Michael A. Hanono is the founder and CEO of Talus Network, a platform that specializes in decentralized AI agents and their interactions with blockchain ecosystems. Born in Central America, Hanono has leveraged his extensive background in technology and AI development to foster innovation in on-chain agent systems, aiming to enhance transparency and autonomy in decentralized networks. ^{[1] [2]}

Education

Michael Hanono attended Instituto Alberto Einstein from 2014 to 2017.

He later studied at the University of Southern California, where he completed a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Industrial and Systems Engineering between 2018 and 2022. During the same period, he also earned a Master of Science (MS) in Applied Data Science, which he completed between 2020 and 2022.

Hanono also participated in the Wharton MBA Moelis Advanced Access Program at The Wharton School. Since July 2022, he has been associated with the Makers Fellowship, where his area of study is Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies. ^[2]​

Career

Early Career

Michael Hanono began his professional career through internships in project management, research, sales, data analytics, and information technology, which served as a basis for later work with blockchain.

In 2017, he worked as a Project Intern at ReFeel in Panama City, Panama. His responsibilities included fundraising activities, procuring and installing solar panels for farms in Los Uveros, Panama, and participating in the installation of photovoltaic systems in rural communities.

Later that year, Hanono joined ASSA Compañia de Seguros as a Project Coordinator Intern. He participated in projects involving customer service technologies, contributed to updates to an internal application, prepared instructional materials, and trained employees on internal software.

In 2018, Hanono served as a Research Assistant at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He participated in research involving linear programming and projects related to container and truck logistics at the Port of Los Angeles.

Hanono joined Codefresh in 2019 as a Sales Development Representative Intern, where he worked in the company's sales and support departments. He also contributed to projects conducted by the data science team involving customer interaction analysis.

He returned to Codefresh in 2020 as a Data Analyst Intern. His work included analyzing user reports, developing database queries, maintaining data infrastructure, and preparing pricing models based on customer usage data.

In 2021, Hanono joined Perch Credit as a Data Analyst Intern. His responsibilities included developing a cloud-based data pipeline, defining key performance indicators (KPIs), creating reporting dashboards, evaluating software updates, and training employees on reporting tools.

Later that year, he worked as an Information Technology Intern at BTG Pactual in New York. His responsibilities included maintaining databases, preparing analytics reports, developing data pipelines for financial reporting, and participating in the development of internal reporting applications.

Cowri Labs

Hanono joined Cowri Labs as a Software Engineer Intern in January 2022 and became a full-time Software Engineer in May 2022. During his time at the company, he worked on Web3 technologies and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols before leaving in January 2023.

Talus

In July 2023, Hanono co-founded Talus Network and became its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

As CEO, he oversees the company's operations and development. Talus develops infrastructure for autonomous AI agents using blockchain technology and includes products such as Nexus, an automation layer for AI agents, and Idol.fun, an application that incorporates AI agents into interactive experiences.

During Hanono's tenure, the company raised more than $10 million through multiple funding rounds from investors including Polychain Capital, Animoca Brands, and the Sui Foundation. Talus has also established partnerships with organizations including Walrus and the Sui Foundation. ^{[2] [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Interviews

The Agentic Economy and AI Infrastructure #01

In an interview published on November 27, 2025, on The DCo Podcast, Michael Hanono discussed his views on the concept of the agentic economy, which he described as a model in which autonomous AI agents perform tasks beyond text generation by making decisions, coordinating workflows, and carrying out transactions. He stated that this model differs from existing AI applications by assigning agents a more active role in digital and financial processes.

During the interview, Hanono described Nexus, the protocol developed by Talus Network, as a decentralized automation system that records AI agent workflows on-chain. According to Hanono, this approach enables the definition of operational rules, execution logic, and payment mechanisms within blockchain-based environments. He also stated that the protocol combines on-chain and off-chain components, with blockchain handling workflow definitions and verification while external services can perform computational tasks when required.

Hanono also discussed the relationship between AI and blockchain infrastructure, stating that decentralized networks can provide mechanisms for recording agent activity, defining execution rules, and managing digital assets. He said that AI applications may rely on multiple specialized agents rather than a single general-purpose model, with coordination between these agents forming part of the operational framework he described. The interview also covered examples including decentralized automation, multi-agent systems, and agent-versus-agent gaming, which Hanono presented as potential applications of this approach. ^[9]