Profile: Industry Leaders and Entrepreneurs

Key figures in blockchain entrepreneurship

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is CZ (Changpeng Zhao) and what is Binance?

Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, founded Binance in 2017 and grew it into the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. A Canadian-Chinese entrepreneur, he raised $15 million through an ICO and built Binance into a global crypto ecosystem including BNB Chain and Binance Smart Chain.

How did Brian Armstrong build Coinbase?

Brian Armstrong co-founded Coinbase in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam, focusing on making cryptocurrency accessible to mainstream users. Coinbase became the first major crypto company to go public via direct listing on NASDAQ in April 2021, reaching a valuation of over $85 billion on its first day of trading.

What happened with Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX?

Sam Bankman-Fried founded FTX in 2019 and rapidly grew it into the third-largest crypto exchange. In November 2022, FTX collapsed after revelations that customer funds were misappropriated by Alameda Research. SBF was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024.

How have crypto entrepreneurs shaped the blockchain industry?

Crypto entrepreneurs built the infrastructure that brought blockchain to the mainstream: exchanges for trading, wallets for storage, and payment rails for commerce. Their companies onboarded hundreds of millions of users, though some also exemplified the risks of centralized control in a decentralized ecosystem.