Meet the Visionaries Shaping the Future
We bring together the most influential speakers and KOLs who rank amongst the world’s top blockchain experts.
Peter Smith
Peter Smith is co-founder and CEO of Blockchain.info — a Bitcoin block explorer service and cryptocurrency wallet provider. Peter Smith was born and raised in England and, before founding Blockchain, had been living, studying and working in the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe. Peter Smith’s Bitcoin involvement started with co-founding the startup Blockchain with Nicolas Cary in 2011. Under the leadership of Peter Smith, the Blockchain company has become a leader in the cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technology market. For some time, he was an active investor in the crypto industry. Peter has been featured in popular magazines, and he is frequently invited as an expert and speaker at various related conferences.
Peter Smith
Blockchain.com
CEO
Mario Nawfal
Mario Nawfal is an entrepreneur and angel investor, and one of the most respected names in crypto. Prior to Blockchain, Mario founded Froothie, HX and Optimum Appliances, which represent some of the world’s largest kitchen appliance and wellness brands to this date. In 2017 he founded IBC Group, in 2018 he became a partner at International Blockchain Legal and in 2020 he co-founded and became the CEO of NFT Technologies.
Mario Nawfal
IBC Group
CEO
Paolo Ardoino
Paolo Ardoino joined Bitfinex in the beginning of 2015 and now serves as Chief Technology Officer. Paolo seemed destined to fill this role from his earliest interaction with computers, quickly becoming obsessed with hardware, networks, and cryptography. After his graduation from Genoa’s Computer Science University in 2008, he started working as a researcher for a military project focused on high-availability, self-recovering networks and cryptography. Throughout this role, Paolo refined his knowledge of distributed systems and experimented extensively with cryptography. Throughout the following years Paolo acquired a strong portfolio of different programming languages and developed a genuine passion for distributed systems, high-performance computing, and cloud platforms. Interested in finance, Paolo began developing financial related applications in 2010 and founded Fincluster as CTO in late 2013. Backed by two financing investment rounds, Fincluster delivered an advanced, modern and accessible web platform serving different clients with customisation capabilities. Fincluster developed a comprehensive, cloud-based financial application for advisors, fund managers & institutions, and served numerous small and medium sized companies throughout London, Milan and Lugano. Paolo eventually joined Bitfinex as Senior Software Developer in 2014, tasked with trading engine development, platform scalability and high-availability. Later in 2016, Paolo transitioned to the role of CTO. As CTO of Bitfinex, Paolo’s role is to manage the development team, evaluate new technologies, design and develop the Bitfinex backend platform. In addition to this, Paolo also serves as Lead Backend Developer at Bitfinex.
Paolo Ardoino
Tether + Bitfinex
CEO + CTO
Moe Levin
Moe Levin is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Keynote, an investor in high-tech startups, and an advisor to governments, regulators, banks, and venture-backed companies. Some of the projects he has been involved with include The Global Blockchain Council in Dubai (2015 – present) , the harmonized VAT treatment of Bitcoin (2013), The OECD Working Party 9 (2013-2014). Moe is also an early investor in RSK Labs, Labfresh, Dropbox, and others. Prior to founding Keynote, Moe was responsible for launching a venture-backed startup in Europe which raised $30m from Richard Branson, Index Ventures and others.
Moe Levin
WAGMI
CEO
Francis Suarez
Francis X. Suarez is the 43rd Mayor of Miami. As the first Miami-born mayor, he is committed to building a Miami that lasts forever and that welcomes everyone. First elected with a mandate of 86 percent and then re-elected with a mandate of nearly 79 percent, Mayor Suarez has championed the integration of climate adaptive policies, Web 3.0 technology, and a free-market approach to government.
Francis Suarez
City of Miami
Mayor
Andrew Durgee
Andrew Durgee has been Republic’s President since September 2023. Before his current role, he was Head of Republic Crypto, where he has led business and engineering strategy since joining in 2017. Republic Crypto has grown to become a multifaceted web3 firm, composed of world-class advisory, blockchain infrastructure, and digital asset management divisions. Prior to joining Republic Crypto in 2017, Andrew served as a Partner at TLDR, a leading blockchain advisory group. He entered crypto in early 2010, pioneering a number of nascent blockchain technologies including an industry-first multi-signature wallet repository. He studied Management Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Andrew Durgee
Republic Crypto
President
Enzo Villani
Enzo Villani is a serial entrepreneur and corporate strategist to Fortune 500, startups, private equity funds, and web3 companies. Mr. Villani is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Transform Holdings (ATH).
Mr. Villani founded ATH’s investment arm, Alpha Sigma Capital (ASC) in 2020. ASC has realized 11 unicorns since its inception. ASC is a multi-strategy investment fund focused on emerging blockchain companies that are successfully building their user-base, demonstrating real-world uses for their decentralized ecosystems, and moving blockchain technology towards mass adoption. Mr. Villani also launched Alpha Liquid Fund in 2023, which has realized over 85% returns in the first year.
Most recently, Mr. Villani launched Alpha Liquid Terminal, a new platform designed to unify data analytics, trading tools, and compliance services for both digital assets and traditional finance. Its key feature is leveraging AI and Web3 infrastructure to create an ecosystem where users can research, trade, and ensure regulatory compliance.
Prior to starting Alpha Transform, Mr. Villani was Chief Strategy Officer of Transform Group. Transform Group represented the launch of over 37% of the alt-coin market capitalization by 2019. He is the co-founder of Blockchain Wire (acquired by ATH in 2023), and was the head of international strategy and innovation at the largest Asian-based crypto exchange, OKX.
Throughout his career, Enzo has raised over $1 billion as a corporate strategist, private equity partner and M&A entrepreneur. Mr. Villani was co-founder of Nasdaq Global Corporate Solutions, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of DF King Worldwide, and two strategic M&A consolidations focused in the areas of market intelligence, investor relations, proxy solicitation, corporate governance, and financial technology. Mr. Villani was key in consolidating over fifteen companies across four continents representing over 8,000 public and private companies with clients including the Nasdaq 100, DJIA, and FTSE 50. Mr. Villani holds an MBA from The Johnson School at Cornell University. Mr. Villani is an active contributor to philanthropic causes dealing with mental health issues.
Enzo Villani
Alpha Transform Holdings
Founder & CEO
Dan Ryder
Dan Ryder is a family man, USAF veteran, and the founder of PrimeDeFi.com, a leading crypto investing & DeFi educational network offering step-by-step coaching & simple tools to individual investors looking for an edge while pursing prosperity with the crypto opportunity. They’ve helped 1,200+ busy professionals and small business owners go from complete beginner to confidently accessing on-chain crypto markets while earning conservative yields to growth their wealth and build a legacy.
Dan Ryder
PrimeDeFi.com
Founder
Marco Santori
Marco Santori is the Chief Legal Officer at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange. Marco is a recognized authority in the law and policy of blockchain technologies. Prior to his move to Kraken, Marco was the Chief Legal Officer of Blockchain.com, as well as a Partner at both Cooley LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop, where he counseled banks, broker-dealers, exchanges, digital wallets, payment providers and other companies making new and exciting uses of distributed ledger technology. Marco counseled his clients primarily on the money transmission and securities laws, including anti-money laundering regulations. Marco is an author of the SAFT Project Whitepaper, a self-regulatory effort to curb Initial Coin Offerings. He is an advisor to the International Monetary Fund, the Blockchain Ambassador to the State of Delaware and was the Chairman of the Regulatory Affairs Committee of the Bitcoin Foundation.
Marco Santori
Kraken
CLO
Jenna Pilgrim
Jenna Pilgrim is Head of Platform at CoinFund, igniting relationships and building tools and resources to ensure portfolio companies can leverage the firm’s vast network, tenure and reputation. Over her nearly 9 year tenure in the cryptocurrency industry, she has built startups, directed trading funds, advised family offices and governments, and channeled deal-flow as an avid community builder. A serial entrepreneur, innovator and former vc-backed founder herself, Jenna has a unique perspective on what it takes to build scalable organizations. Formerly Jenna has been in executive roles at Mayflower Strategic, Streambed Inc, Rite Labs, Bloq Inc, The Blockchain Research Institute and the Tapscott Group.
Jenna Pilgrim
Coinfund
Head of Platform
Veronica McGregor
Veronica McGregor has served as chief legal officer since January 2022. Prior to joining Exodus, Ms. McGregor was the chief legal officer of ShapeShift from 2018 to 2021 where she managed in-house legal and compliance function, global legal strategy, governmental relations and regulatory affairs. Prior to that she was a partner at Goodwin Proctor from 2016 to 2018 and Hogan Lovells from 2014 to 2016 where she specialized in assisting companies navigate state and federal laws and regulations related to digital assets, among other things. Ms. McGregor has a Juris Doctor from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from San Francisco State University.
Veronica McGregor
Exodus
CLO
Shawn Owen
Shawn Owen is a pioneering entrepreneur and CEO of SALT Lending, the original crypto-backed lender. A Bitcoin advocate since 2011, Shawn believes Bitcoin is the best form of digital property and energy savings. He co-founded SALT in 2016 to offer innovative Bitcoin-backed loans, raising over $124 million and establishing a leading position in the Bitcoin lending industry.
In 2019, Shawn founded Equa to revolutionize company formation and governance using blockchain technology. With over 25 years of business experience, he is recognized for his expertise in technology, capital allocation, and fostering growth.
Shawn Owen
SALT Lending
CEO
Jaime Leverton
As CEO of Hut 8, Jaime sets the strategic direction for the company that is defining the digital asset revolution. Jaime is a passionate about advancing high-growth and future-forward technology companies, most recently serving as the Chief Commercial Officer at eStruxture Data Centers. Her 20-plus years of leadership experience also includes driving revenue programs as General Manager of Canada and APAC, with data center and cloud provider Cogeco Peer 1 (now Aptum). Previously, she held leadership roles with National Bank, BlackBerry, Bell Canada and IBM Canada. She sits on the boards of the Stratford Festival, Technation and ComKids, and serves as the Chair of IMWomen Canada.
Jaime Leverton
Ulys
CEO
Dan Held
Dan is investing in Bitcoin DeFi as a GP at Asymmetric, and a marketing advisor at Trust Machines, Taproot Wizards, Mezo, others. He’s also a Bitcoin educator with over 850,000 followers on social media. He was formerly the Head of Marketing at Kraken, one of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges. He is a serial crypto entrepreneur with two exits (Interchange > Kraken, ZeroBlock > Blockchain.com). In between his time in crypto, he was on the Growth Product and Marketing teams at Uber. He was part of the original 2013 crypto meetup group in SF which was comprised of the founders of Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, and others.
Dan Held
Asymmetric/GP
Julian Holguin
Julian Holguin is a seasoned music and media executive, with vast experience across digital publishing, social media, broadcast television, live events and consumer tech. He currently serves as the President of Billboard and leads the company’s growth and innovation. Since arriving in 2012, Julian has held various leadership positions at both Billboard and its then parent company, MRC, owner of industry leading intellectual property (OZARK, House of Cards, New Years Rockin Eve, American Music Awards, and more). In his time with Billboard, Julian has lead the company’s transformation from a b2b trade publication to the premiere music media brand for the industry and fans. He oversaw the strategic revenue and growth effort as Billboard acquired SPIN Media in 2016, merged with Dick Clark Productions and MRC in 2018, and launched businesses and corporate partnerships with companies like; Twitter, Google, Facebook, Live Nation and NBCUniversal. The brand has endured over 700% increases in revenue in the last six years. Julian currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.
Julian Holguin
Doodles
CEO
Ran Neu-ner
Ran Neuner is the cofounder and CEO of Onchain Capital, a crypto investment fund and consulting service. He is best known as the host of “Crypto Trader,” a cryptocurrency TV show, which was launched on CNBC in 2017. Neuner was the founder and CEO of The Creative Counsel Group, a sales and marketing agency in Africa. In 2015, he sold this business to the Publicis Groupe. Neuner holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance and completed his OPM studies at Harvard Business School. He is a chartered financial analyst. In November 2020, he launched Crypto Banter, a livestreaming platform dedicated to cryptocurrency and blockchain. In March 2020, Neuner launched a $10 million emergency fund to assist companies struggling with the economic impact of the pandemic. The fund also announced a partnership with content marketing agency MarketAcross to offer public relations and marketing services to affected parties.
Ran Neu-ner
Crypto Banter
CEO
Michael Kong
Michael Kong is a blockchain expert and the Chief Executive Officer of Fantom, a blockchain-based distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the Fantom platform, which is designed to enable fast, secure, and cost-effective transactions.
Michael Kong
Sonic Labs (Fantom)
CEO
Luca Netz
Luca Netz grew up homeless before becoming a self-made millionaire. Courtesy of Luca Netz Welcome to “How I Made My First Million,” Fortune’s newest series in which we interview today’s most powerful people about how they amassed their wealth. You’ll hear from founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and creatives across the globe on how they joined the seven-figure-club, what they’d do differently, and their best piece of advice for building wealth. Whether or not you can fully grasp what 25-year-old Luca Netz does, here’s one unmissable fact: He’s made millions selling NFTs with the warm likeness of chubby Antarctic creatures. Netz is the CEO of Pudgy Penguins, an NFT collection existing on the Ethereum blockchain. The brand launched in July 2021, and its first batch of “characters” sold out in under 20 minutes. Netz purchased the company less than a year later, and today Pudgy Penguins’ market cap stands at nearly $100 million. He most recently launched Pudgy Penguin Toys, which are sold at Walmart. Netz, a serial entrepreneur and 10th-grade dropout, firmly believes in the power of NFTs to completely reinvent every chain of commerce and line of business. The full extent of their power is yet to be realized, he told Fortune, but he’s eager to be on the ground floor, watching the new arena take a foothold. From upselling Burger King sandwiches out of his backpack in middle school, to packing boxes at home security manufacturer Ring, to selling fake gold chains on Shopify (which made him his first $1 million), Netz – who grew up homeless – hasn’t taken a break. Even today, he shrugs off the Gen Z laziness stereotype by working six 12-hour days per week, without vacations. It’s all made him a multi-millionaire, per account statements reviewed by Fortune. Netz estimates his on-paper net worth to be $100 million. He spoke with Fortune about selling his first company for $8 million, his biggest splurge mistake, why he thinks restaurant meals are a waste of money, and what you can learn from his journey.
Luca Netz
Pudgy Penguins
Founder
Pete Rizzo
A Bitcoin journalist since 2013, Pete Rizzo is Editor at Bitcoin Magazine and Editor-at-Large at the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange. I conduct archival research on Bitcoin’s history, working to highlight and identify the people and events that most impacted its development. I am best known as founding Editor-in-Chief for CoinDesk, where I served as Editor in Chief from 2014 to 2019.
Pete Rizzo
Bitcoin Magazine
Editor
Luke Stokes
Luke Stokes is the Managing Director for the Foundation for Interwallet Operability. He’s passionate about voluntary systems of governance and has been involved in bitcoin since early 2013. He’s been a consensus witness for the Steem blockchain since early 2018, a custodian for eosDAC (a community-owned EOSIO Block Producer and DAC Enabler) since its inception, and is both a crypto evangelist for Roundtable Media and a founding member of the Waterfall EVM Dag team. With a computer science degree from UPENN, he built, bootstrapped and co-founded the shopping cart software company FoxyCart over a ten year period and is now focused on blockchain technology as a means to create a world we all want to live in. He currently lives in Puerto Rico with his wife and three children and enjoys discussing everything from philosophy, to consciousness, to voluntaryism, to love and awakening.
Luke Stokes
Cryptocurrency Advocate
Maja Vujinovic
Maja Vujinovic is an investor and operator, specializing in blockchain, AI, and digital payments. In 2005, Vujinovic pioneered mobile payments, developing assets worth over $700M across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Recognizing Bitcoin’s potential in 2010, she became a leader in digital assets, facilitating Tether’s first bank acquisition in 2013. As CIO of Emerging Technologies at General Electric (2013), Vujinovic spearheaded global blockchain initiatives. She introduced Ethereum, and other platforms across various sectors, developed GE’s first “blockchain-as-a-service” platform, and uncovered $5 billion in trapped cash through automation. Notably, she catalyzed the first trade-finance blockchain deal between JP Morgan and GE. Currently, Vujinovic’s company, OGroup, partners with $4B in family offices, guiding investments in crypto and AI. OGroup invests in and operates over 45 companies and funds, assisting corporates, governments, and startups with digital transformation and scaling. Vujinovic serves on several boards, including Catalan.ai, Republic Crypto, Civic, and Longevity Science Foundation. A respected voice in emerging technologies, she has spoken at prestigious forums such as the World Economic Forum, FII Institute, Consensus, Financial Times, Abundance360 etc.
Maja Vujinovic
OGroup
Managing Director
Jeffrey
Jeffrey is the Head of Product at Fintax, with extensive experience in tax compliance systems and a strong background from Big Four firms. Focused on North American markets, he has successfully led multiple implementations for Web3 enterprises, offering deep insights into their unique compliance and operational needs. Speaker’s profile: see the attachment
Jeffrey
Fintax
Head of Product
Tatiana Koffman
Tatiana Koffman is a seasoned investor with over a decade of experience spanning investment banking, derivatives, venture capital, and digital assets. She’s widely recognized for her finance and technology expertise, frequently sharing her insights in prominent publications like Forbes, CoinDesk, CNBC, the Economist, Business Insider, and TechCrunch.
Koffman leads investment firm Moonwalker Capital, is the author of the popular financial newsletter MythOfMoney.com, and is set to publish a book with Wiley Publishing in 2024.
She holds a JD/MBA from York University and is a member of the New York State Bar. Koffman started her career in derivatives trading at TD Bank in Toronto. Previously, Koffman wrote a popular Forbes column and managed Venture Capital investments for Grammy-award-winning artists such as the Chainsmokers and Linkin Park in Los Angeles.
Additionally, Koffman contributes to academia as a visiting lecturer on blockchain at UCLA and Pepperdine. Her work has been academically cited at prestigious institutions including UCLA, Oxford, Sorbonne University, and in the Michigan Law Review.
Tatiana Koffman
Moonwalker Capital
General Partner
Thomas Voegtlin
Thomas Voegtlin is a computer scientist, neuroscientist, and creator of the Electrum Bitcoin wallet.
Thomas served for 10 years as a research scientist at INRIA. Fascinated by decentralized systems, he researched learning algorithms for recurrent neural networks. Thomas created the Electrum Bitcoin wallet in 2011, after a custodian wallet hack crashed the early Bitcoin ecosystem.
Thomas Voegtlin
Electrum Technologies
Founder
Greg Carson
Greg is the host of the “Transform” podcast, where he engages in discussions with prominent figures about the ongoing transformation markets and people and is also the Managing Partner at Humla Ventures, a specialized alternative asset manager investing in the transformation of financial markets through venture capital and secondary investments.
Greg helps world class entrepreneurs and CEOs grow their startups competitively with capital and mentoring. He has spent his life working with people trying to improve the future. Greg has a decade as a tech founder, a decade of investment banking and strategy, and is closing out his decade of venture capital.
He is a frequent contributor, lecturer and speaker on podcasts and events about Bitcoin and digital assets, negotiation technique and growth. He has spoken on these subjects at several global conferences including Consensus Invest, the Crypto Finance Conference, Davos, Bitcoin 2021-2024, AIMA, Carmo conferences, SuperReturn series and even at his Alma Mater, the Wharton school of business.
Greg is a dedicated father, digital asset futurist, snowboarder, sportsman, reader/writer, and tai chi practitioner.
Greg Carson
Humla Ventures
Managing Partner
Nick Spanos
Nick Spanos is a pioneer in the bitcoin and blockchain technology space. In 2013, Spanos founded Bitcoin Center NYC — the world’s first-ever cryptocurrency trading floor, which initially opened directly across from the NYSE in 2013. Spanos is also CEO of Blockchain Technologies Corp., which patented VoteWatcher, the first-ever blockchain voting platform. He is a co-founder of Zap.org, which solves one of the biggest challenges for blockchain smart contracts, by allowing real-world data and events to trigger smart contract provisions for the first time. Spanos was featured in the recent documentary, Banking on Bitcoin, and is a sought-after speaker at blockchain events worldwide.
Nick Spanos
Absolute Legend
Craig Sellars
Craig Sellars leads the development of global blockchain innovations as the inventor of the stablecoin, the digital US dollar on top of the Bitcoin blockchain as a founder of Tether, the world’s most broadly traded cryptocurrency (now acting as an informal advisor since his departure in 2016), the NFT with Eric Pulier in 2015 at vAtomic Systems, and as the Chief Technologist of Bitcoin’s Omni Layer, a protocol which supports the creation, movement and exchange of digital assets. His current development focus is on the creation of open-source decentralized identity protocols and applications. He acts in a variety of roles as Co-Founder, Technologist, Facilitator, Director, Diplomat and Advisor for several blockchain projects, companies and organizations including the Omni Foundation, Tether, Bitfinex, vAtomic Systems, BlockV, Polymath, Unsung and Tau Chain. Occupying several entrepreneurial and C-level executive roles over the past two decades, Craig continues to push the boundaries in cutting-edge technology, decentralized systems and software development. With a degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and years of experience founding and leading public and privately-held technology ventures, Mr. Sellars is a unique seasoned executive technologist and thought leader providing insight into the future of decentralized applications. As a Chief Technologist, he is responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient creation and delivery of the technologies that power organization initiatives and empower the teams and the community. Mr. Sellars has been a technologist for his entire professional career. His focus is on the development of people and technologies needed to ensure innovation and success, with an emphasis on interoperability, usability, flexibility and access. Specialties: decentralized systems, blockchains, structure, governance and process, executive coaching, team building, information flow and frameworks, human-computer interaction, user interfaces, software and architecture design and engineering, vendor and supplier references and relationships, research and development, and internal and external-facing systems.
Craig Sellars
Tether
Co-founder
Andrew Hinkes
Andrew “Drew” Hinkes focuses his practice on digital assets, advising financial services clients from startups to multinational corporations on a wide range of matters including securities regulation, payment systems and money services business regulation, lending and staking, secured transactions including digital assets as collateral, structuring and governance of DeFi protocols and similar applications, anti-money laundering compliance, non-fungible tokens, stablecoins and other related technologies.
Andrew Hinkes
Winston & Strawn
Parter
Harry Yeh
Harry Yeh is the Managing Director of Quantum Fintech Group (QFG). QFG is an investment management company focused on providing superior returns for its clients and partners in the cryptocurrency, blockchain and digital asset space. While operating Quantum Fintech Group, Harry Yeh founded and was a seed investor in LIF3 and L3 Reserve. LIF3 is a Layer-1, permissioned blockchain and DeFi ecosystem, and L3 Reserve is the issuer of L3USD, the first Variable Collateralized Stable Asset (VCS). As a fund manager, the funds and AUM managed by Harry, QFG and his partners exceeded $2B USD. As a former CTO and Co-Founder for several startups, Harry Yeh additionally has an engineering background and over 25 years of experience in Technology and Business – this has contributed to his success as a renowned Web3 advisor and serial entrepreneur who has managed and developed technology solutions for organizations between $5 to 200 Million in revenue and worked at Fortune 50, 100, 500 companies, Hedge funds, Internet Startups and dotcoms. Harry further has years of experience trading stocks, options and currencies.
Harry Yeh
Quantum Fintech Group
CEO
Chris Humphries
Chris specialises in investment funds, corporate and commercial, insurance, banking, fintech, regulatory and compliance. Practice Experience Chris Humphries is the Managing Director of Stuarts and head of the specialist investment funds team. He is a leading individual in his field and is recognised as one of the top leading lawyers in the country for investment funds by Legal 500. Chris has been ranked as a Leading Lawyer in Investment Funds, Fintech, and Corporate and Commercial by Chambers and Partners for many years, and has earned recognition as a Highly Regarded lawyer by IFLR1000 in Investment Funds and Corporate practice areas. With over 25 years experience, Chris has acquired extensive and unique knowledge in the investment funds industry and has registered close to 1,000 funds in the Cayman Islands. There are few attorneys with the breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise that Chris has acquired. Chris joined in 2004 as one of the founding directors, from the London office of Kendall Freeman (now Locke Lord LLP), where he specialised in the financial services industry and regulatory related matters. Although Chris was born a British citizen, he has also gained the privilege of Cayman citizenship over the last 20 years. Chris is a highly experienced independent director and has sat on the board of many registered funds, private equity funds and investment vehicles. He routinely advises on regulatory and compliance issues involving funds, investment managers and fund administrators. He routinely advises on the strategic restructuring of funds, redemption restrictions as well as the use of side pockets or special purpose vehicles for illiquid assets and investor communications and disputes. Chris establishes investment managers and fund administrators in the Cayman Islands and advises on their respective regulatory regimes. He has extensive experience in all types of fund structures including master-feeder and fund of fund structures as well as the establishment of complex fund platforms using exempted companies and/or partnerships and the use of segregated portfolio companies. Chris advises on the use of side letters as well as other class rights related issues. As listing agent to the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (“CSX”) Chris has listed many investment funds on the CSX. Chris chairs the digital, blockchain and fintech working group and advises funds focusing on blockchain technology, bitcoin and other cryptocurrency strategies; and has a wide range of experience with corporate and commercial transactions for private and listed clients, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate finance, commercial agreements and insurance securitisations.
Chris Humphries
Stuart Humphries
MD
Vlad Ginzburg
Vladislav Ginzburg is the Chief Executive Officer at Blockparty. Ginzburg leads Blockparty and the mission to build a blockchain-agnostic platform for collectible NFTs at the intersection of art, music and culture. Blockparty launched their MVP In August 2020 with a number of mainstream oriented drops, including first digital artworks by 3lau/Slime Sunday, Adventure Club, Dave Krugman and others. Earlier, Ginzburg was Chief Business Development officer at Blockparty Tickets where he introduced blockchain as an NFT powered ticketing system to music festivals and professional sports teams, including a partnership with the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. Before entering the Blockchain and entertainment spaces, Ginzburg managed a fine art fund where he transacted more than $150 million in blue chip artworks. Ginzburg studied at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as well as The New School in New York.
Vlad Ginzburg
BlockParty
CEO
Alonso De Gortari
Alonso De Gortari is currently a Product Manager for Economics at Mysten Labs. Prior to this, they worked as a Research Scientist at Novi (formerly Calibra) from January 2020 to February 2022. There, they worked on the synergies between the Diem (formerly Libra) stablecoin and payments, blockchain technology, smart contracts, Bitcoin, Ethereum, decentralized finance (DeFi), and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Alonso also helped chart Diem’s design in terms of its macroeconomic and financial inclusion goals. From July 2019 to December 2019, Alonso was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. And from September 2018 to June 2019, they were a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University. Prior to that, they co-taught courses in International Macroeconomics and Globalization at Harvard University from September 2013 to May 2018. Alonso began their career as a Research Analyst at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) from April 2012 to June 2013. Alonso De Gortari’s educational career consists of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics from Harvard University, a Master of Arts – MA in Economics from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Alonso De Gortari works with and Bauer Wann – Product Manager. Their manager is Adeniyi Abiodun, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer.
Alonso De Gortari
Mysten Labs
Chief Economist
Mate Tokay
Mate is an entrepreneur at heart. He first heard about bitcoin in late 2012 and started to do bitcoin mining in mid-2013 with custom-built ASIC miners. In 2013 he founded a cryptocurrency media company called Bitcoinist.com. After a successful exit in 2015, Mate met Roger Ver and Co-founded Bitcoin.com. Mate focuses on a broader vision and communicating that vision to others while staying on top of industry trends. His passion outside of the crypto industry is watching. He has been a watch enthusiast for 20 years. His favorite brands are Patek and AP. Currently, he is the CEO of a Dubai-based media company called MetaNews.com.
Mate Tokay
Altcoinist
Co-Founder
Eric Galen
Eric Galen is a seasoned lawyer and executive specializing in AI, blockchain, and Web3. With over two decades of experience, he is the COO at RFLXT (a Cardano-funded AI/web3 platform) and a Director at the VGX Foundation. His previous clients and collaborators include TikTok, Doodles, Yeezy, Microsoft, Conde Nast, Complexity Gaming, Orange, Gamesquare Esports, Will.i.am, Imagine Entertainment, Johnny Depp, Techstars, and many others. Eric’s unique experience at the convergence of media and technology positions him as a key figure in the emerging AI and Web3 landscapes.
Eric Galen
Galen & Partners
Founder
Wayne Marcel
Wayne Marcel is the Head of Growth for the Foundation for Interwallet Operability (FIO). He has been managing, teaching, and coaching high-performing teams for over 20 years. In 2016, his passion for helping and teaching people was merged with his passion for technology as he dove into learning about cryptocurrency and blockchain. He published a book in 2018 called “From No Crypto To Know Crypto” and hosted over 215 educational podcast episodes under the same name. Since then, he has dedicated himself to working with projects that help accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies, including web3 and AI by focusing on the user experience and education. He is also currently an advisor at Raze and co-founder of Learnvault, a web3 educational consortia.
Wayne Marcel
Head of Growth
Charlie Shrem
Shrem’s foray into the world of Bitcoin began with his co-founding of BitInstant, a company that played a crucial role in the early adoption of Bitcoin by facilitating faster and more efficient transactions. As a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation, Charlie worked tirelessly to promote Bitcoin and educate the public about its potential.
Charlie Shrem
Bitcoin Pioneer
Alex Tapscott
Mr Tapscott is an entrepreneur, business author, and seasoned capital markets professional focused on the impact of emerging technologies, such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies, on business, government, and society. His latest book, Web3: Charting the Internet’s Next Economic and Cultural Frontier (Harper Collins), was published September 19th, 2023. Alex is also the Managing Director of the Digital Assets Group at Ninepoint Partners, one of Canada’s leading investment firms, with more than $7 billion in assets under management (AUM). Alex is also co-author of the critically acclaimed non-fiction best-seller, Blockchain Revolution, translated into more than 19 languages and which has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. His other books, Financial Services Revolution and Digital Asset Revolution were published in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Alex is sought after world-wide for his expertise by business and government audiences. He has delivered well over 200 lectures and executive briefings to business audiences at firms like Goldman Sachs (Talks at GS), Google, Allianz, IBM, Microsoft and Accenture, to name a few (Select speeches by Alex). He is consistently ranked as a top influencer in the blockchain industry. His TedX talk, Blockchain is Eating Wall Street has been viewed over 800,000 times. Alex’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Globe and Mail, The Financial Post, TIME, Fortune, and many other publications. In 2017, Alex co-founded the Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), a global think-tank investigating blockchain strategies, opportunities and use-cases. Alex is a graduate of Amherst College (Cum Laude) and is a CFA Charterholder.
Alex Tapscott
Ninepoint VC
Partner
Evan Luthra
Evan Luthra is a renowned influencer with a significant following of over 2.4 million on Instagram. His extensive network and wide audience reach are invaluable assets. In recent years, Evan has immersed himself in the world of cryptocurrency, providing exclusive advisory insights to top-tier projects. His expertise ranges from offering listing advice to creating go-to-market strategies. He has consistently generated exponential returns for his partners. Besides his advisory role, Evan is a published author who contributes to esteemed media outlets such as Binance, CoinTelegraph, Forbes, BeinCrypto, Cryptoknowmics, Hackernoon, and Entrepreneur. Additionally, he frequently speaks at premier crypto and blockchain conferences.
Evan Luthra
KOL Capital
GP
Chuck Marino
“Charles is a recognized expert on national and homeland security, emerging threats, and programs. He is a highly sought after speaker around the world to share his expertise, thought leadership, and industry best practices. He regularly appears on major cable news networks to provide expert analysis on national security matters and events. Beginning his career in 1997, he ultimately served as a Supervisory Special Agent in the United States Secret Service (USSS) under 3 Presidents, ensuring individual and family safety across various locations and while in- transit. He also led a 1,3000-member Electronics Crimes Task Force to effectively investigate complex financial and cyber-crimes in partnership with private sector and law enforcement partners. Charles served as the Senior Law Enforcement Advisor to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano from 2009-2011 where he oversaw and worked on complex homeland security and law enforcement policies and programs such as, the National Terrorism Advisory Systems (NTAS), the “If you See Something, Say Something” national campaign, the Southwest Border Law Enforcement Engagement Strategy, and Secure Communities. Charles is a graduate of the prestigious National War College, where he received a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy.”
Chuck Marino
Sentinel
CEO
Joel Comm
In July 2017, Joel and Martech leader Travis Wright went down the rabbit hole of blockchain technology. They took their excitement and channeled it into the creation of The Bad Crypto Podcast. The show, heard in 180 countries around in the world, is one of the top crypto-related shows in the world. With over 400,000 downloads / month, the show provides an informative and entertaining take on the Blockchain revolution that is changing the world. Joel gives keynotes and participates on panels on the subject.
Joel Comm
Bad Crypto Podcast
Travis Wright
Travis Wright: Visionary Marketing Technologist, Strategic Brand Innovator, Advisor, and Digital Futurist At the intersection of marketing and technology, I stand as a catalyst for digital transformation. With over 25 years of experience, I am recognized as a leading voice in blockchain, Web3, NFTs, and digital marketing. My journey includes spearheading global digital strategies for Norton at Symantec, where I mastered over 500 marketing technologies, laying the groundwork for businesses to build robust MarTech stacks. As the author of ‘Digital Sense’ and co-host of the influential Bad Crypto Podcast and The Web3 Show, I have demystified cryptocurrency and blockchain technology for a global audience. My expertise in creating and minting 1.5 million NFTs on WAX, coupled with a seat on the Wax Advisory Board, along with advising prestigious Animoca Brands, positions me at the forefront of digital asset innovation. My role extends beyond thought leadership to hands-on strategy and consultancy, guiding enterprises and startups in digital marketing, social selling, and customer experience enhancement. Renowned for delivering over 160 international keynote presentations, my insights on cutting-edge technology and market strategies resonate with a diverse audience. I am driven by a passion for solving complex marketing challenges, aptly earning the moniker ‘shit-figure-outer.’ My goal is to continue shaping the future of digital marketing and technology, empowering businesses to embrace change and innovation.