Not only will 2021 be remembered for record cryptocurrency prices and eye-watering valuations for blockchain businesses, but also for a new influx of talent into the rapidly expanding sector.
Interestingly, 70% of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 came from the cryptocurrency space with 21 blockchain pioneers and innovators on the list, almost double the number from last year.
The list is made up of a diverse group of individuals, including programmers, artists, media executives, and venture capitalists who are working together to build out and invest in the next generation of the worldwide web, developing novel non-fungible tokens (NFTs), pioneer crypto philanthropy, and disrupt global finance using technology made popular by Bitcoin.
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Who is on the Forbes list?
With a net worth of $26.5 billion, Sam Bankman-Fried, the 29-year-old founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is now the world’s wealthiest under-30 with a net value of $26.5 billion.
When he entered the 2021 Forbes Under 30 ranking, his FTX crypto exchange had recently raised $40 million at a value of $1.2 billion. Following two massive fundraising rounds at an $18 billion valuation in July and a $25 billion value in October — Bankman-Fried has amassed a net worth of $26.5 billion.
Recently, Fried said that the cryptocurrency market would continue to endure crashes and bull runs, but certain projects will most likely withstand the volatility cycles. The crypto protocols and initiatives that will live the longest, according to him, are those that can scale to allow for widespread adoption as blockchain technology grows in popularity.
Buterin the youngest crypto billionaire
Elsewhere, Vitalik Buterin, the 27-year-old co-creator of Ethereum (ETH), is the world’s youngest known crypto billionaire with a net worth of $1.4 billion.
When Buterin first appeared on the 30 under 30 list, he was 23 years old, and Ethereum’s market value was over $30 billion, with his net worth estimated to be approximately $400 million at the time. As of this writing, the value of the Ethereum network has surpassed $500 billion, making him one of the youngest known billionaires.
Earlier this year, Buterin showed his philanthropic side donating $600,000 in ETH and Maker (MKR) towards India’s Covid-19 relief as well as sending over 10 trillion Shiba Inu (SHIB), which was converted into $76 million in stablecoins.
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