# Ankur Nandwani

> Ankur Nandwani is a blockchain entrepreneur, co-founder of ZetaChain, and former Coinbase product leader with expertise in cryptocurrency and engineering.

- Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/ankur-nandwani
- Categories: People in crypto
- Tags: Founder
- Created: 2024-11-20T02:17:51.164Z
- Last updated: 2024-11-21T05:56:46.121Z
- Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki)

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**Ankur Nandwani** is a co-founder of [ZetaChain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/zetachain-zeta), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) platform that focuses on enabling interoperability across various blockchain networks. With a background in computer engineering and extensive experience in the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) industry, Nandwani has contributed to several projects, including the [Basic Attention Token (BAT)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/basic-attention-token), and held key roles in organizations such as [Coinbase](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinbase) and Ribbit Capital. [[1]](#cite-id-7nkekm6qfgg)[[2]](#cite-id-7w3qv533ja8)[[3]](#cite-id-g6mylgiexpv)[[4]](#cite-id-yqicvpmuf5)[[5]](#cite-id-6t17be4y40p)

## Education

Ankur Nandwani earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Computer Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Surat, India, in 2008. He later obtained a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University, graduating in 2010. His academic work focused on areas such as mobile security, machine learning, and [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) technologies.[[1]](#cite-id-7nkekm6qfgg)[[3]](#cite-id-g6mylgiexpv)[[4]](#cite-id-yqicvpmuf5)

## Career

Nandwani began his career in technology with a focus on mobile security, contributing to research and development in this area before transitioning into [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) and [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency). He joined [Coinbase](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinbase), a leading [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) [exchange](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cex-centralized-exchange), as an early team member, where he led the Consumer Product Division, helping shape the platform's user-facing services.

In 2017, Nandwani co-founded the [Basic Attention Token (BAT)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/basic-attention-token), a decentralized advertising platform built on [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum). The project integrates with the Brave Browser, rewarding users and content creators while maintaining user privacy. BAT was launched through an initial coin offering ([ICO](https://iq.wiki/wiki/initial-coin-offering)), which raised $36 million.

Following his time at [Coinbase](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinbase) and BAT, Nandwani worked as an investor at Ribbit Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in financial technology and [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) investments. His work at Ribbit Capital allowed him to engage with a wide range of projects within the blockchain ecosystem.

Currently, Nandwani serves as a co-founder of [ZetaChain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/zetachain-zeta), a [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) platform designed to connect multiple blockchain ecosystems, including [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin), [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum), [Polygon](https://iq.wiki/wiki/polygon), and [Solana](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solana). The platform uses [EVM](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm)-based universal [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) to enable seamless asset and data transfers across chains. ZetaChain supports over 280 [decentralized applications (DApps)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-application) and more than 4 million unique wallets as of 2024. Its applications span areas such as [decentralized finance (DeFi)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi), gaming, and lending.

Throughout his career, Nandwani has maintained a strong focus on topics such as [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) interoperability, [decentralized application](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-application) development, and mobile security. [[1]](#cite-id-7nkekm6qfgg)[[2]](#cite-id-7w3qv533ja8)[[3]](#cite-id-g6mylgiexpv)[[4]](#cite-id-yqicvpmuf5)[[5]](#cite-id-6t17be4y40p)[[6]](#cite-id-yz7rfbnuscp)[[7]](#cite-id-h3e7rrurk7d)[[8]](#cite-id-at5wkmwogsm)[[9]](#cite-id-59nh99z6dwy)