Anthony Di Iorio is a Canadian entrepreneur primarily known as a co-founder of Ethereum and an early investor in Bitcoin. Di Iorio is the founder and CEO of the blockchain company Decentral, and the associated Jaxx wallet.[1] He also served as the first chief digital officer of the Toronto Stock Exchange.[2] In February 2018, Forbes estimated his net worth at $750 million–$1 billion.[3]
Anthony Di Iorio | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) |
| Known for | Co-founder of Ethereum |
Early life
editDi Iorio grew up with two older siblings in north Toronto, Ontario.[4] He graduated with a degree in marketing from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University).[3] Di Iorio began developing websites during the early 1990s,[5] and eventually entered the rental housing market as an investor and landlord in Toronto, Ontario. In 2012, he sold his rental properties to invest in Bitcoin, and began to organize companies in the field of cryptocurrency.[6]
Career
editDi Iorio began his career working in marketing at a machine manufacturer before he went on to work for his family's patio-door-making business in Woodbridge, Ontario. The family business was sold in 2008, and Di Iorio’s father supported him as he launched a short-lived geothermal drilling company.[3][4]
He first learned about bitcoin from a podcast called Free Talk Live in 2012. According to The Globe and Mail, he "had an anti-authoritarian streak" and questioned "the fundamentals of mainstream economics." Di Iorio bought his first bitcoin the same day for $9.73. He created the Toronto Bitcoin Meetup Group which held its first meeting at a pub in the same year.[4] As the Meetups grew from about eight attendees to hundreds, Di Iorio formed the Bitcoin Alliance of Canada.[4]
In 2013 Di Iorio founded a Bitcoin wallet Chrome extension called KryptoKit, with Steve Dakh, who created an app for web browsers that allows users to pay for products and services using the cryptocurrency wallet.[7] KryptoKit was later joined by Buterin, Erik Voorhees, and Roger Ver in 2014.[8] In 2014 Di Iorio co-founded the cryptocurrency platform Ethereum,[9] that has been valued at $7 billion[6] and had a market cap of $1.6 billion in 2017.[5]
In 2021, he stated that he intended to leave the crypto market due to "safety concerns."[10]
TSX, Jaxx, and boards
editIn January 2016, TMX Group hired Di Iorio as the first chief digital officer of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).[2][11] In February 2016, Di Iorio announced the launch of Jaxx, a unified platform that provides wallet services for both Bitcoin and Ethereum. He left his position at TSX to focus on Jaxx.[12] Di Iorio is the founder and serves as CEO of Decentral Inc., the developer of Jaxx.[4][13]
Di Iorio has been involved in the development of a rating system for initial coin offerings and attempting to unite various cryptocurrencies into one financial ecosystem.[14] In a series of articles published in February 2018, Forbes named Di Iorio among its list of the top-20 richest people in cryptocurrency.[15]
References
edit- ^ Wong, Natalie (June 21, 2018). "Ethereum Billionaire Looks to China for Next Big Crypto Winners". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ a b Daly, John (2017-02-01). "How blockchain technology could revolutionize the markets". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ a b c Younglai, Rachelle; Chambers, Stephanie (June 20, 2018). "Cryptocurrency tycoon buys $28-million penthouse in former Trump Toronto hotel". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ a b c d e Pachner, Joanna (November 27, 2018). "Livin' large with Canada's crypto king". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ a b "Meet the banker, venture capitalist and eight others changing the way we think and work". Financial Post. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ^ a b Brownell, Claire (27 June 2017). "Vitalik Buterin: The cryptocurrency prophet". Financial Post. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ^ Biggs, John (2013-12-10). "KryptoKit Lets You Pay In Bitcoin Instantly On Almost Any Webpage". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ Eha, Brian Patrick (2014-01-06). "This Bitcoin Wallet Service Just Added 3 Major Players to its Roster". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Ethereum co-founder Anthony Di Iorio says crypto wallets are the new browsers". BetaKit. 2017-11-06. Archived from the original on 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ^ "Ethereum Co-Founder Says Safety Concern Has Him Quitting Crypto". Bloomberg.com. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
- ^ Lou, Ethan (2016-03-04). "Canada's TSX hires Bitcoin guru, studies currency's technology". Reuters. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Bitcoin guru leaves Canada's TSX to focus on blockchain venture". Reuters. 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ Wieczner, Jen (2018-06-15). "Dreaming of a Crypto Christmas With Ethereum Cofounder Anthony Di Iorio". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Di Iorio and Shrem to offer token rating service and Jaxx Unity reward coin". 4 July 2017.
- ^ "The Richest People In Cryptocurrency". Forbes. February 6, 2018. Retrieved 2019-04-28.