Srikar Varadaraj is the cofounder of Spectral, a company focused on building new identity tools and credit-scoring infrastructure. He is also the founder of Eternis, which focuses on trust infrastructure for individuals to possess privately owned unified identities and delegate keys to AI.

Overview

Srikar Varadaraj is involved in the blockchain and artificial intelligence sectors, with a focus on developing tools for identity, credit scoring, and trust infrastructure. He has a background in computer science and mathematics, holding degrees from Columbia University and pursuing a Ph.D. at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Varadaraj has experience as an advisor and partner in various ventures, including Scroll and EIV, and has invested in companies across a range of sectors, including robotics, biotechnology, and data collection.

Varadaraj's work is centered around the future of humanity and the impact of AI, with interests spanning AI for science, cryptography infrastructure, and innovative funding approaches for scientific research. He is currently the CEO and co-founder of Eternis, a company addressing challenges in resource distribution, delegated keys for AI agents, and AI models in Trusted Execution Environments.

Education

• Columbia University in the City of New York:
  • Master's degree in Computer Science (2017-2018)
  • Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science (2013-2017)
• Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, NYU:
  • Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science (2019-2021) ^{[3] [6]}

Career

Srikar Varadaraj's career includes roles in blockchain, cryptography, and artificial intelligence. He has experience with decentralized technologies, zero-knowledge proving systems, and the development of on-chain credit risk assessment tools.

Varadaraj's early career included a role as a Chess Instructor at Agastya International Foundation from 2012 to 2013. He then worked as a Teaching Assistant at Columbia University from 2014 to 2017. In 2016, he was a Software Engineer Intern at Google. From May 2017 to May 2019, Varadaraj founded a startup focused on applied cryptography and blockchain, while also consulting for venture funds and developing a product for automated staking on EOS.

From 2019 to 2021, he was a Ph.D. Candidate at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU. In 2021, Varadaraj became a Partner at e^{i} Ventures, a venture studio where he explored ideas ranging from B2B SaaS to prediction markets. He is also an Early Advisor at Scroll, a zk-rollup scaling Ethereum. Currently, Varadaraj is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eternis and a Partner at Bluebirds. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}

Interviews

Interview with Washington AI Network #01

In a podcast episode published on November 15, 2024, by the Washington AI Network, Srikar Varadaraj, discussed his views on the intersection of artificial intelligence, privacy, and digital identity. Speaking with host Tammy Haddad, he outlined the foundational challenges and opportunities involved in developing trustworthy AI agents capable of acting autonomously on behalf of individuals.

According to Varadaraj, future AI agents will likely take on increasingly complex, long-term tasks, comparable to the fictional AI portrayed in the film Her. To support such developments, he emphasized the urgent need for new internet protocols focused on verifying identity, ensuring data provenance, and preserving user privacy. He drew comparisons to existing security standards such as TLS, proposing analogous systems for AI agent verification.

The conversation explored the concept of human-rooted digital identity as a prerequisite for delegating authority to AI agents, stressing that systems built without verifiability mechanisms risk exacerbating issues such as misinformation and lack of accountability. He pointed to the increasing difficulty in distinguishing authentic content from AI-generated deepfakes, suggesting that technical solutions are necessary for users and applications to assess content trustworthiness independently.

Varadaraj also commented on the role of trusted execution environments, biometric identity systems, and cryptographic proofs in enabling secure and privacy-preserving delegation. Drawing parallels with global digital ID initiatives, he argued that universally interoperable identity standards could significantly improve resource distribution and social trust in an AI-driven economy.

In terms of broader adoption, he underscored the need for collaboration between AI research labs, governments, and standardization bodies. While acknowledging the challenges posed by differing institutional priorities, he maintained that early alignment is essential to prevent gaps in public trust and infrastructure as AGI development accelerates.

On timelines, Varadaraj projected that artificial general intelligence could emerge within 5 to 10 years, driven by competitive momentum in the field. He concluded by advocating for a focus on ethical architecture, agency preservation, and open collaboration, and extended an open invitation to researchers working in cryptography, AI safety, and secure systems to contribute to the efforts at Eternis. ^[12]