John Nahas is the Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, the lead developer of the Avalanche blockchain. He is responsible for driving the platform's global business development, strategic partnerships, and international expansion.

Education

Nahas attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a Master's degree in Public Diplomacy. He also completed a dual Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Communication from the same institution. ^{[1] [12]}

Career

Nahas's early career included a role as Managing Editor at the media company Mic, followed by leadership positions in operations and business development at Invicta Petroleum and Engeocom-Invicta Commodities. He later transitioned into the financial technology sector as a founding member and Vice President of Corporate Development at Onsa, a fintech company that was subsequently acquired by the global investment firm Franklin Templeton. During his time at Onsa, he was involved in raising $18 million and securing 43 licenses. Concurrently with his other roles, Nahas has served as the Director of FinTech & International Relations for the LA Blockchain Lab, an organization focused on developing a sustainable blockchain ecosystem.

Nahas joined Ava Labs in September 2020, initially serving as the Vice President of Business Development. In this capacity, he was responsible for the overall growth of the Avalanche ecosystem, with a focus on increasing users, wallets, transactions, and applications on the network. He managed six distinct vertical teams to drive adoption in key areas: Institutional and Capital Markets, Enterprise, Wallets and Exchanges, NFTs and Culture, Gaming, and Decentralized Finance (DeFi). He was later promoted to Chief Business Officer, a role in which he leads the company's primary business development initiatives and global growth strategies. His responsibilities include overseeing international teams in regions such as Korea, Japan, India, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Turkey, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Under his leadership, Ava Labs has pursued partnerships across various sectors. Notable collaborations mentioned by Nahas include working with SK Planet in Korea to deploy its "OK Cash" loyalty program on an Avalanche-based blockchain, and with Nexon for the launch of its Maple Story Universe game on its own dedicated blockchain. In ticketing, he has highlighted Tickspace, an NFT ticketing platform on Avalanche set to power the Sports Illustrated stadium in New Jersey. In asset tokenization, he has referenced work with firms such as KKR, Paraffy, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton. ^{[2] [1] [3] [4] [12]}

Views and Philosophy

Strategic Vision for Avalanche

Nahas has articulated a business philosophy for Ava Labs that prioritizes long-term, sustainable growth over short-term industry narratives. He emphasizes a focus on "real adoption, real use cases, and innovative use cases" that use blockchain as an efficient infrastructure layer to reinvent established businesses. He has stated that Ava Labs avoids chasing temporary trends like NFTs or memecoins, instead concentrating on foundational development. ^[2]

A key part of his public messaging involves the evolution of Avalanche's multi-chain architecture. In late 2022, he stated, "I firmly believe in a multi-chain future. So much so, that all chains will eventually be subnets!" By late 2024, he updated this vision to, "I firmly believe in a multi-chain future. So much so, that all chains will eventually be Avalanche L1s!" This change reflects a strategic shift in positioning Avalanche's custom blockchains as independent Layer 1 networks within its ecosystem rather than subsidiary chains. Nahas also acknowledges the difficulty in communicating the platform's broad capabilities, stating that Avalanche's "biggest challenge is the ability to tell our story in a concise way," as its success is defined by the collective achievements of its ecosystem partners. ^{[5] [6]}

"Our story is actually the story of everybody who’s building on Avalanche and the ecosystem that we’re building... Our story should be the success of our partners and the success of the participants of our ecosystem." ^[6]

On Industry Trends and Adoption

Nahas has expressed optimism about the future of the Web3 industry, predicting an "innovation boom" driven by three key factors: the entry of open-minded institutional asset managers, the launch of crypto ETFs by major issuers like BlackRock and Fidelity making the asset class more accessible, and a more favorable political and regulatory climate in the United States following the 2024 federal election. He argues that the primary barrier to institutional involvement has been a lack of regulatory clarity, not a lack of interest. ^[7]

He has pushed back against the characterization of the crypto industry as an unregulated "Wild West," stating that the industry has long been asking for clear rules. He views the emergence of a more collaborative "give-and-take" relationship with regulators as a crucial development that creates a safer environment for innovation. Nahas also predicts a significant wave of industry consolidation, including a "big M&A season in crypto," where non-crypto native institutions will acquire Web3 applications to serve as new distribution channels. ^[7]

"The detractors like to say this is an unregulated industry, and it’s the Wild West. No, that’s like shooting someone in the foot and saying that they’re limping. We’ve been asking for this for the longest time." ^[7]

Nahas is critical of what he calls an "elitism problem" within the crypto industry, citing the use of jargon like "seed phrases" and "wallets" as exclusionary and a barrier to mass adoption. He advocates for abstracting away technical complexity and embedding DeFi protocols into simple user interfaces to promote financial inclusion, particularly in developing regions that lack traditional financial infrastructure. ^[6]

On Technology and Use Cases

Nahas sees a symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence and blockchain, believing that "blockchain has needed AI, and I think AI has always needed blockchains." In his view, blockchains will serve as the "financial rails" that allow AI agents to exchange value, while AI will act as the "executor of actions on the chain," automating complex transactions and agreements. ^[6]

He has identified several areas ripe for disruption by blockchain technology. He argues for the use of crypto assets as collateral for mortgages, stating it is "wholly un-American" to exclude such assets from qualifying for home loans, which he calls "the cornerstone of the American dream." He also sees significant potential in stablecoins to create a more efficient financial system, enabling instant payments for mortgages and replacing the biweekly payroll system with daily payments that can be programmed to automatically pay bills. ^[7]

Nahas is also a proponent of tokenization, particularly for its potential to transform the creator economy. He believes tokenization empowers digital creators by giving them direct ownership and control over their content and likeness, allowing them to share it directly with their audience rather than through an intermediary platform. ^[8]

“The difference is… it’s yours. You own it, you control it, you decide what to do with it… Maybe you want to tokenize it and share it with your fans instead of with a platform.” ^[8]

Interviews

John Nahas on the Future of Blockchain and DeFi #01

On July 10, 2025, John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, participated in an interview on the YouTube channel Dinis Guarda under the title “John Nahas - Chief Business Officer - Ava Labs - Blockchain DeFi Future.”

During the interview, Nahas outlined his professional background, which spans international finance, trade-related ventures, and early involvement in blockchain technologies, including his adoption of Bitcoin in 2012. He described Avalanche as a platform built on a multi-chain structure, organized to accommodate different categories of blockchains, permissioned, permissionless, private, and public, within a unified system. This model, he explained, is designed to address scalability and interoperability challenges faced by earlier blockchain networks.

Nahas discussed the role of blockchain adoption in practice, noting that the sector often faces cycles of speculation and financialization that can divert attention from practical applications. He presented Avalanche as an infrastructure oriented toward interoperability and adaptable frameworks that connect decentralized finance (DeFi) with institutional use cases.

Financial inclusion was another topic in the discussion. Nahas pointed to the relevance of DeFi in regions with limited access to conventional banking. He indicated that simplifying technical barriers and improving user accessibility are important steps for broadening the use of blockchain-based financial services.

The conversation also addressed the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence. Nahas suggested that future developments could involve AI systems performing automated transactions on blockchain networks, potentially streamlining processes in areas such as finance, logistics, and contractual arrangements. He described this interaction as part of a broader progression toward automated and programmable systems within the digital economy. ^[13]

Avalanche, Incentives, and Sustainable Growth #02

On June 5, 2025, John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, participated in an interview on the Inflection Points series hosted by Flipside. In the conversation, he outlined his perspective on how Avalanche has adapted its development strategies as the network expanded from decentralized finance (DeFi) into areas such as gaming, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and applications involving real-world assets.

Nahas noted that early programs like Avalanche Rush drew large amounts of liquidity to the ecosystem but also exposed the limits of incentive-driven approaches. He stated that long-term network growth depends on technological alignment, stable partnerships, and consistent user activity rather than on temporary capital inflows.

He identified gaming as an important area of expansion, explaining that growth in this sector required specific strategies distinct from those applied in DeFi. He also described Avalanche’s multi-chain structure as an approach intended to allow scalability and specialization across different use cases, distinguishing it from single-chain models used by other platforms.

The discussion also addressed the design of incentive systems in what Nahas referred to as the “Sybil era,” marked by the difficulty of distinguishing between authentic users and automated or multiple-wallet activity. In his view, data analysis, including the use of onchain intelligence and artificial intelligence tools, will be increasingly necessary to identify genuine engagement and to refine incentive programs.

Nahas further mentioned challenges that blockchain ecosystems often face, such as dependency on incentives and the difficulty of shifting away from unsustainable patterns once established. He described Avalanche’s method of evaluating partnerships as combining technical considerations with ongoing assessments of long-term compatibility.

Through this interview, Nahas presented Avalanche’s evolution as a shift from reliance on incentive-based expansion toward strategies focused on durability and data-driven ecosystem development. ^[14]