Xin Yan (闫欣) is a software engineer and entrepreneur, known as the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sign Protocol, a Web3 company specializing in on-chain attestations. ^{[1] [2]} Under his leadership, the company evolved from an electronic signature application, EthSign, into a foundational attestation protocol. Yan's work in the industry was recognized when he was named to the Forbes Asia "30 Under 30" list in 2023. ^[3]

Education

Yan attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he studied from 2018 to 2021. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. ^{[2] [4]} His academic background in computer science, specifically with skills in Solidity, smart contracts, and Ethereum, formed the technical foundation for his subsequent ventures in the blockchain space. ^[2]​

Career

Early Career and Internships

Before founding his own company, Xin Yan gained experience through several roles at major technology, finance, and blockchain firms. His internships included a position as a Data Analyst at Tencent in the summer of 2018, a Software Engineer role at Bytedance in 2019, and a Summer Analyst position at CICC, a Chinese investment bank, also in 2019. ^{[4] [2]}​

He transitioned to full-time roles within the cryptocurrency industry, working as a Blockchain Engineer at Huobi Group from July 2018 to June 2019. Following that, he served as a Senior Investment Manager and Blockchain Engineer at the venture capital firm Fundamental Labs from June 2019 to June 2020. These positions provided him with expertise in on-chain data analysis, smart contract design, and the underlying infrastructure of the Web3 technology stack. ^[5]​

Sign Protocol (formerly EthSign)

In mid-2020, Yan co-founded EthSign with Potter Li and Jacky Wang (also cited as Jack Xu). ^{[4] [6]} The project was reportedly conceived in his dorm room at USC and grew from concepts developed at hackathons, where he and his co-founders had previously won awards. ^[2] The company was initially established to create a "Web3 version of DocuSign," a decentralized application for signing electronic agreements on the blockchain. ^[3]​

As CEO, Yan has led the company's technical development, product strategy, community building, and fundraising efforts. ^[2] EthSign secured an initial seed round of 12 million seed and strategic funding round announced in March 2022, co-led by Sequoia Capital India (now Peak XV Partners) and Mirana Ventures. Other participants in the funding rounds included Founders Fund, Circle Ventures, Animoca Brands, Amber Group, and NGC Ventures. ^{[4] [3]} By April 2024, the company's total funding was reported to be over $14 million. ^[3]​

Under Yan’s leadership, the company expanded its vision beyond e-signatures. On November 14, 2023, the project officially announced its rebranding to Sign Protocol. ^[3] This shift reflected a new focus on creating a universal, omnichain attestation protocol designed to serve as a foundational "attribution layer for the internet." ^[7] The core technology, Sign Protocol, was launched in early 2024 to facilitate on-chain proof and verifiable data. ^[1] Built on this new infrastructure, the company launched TokenTable in 2024, a tool for managing token vesting schedules, which became Sign's main source of income and served a majority of projects in the TON ecosystem that year. ^[1] Additionally, the company developed on-chain verifiable ID systems for the nation of Sierra Leone and the pop-up city project ZuThailand. ^[1]​

In addition to his role at Sign, Yan became a Venture Partner at Tess Ventures in November 2022. ^[3]​

Views and Public Commentary

Xin Yan is a public commentator on trends in the Web3 industry, particularly concerning technology adoption and regulation. He has been featured in media, published articles, and has spoken at industry conferences. ^{[7] [8]}​

On Web3 Adoption and Product Strategy

Yan advocates for a product strategy focused on abstracting away the complexities of Web3 to achieve mass adoption. He believes companies should focus on "selling functionality, experience, and service rather than underlying technology or standards." ^[1] In his view, users do not need to know they are using blockchain technology to benefit from it. He has identified three primary barriers to Web3's growth: a lack of new or improved user experiences compared to Web2 alternatives, stagnant growth in the number of active crypto wallet users, and persistent regulatory hurdles. ^[1]​

He has frequently stated that Sign Protocol's goal is to become a foundational layer for trust on the internet. In one interview, he stated:

"Verifiable information is the building block of our society, but we don’t have a universal and permissionless layer to secure and verify them in the digital world. What Chainlink did for price information, Sign Protocol will do for all information. We are building an attestation protocol that is the foundational verification and creditability layer of the new internet." ^[4]

On Cryptocurrency Regulation

Yan has publicly commented on the importance of regulatory clarity for the cryptocurrency industry. In February 2026, he provided commentary on the delay of the "Clarity for Digital Tokens Act" in the United States, following a withdrawal of support from Coinbase. ^[7] He characterized the global trend toward regulation, such as the CLARITY Act and Europe's MiCA framework, as a positive shift from an "era of ignoring crypto" to an "era of engagement" by governments. ^[7]​

He expressed his belief that clear legal frameworks are essential for the adoption of blockchain technology by traditional finance (TradFi) institutions and governments, arguing that "blockchain is the inevitable foundation for digital sovereignty." ^[7] Regarding the CLARITY Act delay, he stated:

"The delay of the Clarity Act, sparked by Coinbase’s withdrawal of support, is a significant setback for the US crypto industry. This legislation was meant to provide a clear regulatory framework, which is desperately needed to foster innovation and protect consumers... At Sign, we believe that clear, fair regulation is not a hindrance but a catalyst for growth." ^[2]

Awards and Recognition

In 2023, Xin Yan was named to the Forbes Asia "30 Under 30" list in the Finance & Venture Capital category for his work with EthSign. ^[3] An earlier report from 2022 also cited his inclusion on the list. ^[4]

Yan is also a speaker at industry events. He was a featured speaker at the PlasmaCon technology conference, where he presented on "Dapps on Plasma," and he was a scheduled speaker for the TOKEN2049 conference in Dubai in April 2024. ^{[8] [3]} He also contributes written content to platforms like Binance Square and has been interviewed by media outlets such as Asharq News. ^{[2] [4]}

Interviews

Xin Yan on Sign, Blockchain Infrastructure, and Community Development #01

An interview with Xin Yan, co-founder and CEO of Sign, was published on the YouTube channel Bill Qian on April 9, 2025.

During the discussion, Xin Yan describes the development of the Sign project and outlines the concepts that influenced its design. He states that the initial objective was to explore the use of blockchain systems for verifying different types of information. In his explanation, financial transactions recorded on networks such as Bitcoin can be independently verified, while many forms of personal or institutional data, such as identification documents, visas, educational records, or financial credentials, are typically stored in systems that are not globally verifiable. According to Xin Yan, the Sign protocol is intended to record attestations of such information on blockchain networks so that verification can occur through cryptographic mechanisms.

Xin Yan explains that the project originally began as EthSign, a platform designed to record digital signatures on blockchain networks as an alternative to conventional electronic signature services. Over time, the scope of the project expanded beyond document signing. In the interview, he states that the Sign protocol is being developed as infrastructure that could support multiple services built on blockchain systems, including identity verification, credential attestations, and other forms of digital record management. These services, according to his description, may operate on Layer 2 blockchain networks configured for institutional or governmental use.

The interview also includes a discussion of collaboration with Sierra Leone. Xin Yan describes this engagement as an example of exploring blockchain-based systems for government-related digital services. In his account, the proposed infrastructure includes digital identification records and verification mechanisms that could be used in administrative processes such as visa applications or identity validation.

Technical standards are another topic addressed in the conversation. Xin Yan states that the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is widely used as an execution environment for smart contracts across multiple blockchain networks. While he expresses criticism of aspects of Ethereum’s governance model and transaction costs, he explains that EVM compatibility remains widely adopted due to the number of existing smart contracts, developer tools, and development frameworks built around the standard.

The interview also references the integration of Sign tools with applications connected to the TON ecosystem and Telegram-based mini-applications. According to Xin Yan, these integrations were used to distribute tokens through smart contracts, and he reports that approximately 30 million blockchain addresses interacted with the distribution mechanisms implemented by Sign.

Community activity associated with the project is also discussed. Xin Yan refers to the Sign community as the “Orange Dynasty,” a name derived from the project’s visual branding. He describes the community as a network of users and contributors who produce online content, including social media posts, graphics, and other forms of community-generated material.

The conversation concludes with Xin Yan’s observations about the relationship between artificial intelligence systems and blockchain infrastructure. He suggests that autonomous software agents could interact with blockchain networks by creating wallets, executing smart contract transactions, and managing digital assets programmatically. In this context, he describes blockchain payment systems as a possible financial layer that software agents could use for automated transactions.

Throughout the interview, Xin Yan also discusses the role of communication and narrative formation in the development of blockchain communities. According to his statements, the formation of shared narratives and coordinated participation among community members influences the growth of blockchain ecosystems. ^[9]