Meet the team

Before joining Algorand Foundation as Legal Counsel, Marja-Leena started her career near Chicago with a degree in Agriculture Communications and a fast hand at old-school desktop publishing. Moving to California to work in online ad operations was followed by a range of studies including Architectural Drafting, Construction Project Management and a certificate in Nanotechnology and Clean-tech in between setting up ad revenue operations for several niche websites eventually acquired by the big dot-com publishers, managing Lake Tahoe and Vegas hospitality building projects, training teams in web2 ad-tech data retargeting, and serving on Finnish cultural nonprofit boards. Then M-L evolved her online advertising operations and business experience to address her need to do something for good in the world by applying to law school. Four years and a baby later she had a fresh law degree and California Bar license. While mostly focused on human rights and social justice law work during her studies, a game- changing Blockchain and the Law course landed her back in an exciting intersection of technology and creating good in people’s lives, but now with the legal twist. Relocating her family from California to Finland was another new challenge and they are happily exploring their new Finnish life while still pursuing favorite hobbies like cooking, playing music, and traveling.

Stéphane Barroso joined the Algorand Foundation as ARC Manager in 2022. Before joining Algorand Foundation, he worked as Quality Analyst at Thales Digital Identity and Security. Stéphane has held essential roles in many industries, including banking and payments. He has been involved in the blockchain industry since 2017 and has been part of the Algorand ecosystem since 2021.

Emma is responsible for developing, executing and optimizing our marketing campaigns here at the Algorand Foundation. Emma’s efforts, in collaboration with the rest of our Foundation team, enables the Algorand Foundation to build and develop the global market for the Algorand blockchain and its associated ecosystem. Outside of work, between seeking out the best cup of coffee a city has to offer, Emma likes to keep active and continue to build her hybrid barre fitness community through events and online classes.

Cosimo joined the Algorand Foundation as Senior Solutions Architect, after more than three years at Algorand Inc. (now Algorand Technologies) and Algorand Labs. In his role, Cosimo designs solutions based on the Algorand Virtual Machine and supports the development of Algorand’s tools and ecosystem. Cosimo holds a MSc in Electrical Engineering (Politecnico di Torino). Prior to joining Algorand, he worked as a Control Engineer in the automotive industry and as a Project Engineer in the energy and automation industries, focusing on energy transition technologies, mission-critical software and rapid manufacturing. As an Engineer passionate about Philosophy, he believes that while engineering new _technologies_, we should always be mindful to not separate the "techne" from the "logos", since the consequences could be unpleasant.

Adriana - a.k.a Adri - is based in Sydney, Australia, and has been in crypto since 2013. She joined the AlgoFam in 2019 when hosting Algorand events in Australia, during Silvio Micali’s launch tour. Adri moved to Sydney from Brazil in 2005 to pursue a degree in Applied Computing and, since graduating in 2009, she worked as a market researcher, a front end developer - with Magento, Wordpress and Webflow - and digital marketing consultant. Part of Algorand’s first Ambassadors cohort in 2020, Adri joined the Community Champions program in 2021 and was part of Staci’s first wave of hires, joining us full-time in April 2022 as Head of Community for Australia. In 2021, Adriana was the recipient of Blockchain Australia’s Community Leader of the Year award, for her grassroots work in the Australian crypto community. Moved by her desire to “make web3 governance magic happen”, Adri was appointed Governance Program Manager in November 2022, leading the General Governance continuous delivery and accountable for the implementation of the xGov Program in 2023.

Ana has over 12 years working in administrative roles for different business industries in Brazil, UK and Ireland. Ana has vast experience in administrative support to multiple executives, in high-pressure and dynamic environments, and diverse teams. Ana is now assisting the European Executive team in managing a variety of administrative needs.

Simon joined Algorand Foundation in August 2022 after spending 25 years at 2 companies he had co-founded. He led the design and development of innovative solutions in the area of Business Intelligence, Data Analytics and Machine Learning for various organizations in the areas of finance, manufacturing, pharma, healthcare, education, aviation and HoReCa. His aim was to simplify these esoteric technologies and help businesses, large and small, leverage these technologies to gain a competitive advantage. Simon believes that most problems can be solved using math, algorithms, technology and creative arts. He is a firm believer that the fusion of Blockchains and AI will usher in a new era in the ways that communities are organized and problems solved.

Oxana is originally from Kazakhstan and moved to Ireland in 2001 to pursue her studies in Finance. She graduated from Dublin Business School with first-class honors in Accounting and Finance and also obtained a Master's in Business Management from Maynooth University in Ireland. She has broad experience in the accounting field in multiple EU jurisdictions within the manufacturing and FinTech sectors. She has extensive experience in the implementation of internal controls and risk management systems for SOX compliance. Furthermore, Oxana was involved in accounting system redesign and change to meet the business needs. More than anything, she loves to understand processes and find ways to make improvements.

Kyle (aka krby.algo) is a self taught software engineer that's passionate about algorand, memes and building bleeding edge tech. Previously, Kyle worked at a telecommunications company. During his tenure as lead engineer, he led the company's transformation from a monolithic batch based service architecture to an event driven, distributed system architecture. Kyle helped the company scale at a time when it was growing rapidly and played a substantial role in ensuring the company handled that growth elegantly & efficiently. He lives in California with his wife and two young daughters. When he’s not spending time with his family, he’s most likely working on Akita.

I am a seasoned marketing professional currently serving as the Marketing Coordinator at the Algorand Foundation, where my primary focus lies in leveraging my project management expertise to plan and execute marketing campaigns. I previously led marketing projects for KnownOrigin, an NFT marketplace, and worked as a marketing project manager at a Web3 marketing agency. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to immerse myself in the dynamic Web3 industry and have had the privilege of traveling worldwide to both attend and host key industry events. Beyond my professional endeavors, I am an avid enthusiast of film, television and music. I’m also a seasoned traveller, often going abroad to relax and explore new countries. When I'm not immersed in the world of marketing, you can often find me on the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu mats!

Alessandro runs the developer tooling vertical at Algorand Foundation, as a former software engineer turned product guy Alessandro has experience in working, consulting and advising in both startups and tradfi companies. A self proclaimed crypto maximalist, Alessandro believes that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize and improve every aspect of modern day society and constantly works to achieve this vision.

Alexa joined the Algorand Foundation as Head of Brand & Marketing Operations in October 2022, after more than a year at Algorand Inc. as Senior Director of Ecosystem Marketing. She has more than a decade of experience in cross-functional marketing roles with media brands, agencies, and trade associations. She's brought myriad projects of all scales to life, from VIP dinners and corporate conferences to OOH campaigns ...and even an interactive robot petting zoo! Along the way she has worked with top talent (hello, Cher!) and high-profile leaders, and in collaboration with brand partners such as Samsung, PlayStation, and Tesla. Prior to joining the #algofam, Alexa served as Director of Event Programming at ICSC; Director of Editorial Programming - Experiential at Condé Nast; and Senior Editorial Events Manager at Fast Company magazine. She started her career at The New Yorker, where she was tasked with helping several of the magazine’s most prolific writers set up their first Twitter accounts. Alexa lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Carolina has been running global events since 2005 and has enjoyed her amazing journey. Carolina is now focused on designing the events of the future, retaining the essence of what they have meant in the past, to evolve with this new age of social interaction. Carolina is a mum of 2 amazing little boys and her philosophy of life involves a harmonious balance of wellness, travel, design and food.

Kimberley works in Ecosystem Funding at the Algorand Foundation where she manages funding related activities and business processes, as well as support with driving ecosystem growth. Having dipped in the space in 2018, she believes learning takes place best either getting your hands dirty or while educating others. Kimberley has written whitepapers and content articles for blockchain projects – hit her up if you need some help with yours.

Giorgio Ciotti is a Senior Software Engineer from Rome, Italy. With a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, he specializes in distributed systems and blockchain engineering with an active passion for cybersecurity and cryptography. He has designed and worked in numerous Algorand projects, starting from completely off-the-chain utilities, to hybrid architectures, to on-the-chain and cross-chain bridges. Now working within the incredibly talented DevRel team at the Algorand Foundation, he focuses on helping developers and fostering blockchain and open source culture.

Julia joined Algorand in 2023 as part of the accounting team, primarily focused on accounts payable matters. She spent the first three years of her career at KPMG, which gave her valuable and versatile experience, building a great foundation for her career. Julia then moved on to work for an asset management firm, where she gained experience working with multi-jurisdictional entities and teams. In total, she has worked in finance for eight years, and in banking for five. Julia is Brazilian and based in Ireland.

Federico, an economist by training, has been interested in distributed systems and cryptography since 2012 and joined Algorand in 2018. His main area of expertise is financial services, focusing on ways for regulated entities to generate efficiency gains by migrating some of their products and processes to blockchain-based applications.

Evert is deeply passionate about technology. Evert served as the CEO of a peruvian Software Factory and worked with 100+ projects across Latin America. Evert is now turning this experience in the region to grow the Algorand developer community in LATAM.

After graduating from the Royal Institute of Technology with an M.Sc. in Mechatronics Engineering, Yared worked as a software engineer consultant at various companies in vehicle and gaming. Before joining the Foundation itself Yared was an active member of the Algorand community, serving as a Digital Ambassador. Yared is passionate about blockchain, in particular the concepts of self-custody, decentralization and privacy; as well as the implications it has for the financially excluded. Outside of the tech world, Yared loves biking, proudly claims to be a foodie, and admits he's spent way too much time going down Wikipedia rabbit holes.

Fred's background in physics and aerospace engineering has allowed him to work at a some of the world's largest atmospheric radars and wind farms. Fred's a two-time startup founder and has worked on a microgravity microbiology experiment that flew aboard the International Space Station! Fred loves memes, physics, blockchain, rockets, telescopes, data, soccer, memes and Algorand.

Michael joined Algorand Foundation in 2023 as a Fullstack Developer. Prior to joining Algorand Foundation, he worked with several organizations to help improve processes and deliver solutions. He was also very active in the stratum mining communities, helping to maintain critical infrastructure projects. He believes that blockchains can solve real world problems and change the way we interact with information systems. He has been deeply invested in computer science and information systems starting at an early age. You will find him tinkering with microcontrollers, homelabs, or learning "yet another" new framework. When he is not down a technology rabbit hole, he is playing music and spending time with his family.

Steve is a Developer Advocate at Algorand, where he helps new and existing developers learn about the Algorand blockchain technology with a focus on TEAL and security, as well as contributing to the Developer Portal and various repositories on GitHub. Steve previously worked as a software development team lead at a payroll bureau where he designed and implemented a full pension processing solution during the introduction of automatic enrollment within the UK, along with a plethora of other payroll related software. Steve's experience in blockchain technology started in 2016 and he was formally an employee at Rand Labs before joining Algorand.

Silvana's professional background is in business administration and executive management. Silvana's passion is to help people and working to make the world a better place for everybody. Silvana loves challenges so much and has a big family of 3 dogs and 3 kids, making her feel like she is always inside a marathon.

Lola has a broad experience across both Traditional Finance and Technology and was right at the start of bringing access to digital technology to the mass market, working in Moscow for a wholesale and retail telecommunication company in the early 90s! Lola has a real passion for the Crypto industry Finance & Accounting, her professional purpose is to continue strengthening the reputation of Crypto organisations as sustainable and safe. She mastered the path of turning organisational finance from complexity and chaos to simplicity and order, and Crypto industry continues to provide her with interesting challenges in that area. Lola lives in Luxembourg with her two kids, enjoys discovering new cultures with her family and is an active yogi, both for exercise and philosophy.

Mohita’s law and public policy background, and passion to work on programs aimed at sustainable impact and inclusion make her a natural fit for the world’s greenest blockchain technology that is also committed to helping create a more inclusive economy. Her strong interest in the Web 3.0 world is just icing on the cake. A researcher at heart, Mohita’s research has been published in policy journals and she is often invited to share her findings at policy conferences. She puts her experience from large mission-driven organizations such as UNDP India, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, and policy and legal analyst to an Indian Member of Parliament to work in coordinating and managing our top projects at AlgoBharat (Algorand Foundation’s India initiative) and crafting AlgoBharat’s message across social media platforms. She enjoys reading, solving crossword puzzles, playing with her parrot and cats and listening to Bollywood, Arabic and English music.

Lauren joined Algorand Foundation in March 2023. She brings a wealth of experience from a variety of content marketing roles, but her favorite thing to do is write. She found her way into Web3 a couple of years ago and has worked for multiple fast-paced startups, including Async Art and Blockovate. Lauren is enthused by the cultural and social developments brought about by blockchain and looks forward to a healthier web ecosystem that better supports all of its users. She is driven to help people understand through her writing the real-world impact of cryptocurrency, the benefits of a decentralized economy, and why the blockchain revolution could change everything.‍ Offline, Lauren likes dancing, yoga, and scuba diving. She's currently learning salsa and taking Spanish lessons. Lauren studied French and English at the University of Leeds, then spent a few years living in France and Thailand.

Anil is Vice President and India Country Head at Algorand Foundation, where he brings over three decades of experience in finance, tech and policy to advance Algorand's strategic objectives to expand the developer base, the startup ecosystem, and enterprise partnerships in the world's most populous country. Prior to joining Algorand, Anil was Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Vikasa Holdings, a holding company that invests in and delivers distributed technology solutions in India and other emerging markets. Earlier he spent several years at Corning Incorporated, a leading inventor of inorganic material technologies, as Director of Commercial Strategy for India. Anil spent over a decade in senior roles in the U.S. Government, as a senior advisor in the Executive Office of the President during the Clinton Administration, leading the Obama Administration Treasury Department's Economic and Financial Partnership with India's Finance Ministry and Central Bank, and as a legislative aide for economic policy to then-Senator Hillary Clinton. Anil traveled to India with Presidents Clinton and Obama during their presidencies. He later moved to Mumbai with his family to join as Executive Director on the investment banking team at Anand Rathi Financial Services. During a brief moment of creative spark, Anil co-founded Marc Lumer Productions, an animation studio that develops original children's animated series for global markets. Anil lives in Los Angeles, CA. He received his MPP from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, JD from University of Arizona College of Law, and BA from UCLA. Anil is a member of the California State Bar, and serves on the boards of Mann Deshi Foundation, Just Jobs Network, Skate Basti Foundation, and the World Sustainable Development Forum.

Matt Keller directs the Impact and Inclusion vertical for the Algorand Foundation. In that capacity, Matt leads the design and development of strategies to increase the use of the Algorand Blockchain to achieve financial inclusion, social impact, and environmental sustainability. In previous lives, Matt was a lobbyist on Capitol Hill to advance the cause of campaign finance and voting rights reform in the United States; Executive Director of the $15 Million Global Learning XPRIZE sponsored by Elon Musk; Vice President at One Laptop per Child; Legal Counsel for the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Italy; Legislative Aide to a United States Senator; Legal Aid attorney for migrant farmworkers in Arizona; and a Jesuit Volunteer in Portland, Maine.

Sara Jane is a Junior Developer Community Advocate at the Algorand Foundation, responsible for onboarding the next generation of beginner blockchain developers through workshops and content. She also explores start-ups venturing into the blockchain space. Sara Jane first got involved in the web3 space by working with various start-ups and companies, focusing on community and social media management. Her own start-up ventures inspired her to dive deeper into software development, and she is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Software Development at Munster Technological University. Sara Jane fell in love with blockchain technology, thanks to Algorand, and passionately believes in its potential for positive impact. She is honoured to play a part in this innovative field.

Rayan is the Algorand Foundation Community Manager responsible for the Middle East region. Before joining Algorand, Rayan took part in different entrepreneurial projects. He worked in multiple Esports startups across the MENA region, was a board member of the Arab Esports Federation, and started a mining farm. After seeing the ecological damages caused by the Proof of Work model, Rayan took the decision to terminate his mining activities and join Algorand to be part of an eco-friendly environment.

Saj is a Harvard and Oxford educated, English and New York law qualified lawyer with a geeky streak and a 15-year track record gained at top tier US and Magic Circle law firms (White & Case, Allen & Overy) and in-house (GSR) where he led on legal, compliance and regulatory matters with sovereigns, funds, corporates, start-ups and investors in the finance, energy transition, digital transformation, blockchain & Web3 space. He went down the crypto rabbit hole with solar bitcoin mining and ended up running a phigital art gallery for physical and digital NFT art before launching his crypto law practice at s49e.io.

Chris Kim is a Developer Advocate at Algorand, where he helps developers learn how to successfully build sustainable, scalable, and secure dApps leveraging the Algorand Virtual Machine (AVM). Previously Chris brought optimized solutions to companies like OKX and UNICEF as a business consultant at Blockchain at Berkeley, which is an organization determined to act as the blockchain hub of the Bay Area (California). With his passion for blockchain education, Chris led several projects regarding NFTs, reward-based team management, and payment to introduce blockchain’s use cases to university students. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Doroteja joined Algorand Foundation as a Finance Manager in May 2023, after almost 5 years in Bitstamp, the longest surviving crypto exchange in the world, where she served as a Group Financial Reporting Manager, with responsibilities across the entire Finance function. She has more than 15 years of experience in accounting and financial reporting in multiple industries and jurisdictions, and over the past few years her professional path has shifted towards the decentralized world of cryptocurrencies. Before moving to the Crypto industry, she worked as a Consultant in Accounting, compliance and reporting with EY Luxembourg.

Joana Lacerda is a globally recognized builder at the intersection of the Future of Art, Technology and Society Commissions. She has been exploring new ways of creating social justice and equal distribution of the future by supporting impact-driven tech companies. Throughout her career, Joana has led complex projects with strong creative components with a diverse range of Executive, Project Management and Operational functions, which are clearly illustrated by her remarkable successes. As an awarded activist for Human Rights, Joana has been invited to speak at the United Nations Headquarters NYC, is a high-level expert adviser for the European Commission on Artificial intelligence and is one of the coordinators of the European Climate Pact in Portugal. Over the past few years, a lot of her enthusiasm has been directed toward the decentralized world of crypto and blockchain where she actively supports (mainly) female entrepreneurs in the cryptoart scene as a contribution to enhancing the collective power of the creative community to co-create an equitable world. Joana was recognized by Forbes as one of the brightest entrepreneurs, innovators and game-changers under the age of 30 who are transforming business as usual and changing the world in the Law and Policy category - Forbes 30 under 30.

Prior to joining the foundation, Bruno worked at IOHK and in Consensys, where for several years, he lead engineer, design and integrate blockchain solutions into enterprise systems. He brings a wealth of experience in software development, applied cryptography, key management systems and android. Besides web3, Bruno has worked in a variety of industries, including gaming and sport betting.

As a storyteller and inherent nerd, and fan of an Oxford Comma, I look for two things every day: The chance to create and the chance to learn. At the intersection of science and art, marketing is the best of both. For the last 6 years, I have worked in the crypto/blockchain space to build bridges from web2 to the weird and wonderful world of web3. My focus is on actionable audience insights, blending journalistic, cinematic and entrepreneurial instincts to create content across platforms – and I couldn't do it without a proper coffee and decent playlist.

Shane McGovern joined the Algorand Foundation as the Head of Platform Infrastructure in 2022. Prior to Algorand Foundation Shane has worked with traditional blue chip companies such as IBM before venturing into the Web3 world with Consensys. Shane is extremely keen on exercise and recently discovered Judo which has now become his obsession.

Summer has been with the Algorand Foundation since late 2019, and is responsible for the local community building and go-to-market strategy in China and APAC in general. She enjoys the great vibes within the global Algorand ecosystem and has established a thriving community through hundreds of events and campaigns she has held in the past few years. Summer loves extreme sports such as bungee jumping and snowboarding. Skydiving is the next thing on her list. She is also a language enthusiast - next time you see her, remember to say hello in your mother tongue.

Pravin is a passionate talent acquisition professional with over eight years of experience in talent management, global recruiting, and executive level hiring. He has extensively hired talent across various markets such as US, EMEA, APAC etc. Pravin joined Algorand Foundation as Talent Specialist in November 2023. Prior to joining the Algorand Foundation, Pravin was working with Exodus and he has been involved in the hiring across Web3 and blockchain space since 2019. He likes to travel, hike, play cricket and read blogs in his free time.

Christine has spent 25+ years in emerging tech, from hardware and software to digital media and blockchain. She spent 10 years in corporate communications, marketing and web operations at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal before founding Mohan Media, a boutique tech PR agency. Christine has worked in blockchain since 2017 as co-founder of Civil Media, a news verification platform built on Ethereum and funded by ConsenSys. She joined Web3 Foundation in its early days as CMO and launched the Polkadot brand before moving to KILT, an identity blockchain built on Polkadot, to lead business development. She is an advocate for diversity in tech.

Camilo is the Algorand Foundation Community Manager in Colombia and is responsible for growing the local ecosystem of developers, startups, and enthusiasts. Prior to joining the Algorand Foundation, Camilo has been involved in the blockchain ecosystem since 2018 being the leader of the Hyperledger community in Colombia and is one of the founding members of the Hyperledger Latinoamerica chapter. Camilo is also part of the Chainlink community as an advocate. Camilo has extensive experience in technology-based project management, design of electronic devices, structuring of Blockchain-based solutions, and smart contracts development.

Prior to joining the Algorand Foundation as the Head of Ecosystem Access, Devan held a number of commercial roles at prominent technology companies including Ripple, PayPal, and Xero. Passionate about all things Web3, Devan is focused making sure everyone has access to the Algorand ecosystem.

Johanna is passionate about startup and developer ecosystem building. She has held positions with Dogpatch Labs, Ireland’s leading startup hub as Innovation Partner Manager where she grew Google’s First Fridays For Startups initiative to be the largest startup engagement platform in Ireland. Previous to this as Europe's community development director for SoftLayer, an IBM company, where she focused on developing networks with leading accelerators, meet-ups, investors and entrepreneurs to identify high quality start-ups in all the major hubs in Europe in order to help them scale. More recently her dev ecosystem building has taken her to Web3.0. As Irish Community Lead at ConsenSys, she founded ‘Blockchain Ireland Week’ in 2019 which has scaled significantly. Currently as Developer Outreach Programs Lead for Algorand Foundation, she’s excited to nurture the next 10,000 developers building on Algorand through global programs.

Mohammad is a a developer with a year of experience, currently working as a junior support engineer at the Algorand Foundation. He graduated in 2023 and did an internship at IIT Bombay during his final year, working on a 9-month project as part of the Algorand Mega ACE program. He has served as a regional ambassador for AlgoBharat and has won many national and international blockchain hackathons. In his free time, he loves cooking and reading.

Jack is passionate about driving growth and engagement for important causes, projects and movements that have the potential to genuinely move the dial. He fundamentally believes that humility, authenticity and integrity are the core pillars of building meaningful community engagement. He studied Philosophy at Trinity College and later undertook postgraduate study in Psychology, he is also an electronic artist ‘zenna’ and on the weekend you’ll find him paddling out at the nearest surf break.

Ben is the Country Head for Algorand Foundation in Nigeria where he's developing and implementing the foundation's strategy in country and the broader African region which involves developing and managing strong relationships with the country's tech ecosystem, public and private sectors to advance blockchain adoption in Nigeria and the broader African region. Ben is the Cofounder of the Africa Blockchain Alliance, an organisation focused on blockchain education, policy advocacy, partnerships and building blockchain communities across Africa. He previously worked at Consensys as the Community Lead for Africa where he was responsible for building a Pan-African footprint for Consensys and Ethereum. Ben has been a consultant and advisor to multiple blockchain projects in Africa and globally. His areas of interest are in emerging technology, youth leadership and entrepreneurship ecosystems development. Ben is further interested in how new and emerging technologies such as blockchain can create a more inclusive, diverse and fair society.

Daniel Oon leads DeFi at Algorand Foundation. Before Algorand, Daniel was project manager at TZ APAC managing Tezos' portfolio in Asia Pacific. Prior to Tezos, Daniel was at Deloitte Consulting.

Danuta is a highly committed and versatile journalist specialized in communication, press and organization of private and corporate events. She has been in the background since March 2022 working with Carolina Carrasco, Head of Events at Algorand, ensuring the successful planning and execution of events. Before joining Algorand as an Events Specialist, Danuta was working as a freelance press officer and an event project manager. She started her career in niche fashion and perfume in the luxury sector as a head of press and PR, organizing events and press calls, and representing the Spanish press for the international fashion fair Pitti Immagine Uomo. Her professional experience has also been enriched by her work as an editor and academic coordinator in the journalism department of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. A trip to India led her to explore the e-commerce sector as a marketing and communication manager. Danuta absolutely loves traveling and she is an interior design enthusiast. She lives in Barcelona with her husband and son.

Autumn is Head of Community (Americas) for the Algorand Foundation. She loves working at the intersection of technology and social impact, and wants to share the revolution and opportunity happening in blockchain with others. Autumn brings to the Foundation over a decade of marketing and communications experience for digital companies, and direct experience growing blockchain communities. Previous to Algorand, Autumn was Head of Marketing & Community for shEOS - the first female-founded block producer on the EOS network. She’s most proud of co-launching the shEOS Foundation, which empowered young women in the Philippines with technology scholarships. Autumn’s favorite activities are camping and traveling with her husband and young daughters, waterskiing, snow-skiing, playing ball with her rescue pup, blasting music, making soup and hugging trees.

Marco Podien has over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, focusing on Developer Relations and the education of developers. His expertise includes working with decentralized identities and a commitment to broadening the accessibility of blockchain technology. Marco's role involves creating educational programs that effectively impart both theoretical and practical aspects of technology to professionals and enthusiasts alike. Outside of his professional pursuits, Marco is training to finally run another marathon after almost 10 years.

Joe graduated in 2020 with a computer engineering degree and went on to work in the defense industry right out of college. An interest in blockchain technology eventually led him to Algorand which he started to build on in his free time. After being an active member in the community, Joe was hired as part of the Foundation’s developer relations team. Joe is passionate about blockchain technology and believes it can make the world a better place, which is what he strives to accomplish with the Foundation. In his free time he enjoys riding his motorcycle, spending time out in nature, playing basketball, and learning about psychology and philosophy. Having lived in Massachusetts his whole life and attending college in Boston, he is an avid fan of the Boston Bruins and enjoys watching all Boston sports teams.

A seasoned IT professional with a proven track record in dynamic environments, Jordan brings over a decade of experience in IT management, technical support, and system administration. He has successfully navigated the intricacies of the IT landscape, contributing to the growth and operational efficiency of diverse organisations. Spending his most recent years helping fast paced start ups in achieving optimum efficiency, security and productivity. Jordan is a key player in technical support, harnessing the power of integration, automation and innovation.

Tej Rathore is a seasoned HR professional with over 16 years of experience, contributing valuable insights from his work in India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the UK. He focuses on harmonizing global HR functions, with specialization in strategy and operations, HR compliance, data protection compliances, and payroll management across the US, Europe, South America, and Asia. Tej has a proven track record in crafting and executing impactful HR strategies, including mergers, acquisitions, and talent development initiatives. He has successfully created and implemented HR programs and practices across geographically dispersed locations, effectively managing cross-border challenges and driving organizational consistency. He is passionate about leveraging innovative HR technologies to streamline processes and enhance organizational efficiency. With extensive experience across diverse geographic regions, he brings a unique perspective to building and sustaining effective HR practices.

Elliott Ribet is an accomplished Compliance Officer with an extensive 8-year track record in the Crypto/FinTech sector. He has been driving regulatory excellence and expansion strategies at Coinbase, Revolut and a number of crypto startups before joining Algorand Foundation. With expertise in AML, ABC, Data Protection/GDPR, and more, he is passionate about managing regulatory change and delivering compliance transformation, while navigating complex regulatory landscapes. Elliott holds certifications in Anti-Money Laundering, Virtual Currency and Information Privacy. Beyond his professional pursuits, he is multilingual, a travel enthusiast, and a sports and music aficionado.

Evangelina is the Student Engagement Lead at Algorand Foundation. Evangelina manages the community of students globally and is responsible for the coordination of activities, relationships and initiatives related to universities and students. Evangelina is a lawyer specializing in finance and she has been actively working in the blockchain ecosystem since 2018 in multiple initiatives.‍ Evangelina has developed her career as a Program Manager at the Blockchain Academy Chile of the Latamtech group, a Latinoamerican Startup. She was responsible for content creation, community development, and educational programs for developers and blockchain enthusiasts. She has written conceptual and technical content for the international media Be In Crypto. In addition, she has been part of projects advising on the development of the Alphaverse metaverse of the Atari company. Evangelina is from Argentina, is very energetic, loves electronic music and festivals. She lives close to the sea and spends time in nature, like trekking, swimming, running, and enjoys skating or going to the gym.

Katie is a multidisciplinary creative specialising in graphic design with over seven years of experience, working both agency side and in-house. Over the years she has collaborated with a variety of clients and industries, from world dominating energy corporations to luxury beauty brands. Katie particular enjoys bringing elements of illustration into her work, a hobby she also practices outside of work hours.Originally from near Manchester in the UK, she currently lives in East London. In her spare time she enjoys travelling to European Cities with friends, listening to music and attending festivals, watching films and running around London parks.

Waseem is primarily responsible for the growth and management of the UK Community at the Algorand Foundation. He is a super networker that enjoys socialising, building relations, supporting and onboarding new people to the community. He is passionate about making an impact in the blockchain space. Waseem is devoted to doing social good and making a difference to communities. He is involved with a social enterprise that aims to help impoverished and water deprived communities in Pakistan. Waseem loves travelling, experiencing different cultures and trying new cuisines. He loves his food, fortunately he burns off the calories by playing football every week and going to the gym. Waseem can speak five languages, with one of them being Italian! Hence his love for cars and coffee.

Caoimhe has worked in the field of Human Resources and Payroll just shy of 15 years -- mainly in the Tech, Financial and Fintech spaces and has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and a Post Graduate Diploma in Employment Law. She was Revolut’s 5th employee in Ireland and grew the Irish entity from the ground up which led her to becoming the Head of HR for the Europe, APAC and Americas regions, where she lead the Business Partnering, HR Operations, Global Mobility and HR Territory Expansion teams. She has deep knowledge and experience with startups, and understands the need to roll up your sleeves to get the work done.

Ori holds a BSc in Computer Science from the Technion, Israel. Prior to joining the Algorand foundation he worked as a Backend developer in the Recommendations team at Dynamic Yield (which was recently acquired by Mastercard). I'm passionate about learning new technologies and expanding my horizons. I believe that blockchain technology is here to stay and will have a powerful impact on the world's economy, society and culture. Ori enjoys snowboarding, cooking and listening to music.

Harpal started his career at PwC in both the UK and Cayman Islands but has spent the last 10+ years working in the asset management sector. His most recent role has been as Group CFO at Algebris Investments. He has helped grow boutique firms to multiples in size, redesigned finance departments and is very familiar working for global businesses with multi jurisdictional teams.

With a curious and versatile mind, Margarida's specialty is graphic design. With over six years of professional experience in various areas of design, Margarida has worked in various industries from environmental and social organizations, healthcare products, to contemporary jewelry and crypto. Her work is focused on cross-cultural design and before joining Algorand she worked with countries like Austria, Portugal, Bulgaria and Mozambique. Margarida currently lives in Portugal, but loves to travel and experience different cultures. Days in nature can never be too much, but wellness, reading and music are also part of her routine.

I am Ram Dheeraj Srigiri, an engineer turned finance graduate currently completing my Master in Management at ESCP Business School, the oldest business school still in existence. Over the past four years, I have studied across various countries, fostering my openness to change and diverse perspectives. During a two-year gap, I discovered my passion for start-ups and finance, leading me to work with VC funds and family offices in Germany. My interest in web3 was sparked during an internship with a Deep-tech VC when they made their first web3 investment into a DeSci project, Molecule. I later navigated through roles at other VC firms, eventually landing at a web3 fund, Blockwall Capital, and an accelerator, X Ventures. During this time, I evaluated thousands of projects and conducted due diligence on selected ones. To immerse myself further in the web3 space, I helped establish CityDAO's grants division and collaborated on developing automation tooling for various DAOs. When I found the opportunity to intern at Algorand Foundation, where my experience aligned perfectly with the role's responsibilities, I took the leap, and it has been one of my best decisions so far. Outside of work, I enjoy crossfit, skateboarding, and collecting vinyl records.

Meet is a backend engineer with over a decade of experience. She has won two Algorand hackathons, which led to meeting the AlgoBharat team. She served as a regional AlgoBharat Ambassador for 9 months and now works as a Support Engineer at the Algorand Foundation, providing technical support for Algorand-based projects. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and writing blogs in Marathi (her mother tongue), which has garnered her over 1,000 followers on Facebook.

Joanna brings almost a decade of experience in marketing across agency, tech, consumer packaged goods and Web3 for brands like Nature’s Path, NÜTRL Vodka, and Dapper Labs. She began her Web3 career as a hobby launching an NFT project in 2022 with some friends. Joanna found the Web3 community to be collaborative and energizing, so she dove into it full-time. When Joanna’s not online, she leads an active lifestyle through pilates and tennis and dabbles in acting and improv.

Michele works in the Economy Team where he is responsible for the mathematical modeling, simulation and understanding of the relevant processes that define the blockchain ecosystem, such as Circulating Supply Dynamics, Price Dynamics and Governance Framework. After the Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, Michele has visited as a researcher many Universities and Laboratories throughout Europe, doing research both in Theoretical Physics and Complex Systems, finally getting into Investment Banking as a Quant. As soon as he leaves the laptop, Michele throws himself into ultra marathons and ultra trails wandering for days and nights into the wild, but surely cannot survive on nothing but the dew of a single Ginko leaf.

John (Can) is a Web 3 Associate working within the Ecosystem Development team. He works on both inbound and outbound business development to ensure the growth of the Web 3 ecosystem of Algorand. He’s focused on contributing to tracking, coordinating and developing initiatives within Algorand’s Web3 Ecosystem designed to facilitate growth. With a passion for tokenization of real world assets and bringing value on chain, he aims to work on partnerships that will allow the next wave of users and developers to be onboarded onto Web3. Prior to working at the Algorand Foundation, John (Can) worked in several Banking and Consultancy firms, and was a part of the Business Development team at BiLira. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Doro Unger-Lee is the Head of Education and Inclusion at Algorand Foundation. Doro manages all education programs, university engagements and financial inclusion efforts at the Foundation. Before joining Algorand Foundation Doro Unger-Lee was a senior programme manager at international top universities, including UC Berkeley, MIT and the University of Cambridge.

Marc joined the Algorand Foundation as Chief Marketing Officer in March 2024. He has more than 20 years of experience in executive marketing positions, with a strong background in entrepreneurial, hyper growth business environments. Prior to Algorand Foundation, he was the CEO of Rulai, a start-up in the nascent Conversational AI space. Before that, he was CMO at Medallia, the leading SaaS platform that enables companies to capture actionable customer data in real time. At Google, he was vice president of marketing for Access and Energy and advisor to CapitalG. He is known for launching Android and developing the brand into the most popular mobile operating system. In addition he led marketing for Google Play and Google’s hardware and retail organizations. Marc lives in Sunnyvale, CA. He sits on several boards and enjoys advising start-up entrepreneurs. He received his M.B.A. from Stanford University and his M.S. degree in engineering from the University of Ghent, Belgium.

Nikhil Varma is the Technology Lead for the Algorand Foundation in India, guiding blockchain development and fostering a vibrant technical community. He is also a senior fellow at the Digital Economist, advising policy makers at global institutions like the UN and World Economic Forum. Nikhil is an Associate Professor of Management at Ramapo College of New Jersey, specializing in Operations and Supply Chain, Blockchain, Data Analytics, AI, and Sustainability. With over 20 years of industry experience and a background in Computer Science and Business Administration, he bridges technology and business. He holds degrees from Birla Institute of Technology, Concordia University, and HEC Montreal, where he also earned his PhD in Operations Management. Nikhil has held roles as a developer, architect, product manager, and management consultant, with extensive expertise in blockchain and decentralized business models. Nikhil is writing "Blockchain Capitalism", a book exploring how blockchain can address issues like inequality and power concentration, aiming to reinvent capitalism for the 21st century to be more inclusive and accountable.

Prior to joining the Board of the Algorand Foundation, Staci ran the Global Market Development practice at the Milken Institute, where she led its work on capital market development, crypto/blockchain solutions, and innovative finance to promote the sustainable development goals. Prior to Milken, Staci ran JPMorgan’s EMEA public sector practice out of London. Before JPMorgan, she led the Nasdaq’s two markets for microcap companies, and in the public and non-profit sectors had senior roles at the U.S. Treasury Department, the Center for Global Development, and the Harvard Institute for International Development. Staci has done business in more than 50 countries and has advised and spoken widely on the potential for cryptocurrencies and blockchain to solve real-world problems, and for financial innovation to improve inclusion and reduce global poverty. In addition to the Algorand Foundation, she sits on the Boards of the Global Blockchain Business Council, the Rwandan Capital Market Authority, and the Energy for Growth Hub. She also serves on the advisory committees of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee (STOA), the U.S. Financial Technology Association, and Evolution Environmental Asset Management.

Min is the Global Head of Ecosystem Growth where she is responsible for building partnerships, attracting and supporting web 3 verticals, and scaling community activations. She joins us from Blockchain.com, where she was leading partnerships. Previous to that, Min co-founded a venture-backed startup that built consumer facing apps and was the COO. Before jumping into the entrepreneurial world, Min held a number of roles across Partnerships, BD, and Strategy functions at technology and media companies. She started her career building software in financial services.

Ho has been practicing international commercial law and cross-border litigation since 2019 and has served as legal consultant to the Foundation since 2023. He participated in the 'Blockchain Founders Group S3 Superstars' incubator program, where he received funding to develop his startup idea. Ho has delivered professional training courses on artificial intelligence, commercial law, design thinking, and academic writing. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Melbourne. Before that, Ho worked as a translator for Taiwan's Ministry of Justice while he was completing his first degree in International Business. Ho is admitted as a Solicitor in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Outside of work, Ho travels and paints.

Brian leads global developer relations at Algorand Foundation, where he and his team help developers learn, integrate, apply, and contribute to Algorand technologies to solve real world problems and achieve great outcomes. Prior to joining the Foundation, Brian led global strategic transformation programs at Morgan Stanley. In his 15 years there, his work included the renovation of commodities operations systems, migration of EU derivatives clearing to Europe before Brexit, business enablement for global listed derivatives markets, and designing institutional capabilities for digital assets trading and custody. He also has extensive experience with global regulatory compliance, trading desk support, data analytics, and process automation. When he is not cooking up something amazing in the office, workshop, or kitchen, Brian is often volunteering his professional skills on a nonprofit board, committee, or task force. Brian studied Financial Economics and English Writing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

John Woods joined the Algorand Foundation as CTO in 2022. Prior to joining the leadership team he worked as Chief Architect of Cardano at IOHK. John has held roles leading software architecture and applied cryptography at a number of firms including Informatica and ConsenSys.

Eric joined the Algorand Foundation in July 2022 after spending over 20 years at JPMorgan, where he served most recently as Managing Director in structured finance and head of Asset Backed Securities for Northern Europe. During his time there, he successfully led the completion of over 100 fundraising, strategic disposal, principal investments, or advisory assignments, with an aggregate value exceeding $500bn. At the Foundation, Eric reports to CEO, Staci Warden, and leads global initiatives and strategic partnerships in traditional capital markets, as well as decentralized finance. Teams working in capital markets solutions, DeFi, capital markets access and integrations, investor relations and office of the chief economist report to him. He also chairs the Foundation's Investment Committee. Eric lives in central London where, together with his wife Francesca, they are revitalizing Rochester Square, a formerly derelict plant nursery, as a socially inclusive community arts hub.

Astha brings a profound passion for Web3 technologies, coupled with over 5 years of invaluable experience, to her role at the Algorand Foundation, where she joined in 2024.Astha's background spans key positions at OCBC Bank, Singapore as Assistant Vice President and Robert Bosch, India as a Blockchain Developer. Throughout her professional journey, she has consistently delivered impactful contributions to the blockchain space. Her expertise and guidance have been pivotal in advancing numerous projects, driving tangible progress within the industry. Astha has shared her insights at numerous conferences and events. She is committed to leveraging her expertise to foster the growth of Algorand's developer community, both in India and around the globe. Beyond her professional pursuits, Astha is a compassionate individual with a passion for travel, painting, and design. She finds solace in nature and believes strongly in kindness and empathy. In her leisure time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and exploring new ideas.

Daniel Yang is the head of investment and diversification for the Algorand Foundation and is a member of the investment committee. Daniel is passionnate and deeply involved with blockchain technology since 2016. In his previous role, he was an integral part of the Cumberland Asia team, a leading cryptocurrency trading firm in the space. In his previous life, Daniel worked in the institutional trading business for TD Bank, having managed and traded FX and Precious Metals products. He holds a Masters of Management Finance from Queens university in Canada and is a CFA Charterholder. In his free time, he follows religiously his hometown professional hockey team and enjoys the frosty feeling of playing ice hockey while living in the tropical climate of Singapore.

Larkin joined the product team at Algorand Foundation in April 2024 to help drive the development of ecosystem tooling. He is an experienced software engineer, product manager, and blockchain enthusiast with over two decades in the tech industry. With a strong background in developing decentralized solutions, previously Larkin led teams at ConsenSys, delivering bespoke decentralized platforms built on Ethereum and other EVM-compatible blockchains. Larkin is an avid runner and gym enthusiast, which is required to support his obsession with food.