Web3. Metaverse. NFTs. Blockchain. If you aren’t familiar — really deeply familiar — with these terms, you aren’t ready to hang out with this group. From NFT curation to institutional custody and virtual music to digital currency, these tech innovators are leading the discussion on the future of money and technology.
But if you’re ready, you can find them all in Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, an invitation-only community for leaders in crypto and blockchain technology. Members interact within a private online experience, and they gain access to an expert editorial team to help them publish thought leadership content on Cointelegraph.com.
Get to know six of the founding members of Cointelegraph Innovation Circle. And if this community sounds like your crowd, find out more about becoming a member.
Jordan Goldman
Chief marketing officer, Genesis
Jordan Goldman is the CMO of Genesis, a full-service digital currency prime broker with a strong presence in institutional custody. Genesis services include secure, discreet buying and selling; borrowing and lending in large sizes over fixed-terms; custody services to secure assets; and screening to ensure KYC and AML requirements are met.
Formerly, Goldman served as founder and CEO of several companies, including JGO Consulting, Unigo, and Switchboard, and CMO at Laso, an AI-driven credit scoring and lending company that was eventually acquired by Lendio. Before that, as an 18-year-old student at Wesleyan, he co-authored the first Students’ Guide to Colleges, which has been annually updated and released by Penguin Books.
Betsy Proctor
Head of partnerships, Sweet
Betsy Proctor is global head of partnerships at Sweet, which partners with well-known corporations to create and distribute branded NFTs. Sweet’s work allows these brands to share, sell, gift, auction, gamify, and drop NFTs from their own websites. Sweet has partnered with Macy’s, the New York Knicks, the Chicago Blackhawks, McLaren Racing, and more.
Proctor is interested in moving beyond traditional crypto enthusiasts to engage a wider audience in NFT collection and curation. Sweet’s work with big brands welcomes fans of those brands into the world of digital collectibles, even if they aren’t especially tech savvy.
Formerly, Proctor founded Hurdl, a company specializing in live event data capture and personalized SMS marketing, and worked for several years in entertainment management.
Tiffany Zhong
CEO, Islands
Tiffany Zhong is the CEO/“vibe curator” for Islands, which bills itself as “your passport to the metaverse.” Islands hopes to “simplify crypto for newcomers while helping fans mint, share and discuss their NFTs.”
In 2015, when she was working for Binary Capital as an 18-year-old venture capital analyst, Tiffany Zhong was profiled by The Wall Street Journal. She had made the most of growing up in the midst of the hotbed of Silicon Valley, immersed in technology and startup culture. Then she capitalized on Twitter’s accessibility to interact with investors and tech giants, building a network of mentors.
In 2017, Zhong co-founded Zebra IQ, a Gen Z consumer feedback service, and in 2020, she co-founded Islands, backed by a $3.5 million seed round funded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Inder Phull
CEO and co-founder, PIXELYNX
Inder Phull is the co-founder and CEO of PIXELNYX, a company working to transform the way music is consumed in gaming and other virtual settings. He is a music, entertainment, and gaming exec creating new technology that will transform the way musicians, labels and brands exist within the metaverse. PIXELYNX was co-founded with music visionaries including Ben Turner, Dean Wilson, Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman), and Plastikman (Richie Hawtin).
Before PIXELNYX, Phull served as head of music, gaming & innovation at Graphite Media. He is also an advisor for Orca Sound Project, which is pulling plastic from the oceans and upcycling them into products (like the 5,000 capacity stage at Glastonbury festival made out of 10 tonnes of plastic collected from beach cleans).
Genevieve Leveille
CEO and founder, AgriLedger
Genevieve Leveille is the founder and CEO of AgriLedger, a blockchain company working to update the worldwide agricultural supply chain through distributed ledger tech. AgriLedger enables tracing food on every step of its journey from farmer to customer, and allows farmers to plan their harvests more effectively and gain access to funds and markets.
In addition to her work for AgriLedger, Leveille serves as the vice-chair for the techUK Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) Working Group, supporting technology readiness in the UK. Previously, she built her career over two decades of financial supply chain optimization for banks and large companies. She is well-known for her history of large-scale fintech projects, especially in the areas of digital identity and financial transformation.
Joe Roets
CEO and founder, Dragonchain
Joe Roets is the founder and CEO of Dragonchain. He started out as a software developer, then used his systems development and architecture knowledge to found a series of tech startups focusing on security and scalability. Around 2010, he lent his knowledge of blockchain and cryptocurrency technology to well-known corporations like Overstock, Coinbase, and Disney.
Dragonchain has developed a proprietary blockchain infrastructure — “the most secure and flexible blockchain platform on Earth,” according to its website. Along with the architecture for this scalable hybrid blockchain platform, Dragonchain has created a commercial platform and ecosystem, as well as a series of comprehensive ransomware protection products.
This article was published through Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a vetted organization of senior executives and experts in the blockchain technology industry who are building the future through the power of connections, collaboration, and thought leadership. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Cointelegraph.
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