Charles Hoskinson

Charles Hoskinson is a Colorado-based technology entrepreneur and mathematician. He attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder to study analytic number theory before moving into cryptography through industry exposure.

His professional experience includes founding three cryptocurrency-related start-ups – Invictus Innovations, Ethereum and IOHK – and he has held a variety of posts in both the public and private sectors. He was the founding chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation’s education committee and established the Cryptocurrency Research Group in 2013.

His current projects focus on educating people about cryptocurrency, being an evangelist for decentralization and making cryptographic tools easier to use for the mainstream. This includes leading the research, design and development of Cardano, a third-generation cryptocurrency that launched in September 2017.

Charles attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studied analytic number theory. He dropped out of college before moving into cryptography through industry exposure. 

In 2013, Charles quit his consulting job to begin a project called the Bitcoin Education Project, where he talked about how the limited supply of Bitcoin makes it like a digital form of gold. Later that year, he joined the Ethereum team as one of five original founders with Vitalik Buterin and held the position of Chief Executive. 

In late 2014, Charles and former Ethereum colleague Jeremy Wood formed IOHK (Input Output Hong Kong), an engineering and research company that focuses on building cryptocurrencies and blockchains. IOHK's key project is Cardano, a public blockchain and smart contract platform that hosts the ADA cryptocurrency. 

In 2017, IOHK sponsored research labs focusing on blockchain technology at the University of Edinburgh and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, which resulted in the development of the Ouroboros blockchain consensus protocol. Charles has also contributed significantly to academic research in blockchain technology and has donated $500,000 to the University of Wyoming to create a blockchain laboratory.

In 2020, he spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he stated that blockchain may eventually cause social change. Charles appeared as a witness before the commodity exchanges, energy, and credit subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture in 2022, demonstrating his growing influence in the industry.

Charles Hoskinson's vision is to revolutionize the world of cryptocurrency by bringing decentralization to the mainstream. He believes that cryptographic tools should be easy to use and accessible to everyone, and his focus is on educating people about cryptocurrency to help achieve this goal. As a technology entrepreneur, he has founded several cryptocurrency-related startups and held various positions in both public and private sectors.

Charles's passion for cryptocurrency is evident in his work, and he has established himself as an evangelist for decentralization. His most significant project is the research, design, and development of Cardano, a third-generation cryptocurrency that launched in 2017. Charles aims to create a platform that is scalable, secure, and efficient, while also being environmentally friendly.

In addition to his work on Cardano, Charles is committed to promoting research in blockchain technology and supporting academic institutions that focus on this area. His vision is to enable the widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, ultimately leading to a more decentralized and equitable world.