Kevin Coutinho (born October 26, 1994) is an Indian-born entrepreneur and the Founder of Layer One X, a layer one protocol that allows developers to build once and access users and liquidity across other blockchains. ^[7]​^[1]​^[2]​^[3]​

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Early Life and Education

Coutinho was born in Silvassa, India, on October 26, 1994. ^[7]​

Coutinho attended Savitribai Phule Pune University for a Bachelor's degree in Computer Applications from 2013 to 2015. Afterward, he attended Indira Gandhi National Open University for a Master's in Public Administration and graduated in 2017. He also attended The University of Western Australia for a Master's in Professional Accounting. ^[3]​

In 2021, Coutinho was a Research Associate at the University of Western Australia in the Computer Science department focussed on blockchain interoperability and building a layer one decentralized ledger and blockchain technology. ^[3]​

Career

Kevin Coutinho began his career as an IT Consultant in 2018 at The Accounting Co. From 2022 to 2023, he was a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Ledger Labs and a Managing Director at Synergy Labs Ltd. ^[3]​^[7]​

Coutinho is also a founder of other companies including Humanbot, a blockchain development firm, and Rewalty, Australia's first blockchain-based loyalty program for the hospitality sector. He is also the founder of BlocksOne. ^[3]​^[4]​^[7]​

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Layer One X

In August 2021, Kevin Coutinho founded Layer One X and also serves as the Foundation Council President of the company. The project was officially announced on July 11, 2023. Layer One X (L1X) is a blockchain that enables bridgeless connectivity between previously incompatible chains, allowing for the effective exchange of tokens, NFTs, and logic, fostering smart contract collaboration cross-chain. ^[2]​^[3]​^[8]​

L1X's architecture is designed to address challenges of scalability, security, and interoperability. It can reportedly process up to 100,000 transactions per second and utilizes a Proof of X (PoX) consensus mechanism, which allows mobile devices to participate as validators. The system also features a virtual machine optimized with Rust and eBPF technology, a Cluster-Based Node Architecture, and a "Direct Swap" function for lower-cost cross-chain exchanges. ^[7]​

"We're setting the new industry standard," says Coutinho. "Layer One X is designed to deliver seamless interoperability between various blockchains. In addition, our platform scales efficiently to handle an increasing volume of transactions, ensuring quick, reliable services." ^[5]

On how L1X came to be, Coutinho stated in an interview:

"The whole vision of L1X was due to the problem that we see in interoperability in the market right now and how we can fill that gap with L1X" ^[9]

According to Kevin, L1X aims to address the problem of interoperability between various blockchain technologies, making it easier for different decentralized ledger technologies to communicate and interact. ^[9]​

X-Talk

Launched in September 2023, X-Talk serves as Layer One X's interoperability framework and virtual machine designed for cross-chain communication. Layer One X tackles interoperability challenges with X-Talk, a method that operates at the smart contract level, enabling direct connectivity between different chains. The framework facilitates functionalities such as cross-chain tokenization, asset borrowing, and staking. Unlike traditional bridges, which involve intermediaries and centralization risks, X-Talk provides a secure and efficient solution for cross-chain asset and data transfers by eliminating these concerns. ^[6][7]

Kevin Coutinho emphasizes the significance of this innovation saying:

“Layer One X is committed to creating solutions that encourage collaboration, innovation, and mass adoption of blockchain technology.”^[6]