NEAR Protocol Co-Founder Illia Polosukhin Becomes NEAR Foundation CEO
TL;DR
- The NEAR Foundation has a new CEO, which was announced at NEAR Con this past week.
- NEAR has big plans for growth and adoption in the upcoming year (dare we say, hiring plans as well?)
Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol, has assumed the role of CEO at the NEAR Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to expanding the NEAR ecosystem. This change follows the departure of former CEO Marieke Flament, after a two-year tenure. Initially, Chris Donovan, NEAR's general counsel, was named as Flament's successor, but he will now serve as the foundation's chief operating officer.
This leadership transition was revealed at the onset of the NEARCON convention in Lisbon, Portugal, in November 2023. Polosukhin's appointment coincided with an active period for NEAR, marked by the announcement of a collaboration with Polygon to introduce zero-knowledge proofs for WebAssembly (WASM) blockchains.
Sounds like big moves.
Polosukhin's appointment as CEO of the NEAR Foundation is significant for a number of reasons. First, he is a well-respected figure in the crypto community and has a deep understanding of the NEAR Protocol. Second, he has a proven track record of success in building and growing ecosystems. Third, his appointment comes at a time when the NEAR Protocol is experiencing rapid growth and adoption.
What is the NEAR & the NEAR Foundation?
The NEAR Protocol is a layer-1 blockchain that is designed to be scalable, secure, and user-friendly. NEAR uses a unique sharding mechanism that allows it to process thousands of transactions per second without sacrificing security or scalability. NEAR also supports a variety of smart contract languages, including Solidity, Rust, and C++.
The NEAR Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the NEAR Protocol. The foundation does this by providing grants to developers, researchers, and other members of the community who are working to improve the NEAR Protocol and ecosystem. The foundation also supports a variety of educational and outreach programs designed to promote the adoption of NEAR and other decentralized protocols.
Metaintro is backed by NEAR.
What does this mean for the future of NEAR?
Polosukhin's appointment as CEO of the NEAR Foundation is a positive sign for the future of the NEAR Protocol. It shows that the foundation is committed to supporting the growth and development of the NEAR ecosystem. Under Polosukhin's leadership, the NEAR Foundation is likely to play an even more important role in driving the adoption of the NEAR Protocol.
NEAR Foundation's plans for the future
The NEAR Foundation has a number of ambitious plans for the future. The foundation plans to focus on the following areas:
- Growing the NEAR ecosystem: The foundation plans to support the growth of the NEAR ecosystem by providing grants to developers, researchers, and other members of the community who are working to improve the NEAR Protocol and ecosystem.
- Promoting NEAR adoption: The foundation plans to promote the adoption of NEAR through a variety of educational and outreach programs.
- Building partnerships: The foundation plans to build partnerships with other organizations in the crypto and tech industries.
Conclusion
The appointment of Illia Polosukhin as CEO of the NEAR Foundation is a positive sign for the future of the NEAR Protocol. Polosukhin is a well-respected figure in the crypto community and has a deep understanding of the NEAR Protocol and ecosystem. He also has a proven track record of success in building and growing ecosystems. Under Polosukhin's leadership, the NEAR Foundation is likely to play an even more important role in driving the adoption of the NEAR Protocol.
