Crypto Hipster

Max Galash is a serial entrepreneur, investor and advisor with over ten years of experience building technology companies in FinTech, Blockchain and IT services. Max is currently CEO of the fast-growing DeFi platform CoinChange Financials, and a Board Member at: https://wattum.io/, https://flyshot.io/, http://boxc.com/, and https://itmhouse.com/. Prior to his current roles, Maxim was Partner at venture capital firm BGS Ventures for 4 years. He was responsible for many early stage investment success stories at BGS Ventures, including https://strateos.com. In the early part of his career, Max worked as a business consultant, software developer and portfolio manager. His educational background includes a BAS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Toronto and Master of Business from PowerMBA.

Mitchell Gildenberg is the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Switchboard, a fast, permissionless, and customizable oracle network that allows any developer to build the custom feed they need. Mitchell is a former third-level software engineer and technical lead of cloud services at Google, where he worked for over four years. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in computer science.

Rennick Palley is Founding Partner at Stratos, an industry-leading VC firm focused on early-stage crypto projects. Rennick previously worked as a Research Associate at Sanders Capital, a $75 billion global equity manager. Rennick holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Applied Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering from Southern Methodist University, along with a Masters in Quantitative Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

J.D. Seraphine is a visionary leader and Web3 innovator in the fields of AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrency, recognized for his engaging keynotes, entrepreneurial spirit, and unwavering commitment to driving positive change on a global scale. With a diverse background spanning technology, entertainment and philanthropy, J.D. is a dynamic force at the intersection of innovation and social impact. In 2018, he founded Raiinmaker, a Web3 and AI Technology Company that has developed the Raiinmaker AI Super App and Raiinmaker Network Protocol, which revolutionizes the monetization of users’ contribution to AI infrastructure.  Raiinmaker was developed to enable a seamless user experience for any person to access the value of a Web3 and AI powered Global Digital Economy. The company’s go to market strategy is focused on sports, gaming, entertainment, and the creator economy.  Seraphine’s expertise and thought leadership have garnered widespread recognition, with features in notable publications such as Forbes, Variety and The Block. His insights on regulatory challenges in blockchain entrepreneurship and innovative tokenization strategies have shaped industry discourse and influenced decision-makers around the globe. Two productions with Seraphine at the helm are in the works: Atari, a film about the brilliant life of the 1970’s video game ‘Pong’ creator, Nolan Bushnell, and A Brave New World docuseries, the follow up to the 5 episode series, Open Source Money, that aired on July 4, 2020 on Discovery Science. J.D. Seraphine inspires audiences at AI and blockchain events, and economic forums, with his compelling vision for the future and actionable strategies for achieving financial freedom and empowerment for people all over the world. From Laudato Si at the Vatican to Token 2049 in Dubai, his impactful keynotes have resonated with audiences, igniting conversations and catalyzing positive change that will shape a better world for generations to come. Follow J.D. on X at @commodorgonzo

Karan Bharadwaj is the CEO of Arithmic, the world’s first universal and scalable Layer-2 with native staking. Previously, Karan served as Chief Technology Officer at multiple companies including XinFin (XDC), and later, Mool, an AI and fintech company empowering people to organize their financial life through their markets web app by providing investment analysis and research. Karan is a seasoned entrepreneur in the crypto and fintech space, leading multiple crypto projects including as the founder of Elatior where he helped build state-of-the-art distributed ledger networks and applications.

Alan Orwick is the Co-Founder of Quai Network, the only fully scalable and programmable Proof-of-Work Layer 1 designed for global commerce. He also serves as the CEO of Dominant Strategies, the development behind Quai Network devoted to building blockchain tooling and infrastructure. Previously an Apple software engineer, Alan is committed to continue innovating the Quai Network with his engineering skills. His passion for blockchain technology began while he was a student at the University of Texas at Austin, where he founded Texas Blockchain, a student-led blockchain club. 

Terence Kwok, Founder and CEO of Human Institute Terence Kwok is the founder and CEO of Humanity Protocol, a leading organization dedicated to amplifying human potential amidst the transformative impact of artificial intelligence.  He is a visionary technology entrepreneur from Hong Kong and the CEO and founder of one of Asia's first unicorns. Kwok's journey has been marked by strategic partnerships with a broad spectrum of globally influential investors and partners, setting disruptive new industry standards.  With expertise in blockchain, Web3, and technology integration, Kwok's mission goes beyond technological advancement. He aims to use technology to bring people together, ensuring its benefits are widely accessible and impactful. His contributions are not only innovative but also pivotal in shaping the future of disruptive technologies. Recognized for his insightful vision, Kwok advocates for change that challenges conventions.  Kwok's entrepreneurial drive was nurtured at the University of Chicago, laying the foundation for his future endeavors. His journey from academia to the forefront of tech entrepreneurship highlights his influential role in pushing the boundaries of technology.

Raj Parekh is the co-founder and CEO of Portal, a web3 platform that provides developers and businesses with the confidence to build and deploy complete Web3 products and services for their end users. Prior to founding Portal, Raj was the Director of Global Crypto Product at Visa, where he launched USDC settlement over Ethereum for payments on the Visa Network and built their crypto compliance program. Raj’s work with Visa also includes launching their AI platform to streamline deploying learning machine models. ⁠https://www.portalhq.io/

Matthew Le Merle is Managing Partner and CEO of Blockchain Coinvestors.Launched in 2014, Blockchain Coinvestors’ vision is that digital monies, commodities and assets are inevitable and all of the world’s financial infrastructure must be upgraded. Our mission is to provide broad coverage of the emerging unicorns and fastest growth blockchain companies and crypto projects. Our investment strategy is now in its 9th year and has to date invested in more than 40 pure play blockchain venture funds in the Americas, Asia and Europe; and in a combined portfolio of 750+ blockchain companies and projects including 75+ blockchain unicorns. Our funds rank in the top decile amongst all funds in their respective categories on both Pitchbook and Preqin. Headquartered in San Francisco with a presence in Grand Cayman, London, New York, Zug and Zurich, the alternative investment management firm was co-founded by Alison Davis and Matthew Le Merle.Matthew is also Managing Partner of Keiretsu - the most active early-stage venture investors backing over 300 companies a year.Matthew’s career has spanned being a global strategy advisor, professional services firm leader, corporate operating executive, private equity and venture capital investor, and board director. His board work has included Chairman or Non-Executive Director roles in 15 public and private companies and active Advisory Board roles in fast growth companies. Matthew’s board experience includes a broad range of industries including Digital Content/videogames, eCommerce, Fintech/Blockchain, Business Services, Consumer and Retail.Earlier in his career, Matthew spent 21 years as a strategy, operations and corporate finance advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs, boards and executive teams with McKinsey & Company, and as a practice leader with A.T. Kearney and Monitor Group where he led both firms’ West Coast practices and at Booz & Company. He was also a corporate executive at Gap Inc. where he was SVP strategy and corporate development and SVP global marketing.Matthew is bestselling author (The Intelligent Investor – Silicon Valley, Blockchain Competitive Advantage, Corporate Innovation in the Fifth Era, Build your Fortune in the Fifth Era, The Ministry of Bitcoin and Second Chance) and keynote speaker. He received a B.A. (Double First) and Master’s from Christ Church, Oxford, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was born in London, UK, and is now a dual US/UK citizen and lives in San Francisco and London with his wife, Alison Davis.

Alison Haire is CEO and Founder of Lilypad - a groundbreaking serverless & permissionless distributed compute network which provides internet-scale compute to both web3 and traditional tech. She is dedicated to building out open infrastructure with democratic access to technology & driving positive change in tech culture. Alison has a background in enterprise software engineering, technology consultancy and R & D projects, with an overriding passion for building open infrastructure enabling access to science & technology that can drive positive change for society - something web3 is uniquely positioned to help achieve in the next decade.