Beniamin Mincu is a co-founder and the CEO of MultiversX, a decentralized smart contract platform formerly known as Elrond. He is also a tech entrepreneur focused on blockchain technology and artificial intelligence. ^[1]

Education

Mincu graduated from the Romanian-German University of Sibiu’s Faculty of Economic Sciences with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Management in 2011. ^[2]

Career

From May 2014 to October 2015, Mincu held various roles at the NEM.io Foundation. During his tenure, he served as the Business Lead, Marketing Lead, and Community Lead. NEM is recognized as the world's first Smart Asset blockchain, designed for enterprise-grade performance.

In September 2016, he co-founded Metachain Capital, where he served as co-founder & CEO until December 2017. Metachain Capital is a digital asset investment fund that focuses on supporting ambitious teams and innovative technologies within the blockchain space. Noteworthy investments made by the fund include Polkadot, Zilliqa, Binance, Brave, and Tezos.

Since September 2017, Mincu has served as the founder and CEO of MultiversX, a blockchain platform that implements adaptive state sharding and secure proof-of-stake. It aims to create a decentralized, secure, and scalable public blockchain infrastructure, offering interoperability and cost-effective smart contract solutions. ^[2][3]

Interviews

MultiversX

In a recent episode of CraigO's Crypto Corner, Mincu shared insights on MultiversX's evolution and his leadership philosophy within the Web3 space. The discussion highlighted significant upgrades to their blockchain, including Andromeda and Supernova, which focus on performance improvements and scalability. Mincu emphasized the importance of community engagement and feedback as vital components of a decentralized framework, aiming to foster trust and transparency. The conversation underscored the potential for MultiversX to establish itself in the competitive landscape of blockchain technology, particularly with plans to increase its presence in the U.S. market. Mincu expressed optimism about the future, advocating for innovation and collaboration within the ecosystem to drive widespread adoption and success. ^[4]

Scaling and Surviving

On the Proof of Talk podcast, Mia Soarez interviewed Mincu, who discussed MultiversX's advancement in blockchain technology. He explained that they developed the first working version of state sharding, a key scalability feature in blockchain, which was launched four years prior. Mincu shared that their initial project, originally named Elrond, evolved into MultiversX due to challenges, including a naming conflict. He recounted his early experiences in the crypto space, revealing how skepticism surrounded their ambitious goals, especially given the technical complexity of their project. As their achievements gained recognition, they adapted their vision to encompass broader use cases beyond payments. Mincu also touched on the industry's current state, reflecting on the tension between speculative trends, such as memecoins, and the need for substantive innovation in blockchain applications. He expressed excitement for upcoming developments at MultiversX, which included mainnet upgrades and new projects in various sectors, including AI. ^[5]

Blockchain or Meme?

In an interview with Le Crypto Daily, Mincu discussed various developments within MultiversX and the broader blockchain landscape. He emphasized the impressive scalability of MultiversX's technology, which is capable of processing over 100,000 transactions per second, enabled by a feature called adaptive state sharding. During the conversation, Mincu reflected on a recent marketing countdown campaign that initially generated excitement within the community but ultimately led to exaggerated expectations, prompting its cessation. He shared insights about the rebranding from Elrond to MultiversX, highlighting the legal advantages and strategic market positioning. Mincu also underscored the importance of community feedback and engagement, particularly with significant influence from figures like Owen Simonin in France. The discussion explored the challenges and opportunities facing blockchain projects, including marketing strategies and navigating market volatility. Mincu concluded with a confident outlook on the future of MultiversX and its potential to lead in innovation and technology within the crypto space. ^[6]

Presentations

xPortal

During a presentation at X Day Paris, Mincu and Sergiu Biris unveiled xPortal, which transformed the existing crypto wallet, Mayar, into a comprehensive super app designed to bridge the physical and metaverse worlds. They highlighted xPortal as a portal to new opportunities for users and businesses, showcasing its ease of use and a variety of new features, including real-time financial tracking, token swaps, and customizable avatars. The app’s innovative functions included a hub for decentralized applications and the introduction of multiverse debit cards designed for seamless transactions. Mincu expressed excitement for xPortal’s launch, planned for early 2023, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize how users interact with both crypto assets and the metaverse. ^[7]

Panels

Crypto Adoption

At the Proof of Talk 2024 event, a panel discussion featured Mincu, Catie Romero-Finger (BABs), Robby Yung (Animoca Brands), and Meow (Jupiter) discussing key drivers for cryptocurrency adoption. The conversation addressed the current state of the market, characterized as a bull phase, and debated whether this environment was more beneficial for attracting users compared to a bear market. The panelists highlighted the significance of memecoins as a means to engage new users in the cryptocurrency space, noting that these coins, similar to user-generated content, serve as accessible entry points. They emphasized the importance of fun and community in driving adoption, arguing that while memecoins might appear frivolous, they represent a new form of capital that could accelerate user growth and participation in broader blockchain ecosystems. Throughout the discussion, the role of infrastructure and community support was highlighted as essential for sustaining interest and trust in these new financial products. The panel concluded with a recognition of the complex dynamics influencing crypto adoption and the potential for future growth. ^[8]