John Wang is the Head of Crypto for the U.S.-regulated prediction market platform, Kalshi. ^{[1] [2]} He was appointed to the position in August 2025 at the age of 23 to lead the company's expansion into digital assets. ^[3]

Education

Wang attended the University of Pennsylvania. In 2024, he dropped out of the university to pursue a full-time career in the cryptocurrency industry, beginning with the founding of his own company. ^{[1] [4]}

Career

Early Career and Entrepreneurship

Wang's career in the cryptocurrency sector began prior to his role at Kalshi, with experience as a crypto trader and influencer spanning approximately eight years before his executive appointment. ^[5] During his early career, he held several positions at prominent firms within the industry, including an internship at the Web3 gaming platform Immutable and a fellowship at the crypto investment firm Paradigm. ^[1]

In 2022, after leaving the University of Pennsylvania, Wang co-founded Armor Labs, a blockchain security company. The startup was later acquired by an undisclosed firm. ^{[3] [2]} Alongside his entrepreneurial ventures, Wang built a significant following as a social media influencer on the platform X (formerly Twitter) under the handle @j0hnwang, where he published analyses on cryptocurrency projects and financial market trends. ^[6] It was through this public commentary that he was discovered by Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour. ^[3]

Head of Crypto at Kalshi

In August 2025, Kalshi announced that it had hired Wang as its Head of Crypto to lead the company's new digital assets division. ^[1] The appointment was part of Kalshi's broader strategy to attract crypto-native users and integrate its prediction market platform with the blockchain ecosystem, a move that followed the company's decision to accept Bitcoin deposits earlier in the year. ^[7] Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour described the hiring as a bet "on slope," which he defined as a combination of "high quality thinking, dreaming big, and working mercilessly hard." ^[1]

In his role, Wang is responsible for product development, ecosystem growth, and the company's on-chain strategy. ^[4] He has publicly outlined an ambitious vision for the company, stating a goal to have Kalshi integrated into "every major crypto application and exchange" by late 2026. ^[5] Wang views this crypto-focused initiative as a potential "tenfold growth driver" for the company. ^[8]

Wang's strategy involves building an ecosystem of new financial primitives and trading front-ends on Kalshi's infrastructure. Key technical plans include pushing Kalshi's event data on-chain in real-time for developers, tokenizing Kalshi positions, and introducing features like margin and leveraged trading. ^[9] To foster a developer community, Kalshi launched grant programs and partnerships with blockchain networks, including Solana and Base, in September 2025. ^[10] Wang has emphasized that these on-chain features are designed to be "purely additive" and will not replace the core platform's existing functionality. ^[11]

Public Commentary

Wang is known for his commentary on the role of prediction markets in the digital economy. He has characterized them as a "Trojan Horse for crypto," arguing that they serve as a more accessible entry point for new users compared to complex financial instruments like options. ^[12] He has stated that his interest in the sector began in 2018 after discovering the platform Augur. ^[2]

In a statement about his philosophy, Wang said, "My generation grew up doomscrolling, watching events unfold passively with distance and hopelessness. Prediction markets flip that script. Even a small stake makes you pay closer attention, talk about it with friends, and feel invested in what happens next." ^[2]

He has also commented on the broader adoption of cryptocurrency in the financial technology sector, stating, "Any generational fintech company of this decade will be powered by crypto." ^[9]