# Kendall Cole > Kendall Cole is the Head of Product at NEAR Protocol and a co-founder of Proximity Labs. He is a key figure in the development of chain abstraction, AI agents o... - Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/kendall-cole - Categories: People in crypto - Tags: DeFi, AI Token, Founder, Infrastructure, Speaker - Created: 2026-02-18T18:46:56.035Z - Last updated: 2026-02-18T18:01:12.000Z - Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki) --- **Kendall Cole** is a product leader, software engineer, and entrepreneur known for his work as the Head of Product at [NEAR Protocol](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) and a co-founder of Proximity Labs. He is a prominent figure in the development of core [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) infrastructure, focusing on concepts such as chain abstraction, [AI agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents) on the blockchain, and cross-chain functionality powered by multiparty computation. [\[2\]](#cite-id-B6mlPiCaFPSrguV8) ## Education Cole attended the University of Virginia, where he graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. [\[2\]](#cite-id-B6mlPiCaFPSrguV8)​ ## Career Cole began his career in 2013 as a Consultant at KCIC, LLC in the Washington D.C. area. He transitioned to software engineering in 2014, first working at Veenome in Virginia, where he used technologies such as Python, Django, and PostgreSQL. Later that year, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal, to join Unbabel as a Software Engineer, a role he held until 2015. In 2015, Cole entered the entrepreneurial field by co-founding EntryWire in Santiago, Chile, and participating in the Generation 13 cohort of the Startup Chile accelerator. He continued this path in 2016 as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Entrepreneur First in London. This experience led to him co-founding OilFront, where he served as Chief Technology Officer, developing a web-based platform for managing international bunker fuel procurement. Cole entered the blockchain industry in 2017, working as a Product Manager at ConsenSys and its associated project, Kauri, in London until 2019. In September 2019, he became the Head of Product at [NEAR Protocol](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol), operating from the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to his role at [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol), he serves as a co-founder of Proximity Labs, a research and development firm focused on the [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) ecosystem. [\[1\]](#cite-id-9DBiADDhR1oaX8Ea) [\[3\]](#cite-id-Cdy1Lpk8Zp3ia2q1) ## Interviews ### AI Agents on Blockchain In a May 2025 discussion with [Illia Polosukhin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/illia-polosukhin), Cole examined [NEAR’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) ambition to position itself as a foundational [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) for AI, emphasizing user-controlled systems that allow artificial intelligence to act directly on behalf of individuals. The conversation addressed structural inefficiencies in decentralized organizations and introduced “[shade agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/shade-agents),” which combine smart contracts with off-chain worker agents to enable autonomous execution supported by greater computational capacity and data access. They outlined practical applications, including autonomous trading agents and yield-optimizing systems that manage assets such as [USDC](https://iq.wiki/wiki/usdc), as well as governance-focused agents that represent community interests within [DAOs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/dao) through privacy-preserving mechanisms. The discussion also considered broader implications for [decentralized finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi), compliance, and long-term business models in which [autonomous agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ai-agents) could manage operations with reduced human coordination. [\[7\]](#cite-id-5qremKbo7AcOCtzG) [YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=1974tFVFRsE) ### Web3 Mass Adoption In a June 2024 episode of the *DeFi Decoded* podcast, Cole discussed his background in [crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), beginning with [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) in 2013, followed by roles at ConsenSys and later involvement with the [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) ecosystem through Proximity Labs. He outlined Proximity Labs’ focus on research and development to improve usability in [decentralized applications](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-application) and described chain abstraction as a method to simplify [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) interactions for both [crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency)-native and mainstream users. The discussion covered examples of user-facing applications built on [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol), the network's evolving [decentralized finance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) landscape, and a strategic emphasis on developing original [DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) products rather than replicating existing models. Cole also explained [NEAR’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) horizontal scaling approach through sharding, contrasted with [Layer 2](https://iq.wiki/wiki/layer-2) strategies, and highlighted broader considerations for [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) growth, including infrastructure maturity and regulatory clarity for [digital asset](https://iq.wiki/wiki/digital-assets) issuance. [\[5\]](#cite-id-MMCN11cUWRUoymaR) [YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-DbwXktIj8) ### Chain Abstraction In a June 2024 episode of *The Edge* podcast, Cole discussed the concept of chain abstraction and its role in simplifying user interaction across multiple [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) networks. He described how managing accounts and assets across different chains creates friction, and outlined an approach that enables users to engage with decentralized applications without needing to understand the underlying infrastructure. The discussion also covered the development of Chain Signatures, which allow accounts to sign transactions on other [blockchains](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), facilitating cross-chain functionality and reducing account management complexity. Cole highlighted [NEAR’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) scalability and sharding architecture as factors supporting multi-chain coordination, and addressed broader ecosystem considerations such as collaborative infrastructure, wallet development timelines, and alternative metrics for measuring network growth beyond total value locked. He emphasized user engagement and secure transaction management as central indicators of adoption in a multi-chain environment. [\[4\]](#cite-id-7k1Sn0l35E2itklX) [YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=erixi5QEW9Y) ### Restaking In a May 2024 episode of Kiln’s *Restaking Rendez-Vous* podcast, Cole discussed his background in [crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) since 2017 and the firm’s focus on building within the [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) ecosystem. He described the development of Chain Signatures, a system based on multiparty computation (MPC), which enables distributed key management by splitting private keys among multiple operators to improve security and user experience. He explained how MPC can extend beyond custody to allow [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) to sign transactions and manage assets, supporting cross-chain functionality and decentralized exchange use cases. Cole also addressed the need for decentralized MPC operator networks to reduce collusion risk and emphasized the role of economic security in maintaining user trust, including leveraging both [NEAR](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) and [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum). The discussion covered [validator](https://iq.wiki/wiki/validator) and user incentives, potential fee structures for signature requests, product testing timelines, and broader considerations around shared [staking](https://iq.wiki/wiki/staking) and actively validated services, highlighting scalability and competition as factors shaping future development. [\[6\]](#cite-id-JcmT59p4sE9dlRRm) [YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=LVhcSguMT8A) ## Presentations ### Shade Agents At [NEAR’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) AI New Frontier conference in February 2025, Cole presented [Shade Agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/shade-agents), describing them as autonomous, non-custodial, multichain agents designed for [crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) applications. He outlined the limitations of many existing agents, particularly their difficulty executing authenticated or confidential actions, and detailed the requirements for true autonomy, including decentralized key management, verifiable code, uptime guarantees, privacy protections, and [smart contract](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract)-based guardrails. Cole explained that [Shade Agents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/shade-agents) operate through worker agents running in trusted execution environments alongside smart contracts for registration and transaction signing, and highlighted advancements such as shared key management across agent instances to reduce single points of failure. He also demonstrated deployment using Docker, showcased use cases including [DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) automation and off-chain data integration, presented a live example of an agent responding to social media activity with token rewards, and discussed interoperability with external protocols such as UMA’s optimistic [oracle](https://iq.wiki/wiki/oracle). [\[8\]](#cite-id-UUuMnwgNcSuGjrZ3) [YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=4xeyDfWTdIo)