CoinDesk Most Influential 2021
It was a massive year for crypto: 12 months when long-held theses were validated and many once sci-fi concepts became relatively mainstream.
Celebrities embraced NFTs and DAOs became a thing. The U.S. Congress taxed crypto (but accepted it more and more). And the markets.. well, they were nuts.
“Crypto” today means more than it did a year ago and much more than it did a decade ago. It takes in the future of money, the future of culture, perhaps the future as we know.
Most Influential is CoinDesk’s recognition of this wide-ranging field of innovation. The following names were selected first by readers in a survey and then by staff over two rounds of (intense) meetings.
The top 10 (the “Most Influential”) are recognized for outstanding contributions across development, business building, regulation, gaming, art and investing. CoinDesk commissioned 10 artists to create portraits of these influencers, with NFTs of the works available at platforms like SuperRare and Foundation. Up to 20% of the sales will go to charities of the artists’ choice.
The “notable 40″ (below the top 10) are recognized for their ongoing work. We’ll roll out more profiles and interviews over the course of this week.
Top 10
Why: For naming stadia “FTX” and becoming crypto’s richest and cleverest twentysomething.
Artist: Pindar Van Arman
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: The Giving Block/ art therapy at a local hospital.
Roham Gharegozlou, CEO Dapper Labs
Why: For leading NBA Top Shot and bringing tokens to sports (including the NFL).
Artist: Panter Xhita
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: Ocean Clean Up
Why: For contributions to the biggest Bitcoin upgrade in years.
Artist: Stellabelle
NFT available at: Foundation
Charity: Sloth Conservation Foundation
Trung Nguyen, CEO of Axie Infinity (COMING WEDNESDAY 12/8)
Why: For making crypto fun and catalyzing a “play to earn” juggernaut
Artist: Matias Romano Aleman
NFT available at: Foundation
Charity: The Giving Block Mental Health Cause Fund
Jack Mallers, founder and CEO of Strike (COMING WEDNESDAY 12/8)
Why: For his work in El Salvador with President Bukele and development of the Bitcoin Lightning Network.
Artist: The Last Confirmation - a Norman X Robness collaboration
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: The Giving Block Disasters and Conflict Cause Fund
Elon Musk, entrepreneur (COMING WEDNESDAY 12/8)
Why: For his Dogecoin advocacy and showing the dangers of influencers on crypto-markets.
Artist: Federico Solmi
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: The Giving Block Children & Education Cause Fund
Cynthia Lummis, U.S. Senator, Wyoming (COMING THURSDAY 12/9)
Why: For leading pro-bitcoin discourse in the U.S. Senate.
Artist: Gisel X Florez
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: The Giving Block Children & Education Cause Fund
Gary Gensler, SEC Chair (COMING THURSDAY 12/9)
Why: For grasping the nettle of crypto regulation.
Artist: Skygolpe
NFT available at: Known Origin
Charity: The Giving Block Mental Health Cause Fund
Do Kwon, CEO Terraform Labs (COMING THURSDAY 12/9)
Why: For his contributions to Cosmos and the multi-chain future.
Artist: Jake the Degen
NFT available at: Open Sea
Charity: Chicago Community Bond Fund
Katie Haun, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz (COMING FRIDAY 12/10)
Why: For leading policy discussions and notable investments.
Artist: Sasha Katz
NFT available at: SuperRare
Charity: Too Young to Wed
The Honorable 40
The following are recognized for their ongoing contributions to the crypto industry.
All Seeing Seneca – The creative lead behind Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Naveen Jain – He created a global identity solution using emojis.
Polynetwork Hacker – For educating us on the difference between “hack” and “exploit.”
Roneil Rumburg – Audius’s CEO on growing a Web 3 Spotify to ~500,000 monthly listeners.
Michael Shaulov – A DeFi powerhouse finds a balance between decentralization and compliance.
Francis X. Suarez – Miami’s Mayor: “I’ve learned how extensive the network of crypto stakeholders truly is.”
Camila Russo – The Defiant founder: “We are just learning how powerful cryptocurrencies and smart contracts can rally people globally.”
Tim Beiko – By 2030, Ethereum’s economy will be [at] “top 10 country” scale, says this Ethereum developer.
Mark Cuban – Crypto “will have the same impact on business and consumers as the internet did, if not more.”
Willy Woo – For building a 21st century media empire.
We’ll recognize more figures from the industry over the next few days.
