Aaron Wright

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Tribute Labs

Aaron Wright is the co-founder and CEO of Tribute Labs and a Professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (where he is currently on leave). He played a role helping to launch Ethereum and has worked closely with a number of different prominent blockchain projects over the past several years.

At Tribute Labs, Wright leads a team that structures, conceives of, and supports the largest network of DAOs, including The LAO, Flamingo DAO, Neptune, Red DAO, Ready Player DAO, Neon DAO, and Dark Horse DAO.  These DAOs have supported over 200 projects, acquired thousands of NFTs, and have deployed millions of dollars into DeFI.

Outside of Tribute Labs, Wright's academic research has focused on smart contracts and the regulation of blockchain-based systems. His first book, Blockchain and the Law: The Rule of Code (Harvard University Press, co-authored with Primavera De Filippi) was published in 2018.  His other academic works have appeared in publications from Oxford University Press and the Hastings Law Journal.   Professor Wright has testified before Congress on issues related to blockchain technology, served on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and his work has been reviewed or excerpted by the The New York Times and Slate.

Jason Wood

Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

Jason Wood is a Managing Director with the Morgan Stanley Next Level Fund, focused on investments in Women-led and Multicultural Founded Early-Stage companies.  He has over 20 years of finance industry experience as both a principal investor and as a corporate advisor.  

Most recently before joining Morgan Stanley, Jason spent six years leading AIG’s Direct Equity, Venture Capital and Private Equity Co-investment business, with responsibility for sourcing transactions, executing on high conviction investment opportunities and overseeing the investment management process.  Prior to that, Jason was a Director with Zurich Alternative Asset Management, where he was responsible for the private equity co-investment and primary fund commitment business.  Earlier in his career, he served as a Vice President at Parish Capital Advisors, investing in and alongside Diverse and Emerging managers, and as an investment banking Associate with Merrill Lynch & Co. 

Jason earned a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from NYU Stern, where he was a Consortium Fellow.   He recently served as Treasurer and Chair of the Executive Committee for Common Denominator, a New York based non-profit focused on improving middle school students’ math and critical thinking skills. 

Barbara Widholm

Vice President, State Street Digital

Barbara Widholm is in Product Development, Digital Assets, NA, at State Street’s newest division focused on digital assets and technologies, encompassing the setup of a new integrated business and operating model to support clients’ entire digital investment cycle from pre-trade, trade, and post-trade as well as other initiatives designed to enhance the client experience.

Barbara joined State Street in EMEA in April 2016, where she started in the Global Markets FX Sales/RM for StreetFX and Indirect FX. Since then, she has worked in numerous roles and locations focused on Data Management, Pre-Sales Engineering and Product Development for all Segments. She relocated to Boston in 2019 to work for Alpha Data Management and Pre-Sales Engineering for Alternatives, Asset Owners, Asset Managers and Insurance.

Prior to joining State Street, she has worked globally in the US, UK, Germany starting at Goldman Sachs in London with a focus on Back office and Legal Documentation.

Barbara holds two Master of Science degrees. One in MSc Data Science completed in 2021 from the University of Edinburgh and one in MSc Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship from Manchester Business School. In addition, she has recently completed certificates on Coursera focusing on Blockchain, Cryptoassets, and Decentralized Finance.

Elizabeth Velez

President & Principal, Velez Organization

Elizabeth Velez spearheads strategic growth and project diversification for the 50-year-old Velez Organization as President and principal, ensuring that the second-generation construction services firm is one of the longest established and successful in the region. To her credit are hundreds of projects which have come to fruition under her direction, including over 600 units of housing made affordable by state and federal grants in the Bronx and Harlem, and over $10 billion of significant educational, healthcare, and large-scale projects throughout New York.

In 2022, Velez was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In July 2022, Ms. Velez was joined the MTA Traffic Review Board – a six- member panel to determine the city’s congestion pricing toll. She served until 2021 as commissioner of the NYC Property Tax Reform Commission, which produced public inclusive recommendations to create transparency and equity in the NYC tax system. From 2020 to 2021, she served for both Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo on COVID pandemic advisory and recovery boards. She also served on the New York Stands with Puerto Rico Recovery & Rebuilding Committee, and the New York Memorial Commission for Hurricane Maria. In her advocacy role for the design and building industry of New York, Velez was Chair of the New York Building Congress, the preeminent A/E/C industry group. She continues in a leadership role with the NYBC as the newly created Chair of the NYBC Council of Presidents.

Velez is a graduate of Hofstra University, with both a Bachelors and Masters of Business Administration

Phil Tseng

Managing Director, BlackRock

Phil Tseng, Managing Director, is a member of BlackRock's Global Credit Platform and President and COO of BlackRock TCP Capital Corp (NASDAQ: TCPC). He is Co-Head of US Private Capital and is the Investment Committee Co-Chair for BlackRock's US Private Capital (USPC) business. He is responsible for co-leading the platform, originating and executing investment opportunities, and maintaining relationships with key deal sources and intermediaries across the US. He is also Co-Chair of the Management Operating Committee for US Private Capital and a member of the Private Credit Executive Committee for Global Credit.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Mr. Tseng served on the Management Committee and was a Managing Partner at Tennenbaum Capital Partners (TCP). TCP managed more than $9 billion in committed capital and was acquired by BlackRock in 2018. In addition to managing the growth and build out of TCP, he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, structuring and executing private debt and equity investments. Prior to TCP, he held roles in equity research and investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Banc Alex Brown. Mr. Tseng currently serves as a Director on the Board of Connexity Inc., and previously on First Advantage, ITC DeltaCom, and Anacomp, Inc.

Mr. Tseng also serves on the Board of Trustees for the California Science Center Foundation and as a Director of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southern California.

Mr. Tseng received his A.B. with honors in Economics from Harvard College and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Nadya Tolokonnikova

Founding Member, Pussy Riot

Conceptual artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova is the founding member of Pussy Riot, a global feminist protest art movement. Today, hundreds of people identify as a part of the Pussy Riot community.

She was sentenced in 2012 to 2 years' imprisonment following an anti-Putin performance. Went through a hunger strike protesting savage prison conditions and ended up being sent far away to a Siberian penal colony, where she managed to maintain her artistic activity and with her prison punk band she made a tour around Siberian labor camps. Published a book "Read and riot: Pussy Riot's guide to activism".

Co-founder of independent news service and media outlet, Mediazona. Has spoken before the US Congress, British Parliament, European Parliament, appeared as herself on season 3 of House of Cards, performed at Banksy's Dismaland exhibition.

Pussy Riot's Punk-prayer was named by The Guardian among the best art pieces of the 21st century ("feminist, explicitly anti-Putin, protesting the banning of gay pride and the Orthodox church’s support of the president"), collaborated with Bansky on his Dismaland exhibition, endorsed by Marina Abramovic and Ai Weiwei, created an immersive experience in Saatchi gallery in London.

Pussy Riot joined the NFT community in early 2021, co-founder of UnicornDAO, instrumental in raising over $7m with UkraineDAO, a PleasrDAO member, and a supporter of a stronger female representation in the NFT space.

Pussy Riot stands for gender fluidity, inclusivity, matriarchy, love, laughter, decentralization, anarchy, and anti-authoritarianism.

Sumali Sanyal, CFA

Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager, Systematic Global Equities, Xponance

Sumali Sanyal is Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Systematic Global Equities Platform. She is the Lead Portfolio Manager for Xponance’s systematic active and passive equity products. She also co-leads the firm’s Quantitative Working Group, which is a collaborative forum for quantitative research at the firm. She is a co-founder of Piedmont Investment Advisors, an investment firm acquired by FIS Group, the predecessor company to Xponance®. At Piedmont, Sumali led the Quantitative Equity team. She served as the Chief Operating Officer of Piedmont for several years and at the time of its acquisition by FIS Group she held the position of Co-CIO of Equities. Prior to that, Sumali served as Director of Quantitative Research at Loomis Sayles.

Sumali received her B.S. and M.S. in Economics from the University of Calcutta, India, one of the premier educational institutions in India. She received her M.B.A. in Finance and Management Information Systems from Oakland University in Michigan. Sumali holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and has obtained the Certification in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute. She sits on the board of the CFA Society of North Carolina and is a member of the Chicago Quantitative Alliance (CQA), the Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM), 100 Women in Finance, and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). Sumali has served on the Board of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, on the Board of the Emily K Center, and on the Grants Committee of The Art of Giving.

Christine Sandler

General Partner, Head of Investor Relations, Walden Bridge Capital

Christine Sandler is a General Partner and Head of Investor Relations at Walden Bridge Capital, a leading cryptocurrency hedge fund. Christine brings decades of institutional sales, business development, and marketing experience across traditional finance and cryptocurrency markets to her current position. 

Previously, Christine held senior leadership positions at Fidelity Digital Assets and Coinbase, where she helped establish their respective institutional crypto businesses and led their business development, marketing, and research teams. Prior to working in the digital asset space, Christine held executive positions at Barclays, the New York Stock Exchange, and Merrill Lynch. She earned her BA in Economics from SUNY Stony Brook and is a graduate of the Insead Global Executive program. 

Margaret Rosenfeld

Chief Strategy & Legal Officer, Deltec International Group

Margaret is the Chief Strategy and Legal Officer of Deltec International Group, a global financial platform serving innovative and disruptive businesses for their banking, insurance and digital asset needs. She also serves on the board of directors of Gryphon Digital Mining, a Bitcoin mining operation with a net carbon-negative footprint and board of advisors of Caturiant, a DLT-based carbon credit registry and validator. Prior to Deltec, Margaret was a partner of K&L Gates, where she co-chaired its global Digital Assets, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency practice.  Margaret has more than 25 years of corporate, financing, strategic and securities experience focused on large private and public technology companies both in the United States and internationally, having practiced law with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in Tokyo, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London and Frankfurt and Smith Anderson in the Research Triangle Park region.  Margaret has been actively involved in the cryptocurrency industry since 2015, advising crypto mining and hosting companies, DeFi platforms, banks, DAOs, NFT issuers and platforms, stable coin companies and many others.  Margaret has engaged in service activities including serving on the NY Bar’s Committee on Securities Regulation, the NC Board of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the advisory board of the North Carolina Technology Association.  Margaret served as the Honorary German Consul for North Carolina (while maintaining her law practice) from January 2014 to December 2021, which was  a joint diplomatic appointment by the U.S. State Department and the German government.  She is a 1997 graduate of the George Washington University law school and received a B.A. from Rutgers University  in 1992. 

Steven Plate

Chief, Major Capital Projects, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Steven P. Plate joined the Port Authority in June 1985 and was appointed the agency’s first Chief, Major Capital Projects, in December 2015, where he oversees projects that include the Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement, the PATH to Newark Liberty International Airport extension, the Bayonne Bridge “Raise the Roadway” Navigational Clearance Project, the Port Authority Bus Terminal Replacement, Cross Harbor Freight Rail Tunnel, the emerging Gateway Tunnel project, and redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.  Previously, Mr. Plate served as the Deputy Chief of Capital Planning/Director of WTC Construction Department, where he continues to be responsible for all aspects of the project’s planning, financial strategies, processes and operations, and the management of both in-house and consultant staff, as well as coordinating with outside governmental agencies and major real estate and construction firms.  Mr. Plate has more than 40 years of proven leadership in program management, with particular experience managing major multibillion-dollar capital projects in both the private and public sectors, including JFK AirTrain. Mr. Plate earned his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Manhattan College in 1976.

Jacquelyn Melinek

Senior Crypto Reporter, TechCrunch

Jacquelyn Melinek is a senior crypto reporter at TechCrunch based in New York City. She was previously a crypto reporter for Blockworks covering DeFi, DAOs and crypto venture capital funding and prior to that covered energy markets for S&P Global Platts and Bloomberg News. Jacquelyn can be reached via email at jacquelyn@techcrunch.com or on Twitter at @jacqmelinek

Deniz Kent, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Prolific Machines

Deniz Kent, PhD is the Co-founder and CEO of Prolific Machines. Prior to starting Prolific, Dr Kent spent his career working in the pursuit of improving human health. After studying Cellular and Molecular Medicine, he began researching in a tumour immunology lab, working to reprogram the immune system to fight cancer. After this, he went to GSK and worked to reprogram the immune system to respond to allergens with tolerance instead of inflammation. He did his doctorate in stem cell biology, and during his PhD he co-discovered a new liver stem cell, and conducted the world's first high throughput screen on hiPSC-derived hepatocytes. During his PhD, Deniz conceived of the idea for Prolific Machines, a cell type agnostic assembly line for biomanufacturing. Applications for Prolific Machines span cultured meat, biologics manufacturing, cell based therapies, and beyond.

Rabia Iqbal

Managing Partner, Nural Capital

Rabia Iqbal is Managing Partner of Nural Capital. Nural Capital is a web3 investing platform focused on providing access to top blockchain funds and direct investments. Nural's investors include FTX Ventures, executives from leading VC firms, global family offices, HNWs, and crypto natives like Kenetic Capital. Rabia began personally investing in crypto in 2017; she is excited about the power of web3 to build community and financial independence for a wide swath of the world.

Rabia brings ten years of experience from the traditional finance sector to web3 investing. Prior to Nural Capital, Rabia worked at Morgan Stanley, Mubadala Capital, and Coatue Management covering investments, business development, and operations. She holds a BS from Cornell University and is a member of the Milken Young Leaders Circle.

Sir Michael Hintze

Founder, Executive Chairman & Senior Investment Officer, CQS

Sir Michael is the Founder, Executive Chairman and Senior Investment Officer of CQS. He is a Senior Partner and serves as a Director on the CQS Board of Directors. Sir Michael is also a Senior Portfolio Manager.

Prior to establishing CQS in 1999, Michael held a number of senior roles at CSFB and Goldman Sachs. He began his career in finance in 1982 with Salomon Brothers, New York, after working as an Electrical Design Engineer in Australia, where he had also served as a Captain in the Australian army.

Michael is a fluent Russian speaker. He holds a BSc in Physics and Pure Mathematics and a BEng in Electrical Engineering both from the University of Sydney. He also holds an MSc in Acoustics from the University of New South Wales, an MBA from Harvard Business School, received a DBA (honoris) from the University of New South Wales and a DEng (honoris causa) from the University of Sydney.

Zack Guzmán

Founder, Trustless Media

Zack Guzman is a crypto journalist and founder of the Meta/Bulletin newsletter "Crypto Uncomplicated." He was the creator of Yahoo Finance's "Crypto Corner" and host of Yahoo Finance's millennial money show "YFi PM." He previously worked as a multimedia reporter at CNBC covering startups and technology. His reporting has been featured across multiple platforms including the New York Post, Washington Post, Huffington Post, NBC, Entrepreneur and AOL. Before graduating from Harvard, he was selected by a committee of his peers and alumni to address graduating seniors, family, and faculty at Class Day with a comedic oration.

Rembrandt Flores

Founder, 8Commas

Rembrandt Flores is the Founder of 8Commas, a marketing consultancy for NFT projects, cryptocurrencies, protocols, and other Blockchain-native businesses. With esteemed companies such as dYdX, Metacrafters, Xsolla, McLaren Automotive, ZINU, Forgotten Runes, Origin, Coach and Basic.Space, 8Commas continues to shift culture through its work within Web3. 

Flores is also a Partner at Flowing Ventures. He has served as both an investor and/or advisor to numerous startups such as Flip, Cameo, Proof of Learn, Casper, Versus Game, Away, MOSH, JPEGD, kumu, Feels, MOON, Iconic Hearts, PYM, Ape Water, and Hashflow.

Prior to that, he was Founder & Executive Director of Celebrity Partnerships and Events at Entertainment Fusion Group (EFG). At EFG, he had the privilege of working on a slew of recognizable brands to include Tinder, ASICS, Electronic Arts, Oakley, Fox, Diageo, VEVO, EMI, LG Mobile, Monster Energy, HTC, Capcom, sbe, Macy’s, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Generosity Water and Ubisoft as well as events for The Oscars, Emmys, Sundance Film Festival, Grammys, Coachella, SXSW, Toronto Film Festival and MTV Video Music & Movie Awards. Exceptional experiences are at the core of his ethos and consumer impact.

Rick Doblin

Executive Director, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and three children.

Marcos Díaz González

Executive Vice President, STV

Marcos Díaz González is Executive Vice President of Advisory Services & Program Management Services at STV, a leading firm providing engineering, architectural, planning, advisory, environmental, and construction and program management services for clients in the transportation, infrastructure, buildings, facilities, and energy sectors. He has over 20 years of experience as an operations executive, project executive, program manager, mergers and acquisitions lead, and business developer.

His expertise ranges across multiple market sectors including institutional high-performance venues, transportation, planning, government-advisory, buildings, site development, environment, and sports, as well as multiple delivery methods including Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build, and Public Private Partnerships.

Marcos was inducted into the National Academy of Construction in 2021 and is also a leader in civic engagement. He is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, and the Chair-Elect of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York. Marcos is also the vice chair of the Board of Advisors for the Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Spaces at Columbia University, where he is an Adjunct Professor.

Marcos was one of Engineering News-Record New York’s inaugural Top 20 Under 40 awardees. In 2020, he received the ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York Board Service Award.

Marcos studied engineering in Spain, received an AS in mathematics from Foothill College, graduated with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University (Phi Beta Kappa), and has M.Arch. and MBA degrees from Yale University.

Tim Chrisman

Executive Director, Association for Space Finance

Tim Chrisman is a space policy and geopolitics expert who writes extensively about the future of humanity in space. Tim founded the Association for Space Finance, the industry association representing space investors, and whose membership ranges from small family offices to Barclays Investment Bank. He also leads the Foundation for the Future, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. which is leading the policy conversation around space infrastructure.

Tim is a former Army officer, who spent nearly a decade leading intelligence teams in combat and special operations units through five deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. After his military service, Tim was selected to be a special advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before joining the Central Intelligence Agency. He held multiple assignments at the Agency, including with the Directorate of Operations and Directorate of Analysis.

Tim studied at American University where he earned his Masters in International Relations and Affairs; the second of his two master's degrees (the other is in Intelligence Studies). Tim is the author of the book Humanity in Space.

Thomas Bohner

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Credix Finance

Bio: Thomas Bohner is the Founder and CEO of Credix Finance, an institutional DeFi platform connecting investors with FinTech lenders in Emerging Markets. Mr. Bohner is an experienced financial technology executive and entrepreneur. He launched a blockchain and crypto business unit within IntellectEU, a global software engineering company. He was involved in building blockchain-based clearing & settlement systems for institutions such as the London Stock Exchange and Australian Securities Exchange, creating a global leader in blockchain advisory and professional services.