Executive
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Dr. Adam Back
CEO & Co-Founder at Blockstream
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Dr. Adam Back is a pioneering cryptographer, cypherpunk, and inventor of Hashcash. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Distributed Systems) from the University of Exeter. As CEO of Blockstream, he leads scaling operations, mining infrastructure, and protocol development. Profile Deep Dive ➡️
- Hashcash (1997) Inventor of the CPU Proof-of-Work algorithm utilized in the Bitcoin consensus mechanism and cited in the References section of the Bitcoin Whitepaper.
- Satoshi Nakamoto Correspondence One of the first two people contacted via email by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 regarding hashcash citations.
- Ecosystem Sponsor (Liquid & CLN) Provides high-level executive sponsorship for Blockstream’s Layer 2 initiatives, including Core Lightning and the Liquid sidechain.
- Early Cypherpunk Projects Creator of the Mixmaster anonymous remailer system and early active reviewer of PGP frameworks.
Exits: 1 (Zero-Knowledge Systems)
Active Portfolio: 4+
Est. Net Worth: $50M – $100M+ USD (Speculative)
| Years | Company | Role | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 – Pres. | Blockstream | Co-Founder & CEO | Active ($3.2B Val. / Jan 2023 raised $125M convertible debt) |
| 2003 – 2014 | Cryptography Advisory | Independent Consultant | Advisory / Malta base |
| 1998 – 2003 | Zero-Knowledge Systems | Chief Cryptographer | Acquired & Restructured |
Active Investments:
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Lightning Address
adam@blockstream.com
GitHub Profile
@adam3us
Reddit Profile
/u/adam3us