# Amir Forouzani > Amir Forouzani is a blockchain entrepreneur and Puffer Finance co-founder and CEO, known for developing Ethereum staking and scaling infrastructure. - Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/amir-forouzani - Categories: People in crypto - Tags: Ethereum, Developer, Founder, Speaker - Created: 2026-10-20T15:48:37.863Z - Last updated: 2026-10-20T15:55:28.193Z - Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki) --- **Amir Forouzani** is a researcher and technology contributor with a background in data science, engineering, and scientific research. He is the co-founder and CEO of [Puffer Finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/puffer) and previously worked as a data scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a graduate research assistant at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and a research assistant at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics. [\[1\]](#cite-id-kpa3sacf1u) ## Education Forouzani graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2017. He then attended the University of Southern California, where he earned his MS in Electrical Engineering in 2020. [\[3\]](#cite-id-415g6pxmgy) ## Career Forouzani worked as a Research Assistant at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics from June 2016 to December 2017. From May 2018 to May 2020, he worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, where his work also included electrical and integration engineering. From June 2020 to November 2022, Forouzani worked as a Data Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Forouzani began contributing to [Puffer Finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/puffer) in November 2022. He also held a full-time Contributor position at the company beginning in February 2023 and continues in both roles. [\[2\]](#cite-id-m55fn1zvcz) ## Interviews ### AI Moves Money At [TOKEN2049](https://iq.wiki/wiki/token2049) in October 2026, Forouzani participated in a fireside chat with Richard Widmann of Google and Carl Jiang of [Anchorage Digital](https://iq.wiki/wiki/anchorage-digital) on infrastructure for institutional and [AI agent](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents)-driven payments. The panelists discussed Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), which supports controls over agent transactions through spending limits and agreed-upon purchase details, and how [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency)-based pay-as-you-go payments could enable new types of purchasing activity. They suggested that adoption would likely begin with emerging use cases, including pay-per-call services and limited treasury experiments, before extending to established business-to-business and consumer payment flows. The discussion also covered the governance requirements for agent payments, including identity verification, authorization, spending limits, and accountability, as well as board-level oversight and separation of duties. [\[7\]](#cite-id-qlqxmnhivc) [YOUTUBE@VID](_TKeJqHAaG4) ## Presentations ### Agentic Economy At [TOKEN2049](https://iq.wiki/wiki/token2049) in October 2026, Forouzani discussed the emerging agentic economy, in which [AI agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents) conduct transactions and purchase data, computing resources, and other services. He examined the implications for [Ethereum’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and [real-world asset](https://iq.wiki/wiki/real-world-assets-rwas) activity, highlighting questions around transaction speed, settlement infrastructure, and security when granting [AI agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents) access to financial accounts. Forouzani outlined [Puffer’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/puffer) development from a [liquid staking](https://iq.wiki/wiki/liquid-staking) platform toward Unifi, a scaling solution designed to support fast transactions and connectivity with [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum). He described its execution environment and real-time proofs, citing transaction times of approximately 20 seconds and finalization in 12 seconds. He also discussed partnerships with Google Cloud and [Anchorage](https://iq.wiki/wiki/anchorage-digital), which provide infrastructure and custody services relevant to agent-driven transactions, including controls such as trading and liquidation limits. The presentation concluded with a flash-loan demonstration connecting [Layer 2](https://iq.wiki/wiki/layer-2) activity with [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) liquidity, along with an introduction to discussions on [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) scaling, [AI agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents), and supporting infrastructure. [\[6\]](#cite-id-h28244qong) [YOUTUBE@VID](pKKKb90odE4) ### Underwrite Yields At the Digital Asset Yield Summit in May 2026, Forouzani discussed the security and risk-management requirements institutions face when allocating capital to [decentralized finance (DeFi)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi). He identified risks including hacks, irreversible transactions, composability, and operational security weaknesses, and outlined [Puffer’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/puffer) security measures, including upgrade time locks, community-controlled multisignature safeguards, two-[ETH](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ether-eth) operator bonds, and guardian modules for verifying off-chain code. Forouzani also described [liquid staking](https://iq.wiki/wiki/liquid-staking) products designed for institutions that require segregated pools and [know-your-customer (KYC)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/know-your-customer-kyc) controls. He also presented Puffer Unifi, an execution environment designed to provide customizable transaction processing and allow institutions to set their own operational rules while accessing [Ethereum’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) security and liquidity. He explained that [Puffer’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/puffer) products were intended to address the needs of both individual [staking](https://iq.wiki/wiki/staking) participants and institutions seeking tailored [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) environments and security controls. [\[5\]](#cite-id-jiey5dhtzh) [YOUTUBE@VID](l8Lm71p3hQk)