Barry Silbert

Barry Silbert is an investor and pioneer in the crypto-sphere. In 2013, he started a Bitcoin investment fund, and seeded $2 million dollars via SecondMarket, an investment technology firm he founded and later sold to Nasdaq. Currently, he is the CEO and founder of the Digital Currency Group (DCG).

In 2015, he started DCG, which he describes as “sitting at the epicentre of the Bitcoin and blockchain industry.” According to Silbert’s LinkedIn Page, “DCG is a global enterprise that builds, supports, and invests in companies all over the world.” He is also the owner of Grayscale Investments, which is the largest asset manager in the crypto industry, totalling over $2 billion in assets under management. Through these financial ventures, Silbert has provided funding for more than 150 companies around the world, including Coinbase, CoinDesk, Luno, Genesis Trading, Ripple, BitPay and Chainalysis.

Barry is a graduate of the Goizueta Business School of Emory University and was already a licensed stock broker in high school by passing the Series 7 Exam at age 17. 

Silbert was named Entrepreneur of the Year by both Ernst & Young and Crain's and ranked in the "40 under 40" list by Fortune.

Barry Silbert went to Emory University Goizueta Business School and graduated in 1988. Silbert went to one of the financial capitals’ of the world, New York, to begin his career. He started his career as an analyst with Houlihan Lokey Howard and Zukin, a niche investment institution.

In this role, Silbert was able to gain exposure to several divisions such as financial restructuring and more. He was able to step into the field of restructuring right as the tech boom was about to wind down.
Silbert started his own firm, he called it Restricted Stock Partners. Restricted Stock Partners was a simple operation that dealt with more complex matters. The vision was to provide investors with fairly illiquid or low-volume assets to move these assets. These assets included publicly restricted stocks. He made a few pitches to investors in his circle and was able to start the firm with a total of $400,000.

The firm progressed over time and went digital, Silbert would add more investors from firms such as FirstMark Capital, who invested large sums in the firm, the firm was later called Second Market.

In 2014, Digital Currency Group started to come to life behind the scenes. DCG would oversee the launch of the BIT, the acquisition of soon-to-be subsidiary Genesis Trading. The firm saw the rise of Bitcoin and find itself invested in a variety of startups that included the likes of Coinbase, BitPay, Ripple, Ethereum Classic, Ripio, and more.

DCG also has a number of subsidiaries that are themselves, big industry players. These include asset management company Grayscale, as well as the blockchain news and info platform CoinDesk. 

Barry Silbert's vision revolves around advancing the adoption and growth of digital currencies and blockchain technology worldwide. He believes that digital currencies and blockchain technology have the potential to revolutionize the traditional financial system by making transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure. Silbert has been an active participant in the cryptocurrency industry, and his ventures have been instrumental in shaping the industry's growth.

Silbert's Digital Currency Group (DCG) is a global enterprise that builds, supports, and invests in companies all over the world, with the aim of accelerating the growth of the digital currency and blockchain ecosystem. His investments have helped bring digital currencies into the mainstream, with DCG investing in over 150 companies worldwide, including Coinbase, BitPay, Ripple, and Chainalysis. Silbert's vision for the industry is to create a decentralized financial system that operates on blockchain technology and eliminates the need for traditional intermediaries. Overall, Silbert's vision is to make digital currencies accessible to everyone and to create a world where individuals have greater control over their financial assets.