Pei Chen

Pei Chen is a financial and technology executive whose work has focused on traditional finance, blockchain, business development, and decentralized finance. She is Chief Executive Officer of Theoriq and previously held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, ConsenSys, Digital Asset, RootstockLabs, and the Sei Foundation. ^[2]

Education

Chen earned her BS in Economics from Zhejiang University and her MS in Analytical Fintech from Lehigh University. ^[3]

Career

Chen began her career at Goldman Sachs in New York, where she worked as a Product Manager for Fixed Income Securities from 2010 to 2018. She subsequently moved into the blockchain sector, joining ConsenSys as Director of Business Development in February 2018, where she worked with organizations on blockchain-related business development and solutions. From July 2020 to September 2021, Chen served as Director and Head of Americas Business Development at Digital Asset, focusing on distributed ledger technology and smart-contract solutions. She joined IOV Labs in January 2022 as VP and Head of Growth and was promoted to Chief Growth Officer at RootstockLabs in May 2023, working on growth initiatives related to the Rootstock ecosystem and its Bitcoin-based smart-contract infrastructure.

In February 2024, Chen joined the Sei Foundation as Head of Ecosystem, a position she held through September 2024. In January 2025, she became Chief Executive Officer of Theoriq, where her work has focused on AI-driven infrastructure for decentralized finance and asset management. ^[4]

Interviews

AI Agents in DeFi

In a January 2026 interview with CCN, Chen discussed the evolution of artificial intelligence in decentralized finance and its potential role in capital allocation. She described a shift from static automation toward AI systems that could serve as interfaces for financial decision-making, and discussed Theoriq's mainnet launch and transition from aggregating third-party strategies to developing and managing AI-driven strategies directly. Chen also examined risks associated with autonomous agents, including manipulation and latency, and outlined safeguards such as limited authority, human oversight, secure key management, and shared governance frameworks. She explained that AI-driven research and discovery could be combined with human decision-making and accountability mechanisms to manage risks in onchain environments. The interview also covered blockchain's ability to provide transparent, traceable activity and open-source infrastructure, while noting that broader adoption would depend on demonstrating effectiveness, addressing skepticism, and improving the maturity of the underlying technology. ^[5]

AI Model Wars

In a December 2025 interview on The Rollup podcast, Chen discussed the development of AI agents and the challenge of balancing autonomy with safeguards that prevent systems from operating outside their intended parameters. The conversation examined the rapid progress of AI during 2025, particularly the shift from improvements in model capabilities toward practical integration into everyday applications and workflows. Chen and the other participants discussed AI applications in DeFi, prediction markets, liquidity management, and autonomous economic agents, highlighting the growing role of AI in coordinating financial activity and generating trading strategies. They also considered the increasing integration of AI across multiple platforms and ecosystems, as well as the importance of distribution and access to AI capabilities. The discussion concluded with the changing role of software developers as AI becomes more capable, with the participants arguing that AI would augment rather than eliminate the need for skilled developers, particularly in areas such as crypto and smart-contract development. ^[1]  

Panels

Web3 Market Leader

In an April 2026 panel at the HackSeasons Conference, Chen participated alongside Eunice Giarta of Monad, Min Lin of Ondo, and Michael Heinrich of 0G Labs, with the discussion moderated by Pauline Barnades of Lava. The panel examined emerging Web3 trends, including the growth of real-world assets, increasing institutional participation, and the integration of AI into decentralized finance. Chen and the other panelists discussed the potential for AI agents to automate portfolio management, trading, and yield strategies, while also considering issues around trust, ownership, security, and the potential impact on traditional analyst roles. The discussion also addressed institutional risk management, legal structures, and transparency, noting that institutions remained cautious while preparing for greater use of onchain assets and AI-driven strategies. The panel concluded that permissionless DeFi could continue to expand as blockchain infrastructure develops and the industry matures, even as institutional participants initially favor regulated and compliant systems. ^[6]