Edison Lim

Co-Founder and CEO of Based

Summary

I am a programmer and entrepreneur based in Singapore. I co-founded Based, a crypto SuperApp that lets people trade everything and spend everywhere from a single self-custodial wallet. Users can access crypto markets, equities, and prediction markets in one unified platform, while spending stablecoins globally via the Based Visa Debit Card. To date, Based has processed nearly $36 billion in trading volume and generates eight-figure annual recurring revenue. 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.

Work Experience

Based

Co-Founder and CEO | 2021 - Present

Based is a crypto SuperApp that lets people trade everything and spend everywhere from a single self-custodial wallet. Users can access crypto markets, equities, and prediction markets in one unified platform, while spending stablecoins globally via the Based Visa Debit Card. To date, Based has processed nearly $36 billion in trading volume and generates eight-figure annual recurring revenue.

Zilliqa

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).

Alta Exchange

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.

Carnegie Mellon University

Data Engineer

Built data pipelines for ML researchers under the leadership of Prof. Andrew Moore.

Education

Carnegie Mellon University

Master of Science - Information Security | 2018

  • SMU-CMU fast-track program. Completed both bachelor's and master's degrees in 5 years.
  • National Infocomm Scholarship recipient (Bachelor's + Master's). Awarded by the Singapore Government, IMDA.

Singapore Management University

Bachelor's Degree, Information Systems (Summa Cum Laude) | 2013 - 2016

Dean's List

Notable Achievements

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