Co-Founder and CEO of BasedApp
I am a programmer and entrepreneur based in Singapore. I co-founded a fintech startup that lets people spend crypto directly using a VISA debit card without having to off-ramp into a bank account, saving users fees and complexity. Before starting my own company, I led engineering at Zilliqa, a high-performance blockchain built from scratch. I also led engineering at Alta Exchange, a regulated private equities exchange in Singapore. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Master's in Information Security. However, I prefer to build products rather than break things.
Co-Founder and CEO | 2021 - Present
Leading a fintech startup that enables people to spend crypto directly without having to off-ramp into a bank account, saving users fees and complexity. Developed a crypto debit card with competitive FX rates. Before BasedApp, we built a crypto payment gateway that lets merchants accept payments for one-time purchases and subscriptions. Raised $2.7M in 2022 from Spartan Capital, Hashed, Defiance Capital, and executives from Nansen, Babylon, and Altlayer.
Engineering Lead | 2018 - 2021
Led systems engineering efforts for mainnet launch. Conducted developer relations to teach people to write smart contract code in Scilla (an OCAML-like language). Wrote two open-source codebases: an RPC-testing tool and a JavaScript SDK to interact with Zilliqa. Since Zilliqa is not an EVM chain, other SDKs don't work. Architected early apps on Zilliqa, including a DEX, atomic swaps, and a programmatic advertising system (commissioned by Pepsi and WPP).
Tech Lead
Led a team to build an OTC platform and custodian software based on Intel-SGX to secure a Capital Markets Services license from MAS.
Data Engineer
Built data pipelines for ML researchers under the leadership of Prof. Andrew Moore.
Master of Science - Information Security | 2018
Bachelor's Degree, Information Systems (Summa Cum Laude) | 2013 - 2016
Dean's List