Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology go well beyond the day-to-day investment practices that get all the headlines. They also present all kinds of interesting business opportunities, from developing new blockchain applications, to building trading platforms, to introducing entire new currencies with specific functions. Inevitably, this means that there are many young people getting into crypto business, and becoming some of our most successful emerging entrepreneurs.
Here are some who stand out.
Anurag Arjun
Born in New Delhi, Anurag Arjun used his MBA and his understanding of computer engineering to come up with a blockchain-based startup. In 2018, he founded what would be known later as Polygon –– a platform some have referred to as Ethereum's internet of blockchains. Polygon enables other entrepreneurs to create their own blockchain solutions with ease. It also provides Ethereum with layer-2 scaling, solving the cryptocurrency's issues with transaction speed and costs. Today, Polygon's MATIC (its native cryptocurrency) is among the most highly valued on the market.
Mikhael Jerlis
Jerlis founded EMCD, the largest mining pool in Eastern Europe as of now. The idea came from his venture in concerning Bitcoin mining supplies from China. Jerlis eventually decided that he needed to make his own project, even though the costs of some supplies soared. With the EMCD pool, more than 3,200 BTC has been mined, and the Bitcoin hash rate is 2% of the global Bitcoin hash rate with Jerlis at the helm.
Anatoly Yakovenko
Anatoly Yakovenko helped create Solana, the decentralized blockchain platform in 2017. For those who don’t know, this is an open-source permissionless blockchain that some people believe could ultimately rival Ethereum –– though you can also buy Solana as a functional cryptocurrency (denoted as SOL). Currently, the Solana network is being used by more than 400 companies –– in part on the basis that Yakovenko expects said network to be able to process 200,000 transactions per second within the next five years. Even at its current processing speed of 50,000transactions, however, Solana has become one of the most valued blockchain-based digital assets.
Jack Mallers
Perhaps you’ve heard of El Salvador being the first country to adopt Bitcoin as official currency? Well, Jack Mallers createdZap, which later became Strike –– El Salvador’s preferred Bitcoin payment app. Strike’s success was a part of the country’s decision to adopt Bitcoin as an official currency. Mallers is just 27 years old, and was younger still when he created the platform.
Youssof Altoukhi
Blockchain is still a relatively young technology, but that doesn't mean it can't benefit from fresh perspective. Youssof Altoukhi had an interest in cryptocurrency, but noticed a problem nobody else seemed to consider important. Altoukhi considered that this type of digital platform could also take the form of a community of owners voting on certain decisions. The only problem was that this could lead to people holding more coins also holding all the power. To solve this problem, 16-year-old Altoukhi created Y Coin, a cryptocurrency that facilitates equal voting power regardless of the number of coins any individual owns.
With the exception of Altoukhi, most of these crypto entrepreneurs are at least a little older than, say, the figures spotlighted in our ‘6 Successful Companies Founded By Teen Entrepreneurs’ previously. But they're all still quite young, and their impact on a massive, emerging sector is unquestionable. It's clear that crypto and blockchain tech are ripe for innovation, and that a lot of young entrepreneurs are taking note.
