees of Avenue A/Razorfish[\[10\]](#cite-id-7wpe3was65s), the first-ever Internet advertising agency. Avenue A went public at the peak of the Internet bubble for $6.6 Billion dollars. Reeve is passionate about cutting-edge technologies and delivering them to the world. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
# Education  
  
Reeve Collins graduated with a Marketing and Finance degree from Washington State University. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
# Career  
  
## 1997  
  
Reeve Collins was an original employee at Avenue A/Razorfish[\[10\]](#cite-id-7wpe3was65s) for 3 years. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
## 2000  
  
He co-founded Traffic Marketplace[\[4\]](#cite-id-g8xh5g2fof), a business-to-audience online ad network integrated with multichannel digital marketing technologies. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
## 2002  
  
Reeve Collins founded FusionDirect in 2002, a direct response television (DRTV) agency with a successful product line that grossed over $7 million in sales in its first year. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
## 2005  
  
He was the co-founder and CEO of FingerPrint Promotions, a platform that provides entertainment studios and businesses with specialty advertising, creative promotional products, apparel items, and custom goods. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
## 2007  
  
He founded Red Lever[\[6\]](#cite-id-em672yr378d), a creative production house specializing in high-quality, branded online content development and targeted distribution. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
## 2012  
  
In 2012, Reeve Collins was the co-founder and CEO of Pala Interactive[\[8\]](#cite-id-i4v476xignb), a full-service real-money, and social gaming technology provider and operator focused on establishing a material position in the U.S. regulated online gaming market. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)  
  
## 2013  
  
Reeve Collins co-founded [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain)-based [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and backed 100% by actual assets in the [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) platform’s reserve account. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)[\[11\]](#cite-id-4el55tdmax2)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](3GsMPMXGzAg)$$  
  
## 2015  
  
In 2015, he was the co-founder and CEO of BLOCKv[\[3\]](#cite-id-449h953d1p7), a platform for creating, minting, and distributing next-generation programmable NFTs. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)[\[13\]](#cite-id-wlbfc6b1hcg)  
  
## 2019  
  
Reeve Collins is the co-founder of SmartMedia Technologies [\[2\]](#cite-id-l59uhhn0nhe), a drag-and-drop NFT and Web3 design studio that democratizes Web3 for users and enterprises. [\[9\]](#cite-id-gxxr2aslk8t)[\[12\]](#cite-id-juxdbkac5ls)

Reeve Collins is a pioneer in the bitcoin/blockchain space, currently the Co-founder of SmartMedia Technologies/Vatom Labs, and previously Co-founder and CEO of...

Reeve Collins

**Emin Gün Sirer** is a Turkish-American computer scientist. He developed the Avalanche Consensus protocol and is currently the CEO and co-founder of the [Avalanche blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche). Sirer was an associate professor of computer science at Cornell University and is the former co-director of The Initiative for Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts (IC3)[\[16\]](#cite-id-vjsnxblht3e). He is known for his contributions to peer-to-peer systems, operating systems, and computer networking.[\[1\]](#cite-id-njh6s8tuukd)[\[11\]](#cite-id-egtqp1tasyd)  
  
Sirer is an active member of the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) community. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and has been featured on several podcasts. His research and commentary on [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, and other media outlets. In addition to his research, he regularly writes blog posts, gives lectures, and participates in panel discussions. He is also a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs and helps them understand the fundamentals of [blockchain technology](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain). [\[12\]](#cite-id-c62mf0mtt0p)[\[13\]](#cite-id-h3pzu6nd0m)[\[14\]](#cite-id-qagiuwjausf)[\[15\]](#cite-id-2f8qlg3x8g7)  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](g3WT-GDiOwo)$$  
  
# Early Life & Education  
  
Born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1975, Emin Gün Sirer attended high school at Robert College, received his BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University,[\[2\]](#cite-id-j41h6xkfn8h)[\[3\]](#cite-id-rgs6sj7hvz) and finished his graduate studies at the University of Washington. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering in 2002 under the supervision of Brian N. Bershad. [\[17\]](#cite-id-9j215j9re8t)  
  
# Career  
  
Before becoming a professor at Cornell University, Emin Gün Sirer worked at AT&T Bell Labs on Plan 9, at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) SRC, and at NEC.  
  
Sirer is best known for his contributions to operating systems and distributed systems. He developed the SPIN (operating system),[\[4\]](#cite-id-0jmfxuhvw2o6) where the implementation and interface of an operating system could be modified safely at run-time by type-safe extension code.[\[5\]](#cite-id-obrzum8xin) He also led the Nexus OS effort, where he developed new techniques for attesting to, and reasoning about, the semantic properties of remote programs.[\[6\]](#cite-id-5l4fza187b)[\[7\]](#cite-id-vu4766p44aq)[\[8\]](#cite-id-eha156d27oc)  
  
Sirer is a proponent, researcher, and developer of [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) technology. In addition to [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) and [cryptocurrencies](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), he works on different types of data storage such as the next-generation NoSQL database storage, HyperDex.[\[9\]](#cite-id-0von9s8di3bp)  
  
## Cryptocurrency  
  
In 2003, Sirer and co-authors introduced Karma, a virtual currency for peer-to-peer systems. The currency is designed to eliminate the freeloader problem i.e. preventing malicious users from consuming resources without giving anything in return. It is the first peer-to-peer currency with a distributed mint on [proof-of-work](https://iq.wiki/wiki/proof-of-work-pow). [\[19\]](#cite-id-6dl6ghyy00w)  
  
In 2014, Sirer and Ittay Eyal[\[21\]](#cite-id-ni77nrr2ayg) wrote and published the paper "Majority is not Enough, Bitcoin Mining is Vulnerable"[\[20\]](#cite-id-bkd3slwe9u) which describes the 'selfish mining' attack, an attack on [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) which is profitable even for an attacker with only 33% of total hash power, which is less than the 50% required by the original security analysis in [Satoshi Nakamoto's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/satoshi-nakamoto) Bitcoin whitepaper. Sirer, Eyal, and other co-authors developed Bitcoin-NG, a bitcoin scaling solution, and Bitcoin Covenants, a security solution. [\[12\]](#cite-id-c62mf0mtt0p)  
  
In 2017, he co-founded bloXroute, a company offering a solution to the scalability bottleneck of the Layer-0 network layer. [\[18\]](#cite-id-ix46ais9rx8)  
  
## Avalanche  
  
In 2019, Emin Gün Sirer founded Ava Labs, a technology company with the express purpose of developing alternative [blockchain technology](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) for the financial sector. Sirer led the development of the Avalanche Consensus protocol, and its native token, [AVAX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche). The [Avalanche](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche) project was incubated at Cornell University, where Emin Gün Sirer was assisted by Ph.D. candidates [Maofan Yin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/maofan-ted-yin)[\[22\]](#cite-id-3qoms04jjnr) and [Kevin Sekniqi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kevin-sekniqi)[\[24\]](#cite-id-o8rdzaw6u2n). [\[11\]](#cite-id-egtqp1tasyd)[\[31\]](#cite-id-9gcntr7t57o)  
  
In early 2020, the [Avalanche](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche) project went public and began community building. In July of the same year, the project raised $42 million in a successful public sale that was scheduled to last 15 days but ran out of AVAX tokens in a little over 4 hours.  
  
> The key idea in Avalanche is that we have a protocol that's leaderless, where any number of participants can join, all participants have a voice and they use a revolutionary new probabilistic protocol for coming to a decision very very quickly. This protocol is quiescent so when there's no work to do, you get to do nothing. It's green, there's no mining and it scales with increasing numbers of participants.  
  
\- Sirer explained during his presentation of the [Avalanche](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche) platform.  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](s_T0oq_rQ9s)$$  
In May 2022, the trillion-dollar crypto crash happened just as [Avalanche](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche) was gaining traction, causing a 76% drop in the price of its native token [AVAX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche). Responding to Forbes in an interview, Sirer stated:  
  
> All asset prices—not just crypto but also equities—have gone down. That's sort of where we are. Price is not something that I'm supremely interested in. I'm building, and everybody I know is building. [\[25\]](#cite-id-10vq1imwlsjk)  
  
# Controversy  
  
On August 26, 2022, a whistleblower site Crypto Leaks posted a lengthy expose[\[26\]](#cite-id-4e1grgagf0w) that claimed Ava Labs paid crypto-focused law firm Freedman Roche[\[27\]](#cite-id-koveciy653i) in tokens and equity to file this adversarial litigation. The post includes short, recorded videos of the law firm’s founder, Kyle Roche[\[34\]](#cite-id-o3or3iamb2), describing how he used the U.S. legal system to draw regulatory attention like a “magnet” against alternative layer-1 blockchains including [Solana](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solana) and Dfinity, and protect [Avalanche’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/avalanche) interests. [\[29\]](#cite-id-3umq6f28q92)  
  
Emin Gün Sirer responded to the allegations in a blog post, calling it “categorically false.”  
  
> “These claims evidently came about when Kyle Roche, a lawyer at a firm we retained in the early days of our company, tried to impress a potential business partner by making false claims about the nature of his work for Ava Labs,”  
  
-wrote Gün Sirer in his blog post. [\[28\]](#cite-id-o6z0ewz21z)  
He also tweeted in response:  
  
> "How could anyone believe something so ridiculous as the conspiracy theory nonsense on Cryptoleaks? We would never engage in the unlawful, unethical and just plain wrong behavior claimed in these self-serving videos and inflammatory article. Our tech & team speak for themselves." [\[30\]](#cite-id-cl3bcvus5h4)  
  
# Awards & Recognition  
  
* Brilliant-10 by Popular Science[\[10\]](#cite-id-zsdof7tkh6h)  
* National Science Foundation CAREER Award [\[33\]](#cite-id-gzgbdv5siyu)  
* 2015 - 2018 ACM Recognition of Service Award  
* 2010 - 2012 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Outstanding Contribution  
* 2018 - 2019 ACM Fellow  
* 2018 - 2019 ACM SIGOPS Hall of Fame Award [\[32\]](#cite-id-bovrl0n2ndc)

Emin Gün Sirer is a Turkish-American computer scientist. He developed the Avalanche Consensus protocol and is currently the CEO and co-founder of the Avalanche ...

Emin Gün Sirer

**Alex Svanevik** is the co-founder and CEO of [Nansen](https://iq.wiki/wiki/nansen), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) data analytics company. He has an extensive background in data science and artificial intelligence with more than 10 years of experience working in the industry. He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the [Pudgy Penguins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pudgy-penguins) [NFT](https://iq.wiki/wiki/non-fungible-token-nft) collection. [\[1\]](#cite-id-dcrp92yy2sb) [\[7\]](#cite-id-jtefo2ayk7m)  
  
# Education  
  
In 2006 he enrolled in the University of Bergen and graduated with a Bachelors in Cognitive Science in 2009. During his time in the University of Bergen, he joined an exchange program in the University of Bologna for one semester. He then enrolled in the University of Edinburgh and graduated with a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence in 2010. [\[2\]](#cite-id-e3r9ywdqzht)  
  
# Career  
  
Before working full time in a company, Svanevik was a teaching assistant for a intro to cognitive science course at the University of Bergen from January 2008 to June 2008. He then did a 3 month internship at Ernst & Young, a service partnership company headquartered in London. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)  
  
In August 2010, Alex Svanevik co-founded his first data analytics company, Codeus Ltd where he, created an end-to-end analytics solution for a leading electrical engineering company, developed a growth strategy for a creative social network, and automated the QA process in financial reporting. He then moved on to becoming a senior consultant at BearingPoint in August 2011, working in data management, predictive analytics and pricing, and business intelligence projects for multiple organizations. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)  
  
In May 2014, he begun his 4 years of experience at Schibsted Media Group, where he started as a Data Scientist and went on to lead a team of data scientists and engineers in Oslo, Norway. From January 2016 to April 2018, he served as the Data Science Manager at Schibsted, based in Barcelona. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)  
  
During his time at Schibsted, he started gaining interest in [cryptocurrencies](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency). He noticed that there were an abundance of intriguing things he could do ”in the intersection of crypto and data”. Around mid 2017, he discovered [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) and was “captivated by the narrative of the world computer” and in late 2017 decided to go full time into crypto. [\[4\]](#cite-id-52ph4py83de)  
  
$$widget0 [YOUTUBE@VID](kIMmNb9eeuM)$$  
In May 2018, he joined CoinFi as the Chief Data Scientist where he built a team of data engineers and scientists from scratch and led the team to create a large database of cryptocurrencies. He also designed token metrics and integrated it to the platform and back tested trading signals. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)  
  
After he left CoinFi in January 2019, and in February 2019, he founded D5 - The Data Science DAO, a collective of data scientists and engineers that help organizations accelerate their data science and engineering initiatives. He served as the Founder & Data Scientist at D5 till October 2020. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)  
  
In February 2022, he joined WalletConnect Inc, a protocol that connects [decentralized applications](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-application) (Dapps) to mobile wallets, as a Board Member and is still working with them. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)[\[5\]](#cite-id-lw6n9ppt7ad)  
  
Currently, he is working as the Chief Executive Officer of Nansen since October 2019, which is helping crypto investors and professionals surface the signal in [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) data by enriching on-chain data with 100M+ wallet labels, and presenting analytics in an easy-to-digest way. [\[3\]](#cite-id-ynnc9u7rkfj)  
  
# Pudgy Penguins  
  
On August 22nd 2022, the penguin [NFT](https://iq.wiki/wiki/non-fungible-token-nft) collection [Pudgy Penguins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pudgy-penguins) announced the Pudgy Penguins Advisory Board with a list of 9 people including Alex Svanevik. At the time it was noticed that Nansen owned a total of 560 wrapped penguins which was around 6% of the entire project and can also be seen that Svanevik’s profile picture on Twitter is set as his Pudgy Penguin #4767. [\[6\]](#cite-id-a9exgoezfct)[\[7\]](#cite-id-jtefo2ayk7m)  
  
![image](https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmesUxrXFcQrUz1Znu1jJjLn6B1Auy6hvsufCBj4ioTty9)  
A day after the announcement of the advisory team, Pudgy Penguin #6873, the only left-facing penguin, was sold for 450 ETH, setting a record for the project and marking the beginning of the comeback of Pudgy Penguins. [\[8\]](#cite-id-gagyul5jng)

Alex Svanevik is the co-founder and CEO of Nansen, a blockchain data analytics company. He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Pudgy Penguins NFT col...

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