Sergey Nazarov (businessman)

Sergey Nazarov
Born1986 (age 38–39)
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materNew York University
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCo-founder of blockchain network Chainlink

Sergey Nazarov is an American entrepreneur and technologist who co-founded the decentralized blockchain oracle network Chainlink.[1][2]

Early life and education

Nazarov was born in 1986. His parents were engineers. In 2007, he graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and management. Following his graduation, Nazarov was a teaching fellow at the New York University's Stern School of Business.[3]

Career

In 2009, Nazarov co-founded the peer-to-peer marketplace ExistLocal and worked at the venture capital firm FirstMark Capital. In 2011, he established QED Capital, an early-stage venture fund. Through QED, he launched the decentralized email service CryptaMail and the Secure Asset Exchange in 2014.[3]

In September 2014, Nazarov co-founded SmartContract.com with Steve Ellis.[4] The company worked with Cornell Tech professor Ari Juels to develop a decentralized oracle network. This work led to the launch of Chainlink in June 2017, accompanied by a white paper co-authored by Nazarov, Ellis, and Juels.[5] Nazarov was also part of a team that worked with SWIFT on a pilot project for automated bond payments using a smart contract. As CEO of Chainlink Labs, Nazarov oversaw the project's growth and developed features including Proof-of-Reserve and the Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP).[6]

Recognition

In March 2025, Nazarov was invited to the White House Crypto Summit in Washington, D.C..[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "How Chainlink Labs CEO Sergey Nazarov sees tariffs affecting DeFi". American Banker. April 10, 2025.
  2. ^ "Chainlink's Sergey Nazarov discusses meeting with SEC Chair Paul Atkins". CNBC. September 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Satoshi Files: Sergey Nazarov | CoinMarketCap". CoinMarketCap Academy.
  4. ^ "Chainlink co-founder wants web3 to provide cryptographic guarantees to the world". March 29, 2024.
  5. ^ https://www.proquest.com/docview/3176313248/
  6. ^ Locke, Taylor. "'A solvable problem': Chainlink founder Sergey Nazarov remains bullish on cross-chain future with SWIFT partnership". Fortune Crypto.
  7. ^ "Trump signs order to create bitcoin reserve, crypto stockpile". American Banker. March 7, 2025.
  8. ^ "Chainlink's Nazarov on White House Crypto Summit". March 18, 2025 – via www.bloomberg.com.