Will Corkin is one of the co-founders of MANTRA, a Layer 1 blockchain designed to tokenize real-world assets (RWAs), and the COO of SOMA.finance, a fully compliant multi-asset DEX and issuance platform. ^[1]

Education

Corkin graduated from the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, International Business, and Chinese Studies in 2015. He also attended the Oxford FinTech Programme at Said Business School in 2018 and has attended other programs at schools like Peking University and the University of Edinburgh Business School. He was also a business development intern for Hasbro Trading in Shanghai, China. ^[2]

Career

Corkin started his career as head of sales for Gusto Fine Foods, China’s largest supplier of western vegetables, where he worked until November 2016. He then worked as a prestige portfolio manager at ZX Ventures, a global incubator and venture capital team backed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, until January 2018. The following month, Corkin worked as director of consulting & strategy for trade.io, a financial institution based on blockchain technology, and was also a community partner for FinTech Connector, an online community that connects FinTech entrepreneurs and start-ups with leaders and experts in financial services. ^[3]

In August 2018, Corkin worked as an advisor for Bubblo, an AI-powered discovery app and marketing platform, until March 2020. In 2019, he became a founding member of the Asia Security Token Alliance, an independent non-profit association representing Asia’s local security token community. In June 2020, Corkin became an ambassador for the Polkadot Network, a protocol that enables the transfer of arbitrary data, including tokens, across blockchains. ^[3]

Corkin became a founding partner of HeliSwap, a DeFi platform in the Hedera ecosystem, in June 2020. He also co-founded MANTRA and SOMA.finance alongside John Patrick Mullin and Rodrigo Quan Miranda, where he serves as a MANTRA council member and COO of SOMA. He is also a founding partner of the CLUB DAO, a private members club founded in Hong Kong by crypto founders and enthusiasts. In April 2023, he became a board member for WhiskyGenius, the first blockchain-powered whisky investment platform. ^[3]

Interviews/Panels

Decentralized Exchanges

Corkin participated in a panel at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2022, where he and other panelists discussed the current state and future of decentralized exchanges (DEXs), focusing on the impacts of the ongoing bear market, which has led to increased caution and a focus on building resilient systems. Panelists highlighted regulatory compliance's importance in protecting retail users and attracting institutional investors, emphasizing the need for KYC/AML processes. They also addressed the necessity of security measures to prevent hacks and ensure user compensation. ^[4]

About MANTRA

In an interview with the Fuse Network, Corkin discussed the company's recent rebranding and ongoing development efforts. He shared insights into MANTRA's partnership with the Fuse Network, its role as a Genesis validator, and the benefits for users staking Fuse assets. Corkin highlighted the platform's commitment to regulatory compliance, working with global regulators to establish MANTRA as a licensed DeFi platform. He also outlined future goals, including launching MANTRA Finance on Ethereum and potentially other blockchains, with plans to integrate traditional financial assets and offer comprehensive DeFi services. ^[5]