Team
Our Organizers
Our team isn't some group of "enthusiasts". We eat, sleep, and breathe crypto—actively working at crypto startups, in the trenches daily.
ChristianØ
Normie
Keanu
Sleuth
Imran
Utah Fed
EJ
Screen Kid
Krystee
Scribbles Stuff
Danny
Shitcoin Specialist
Jerry
"KOL"
Tyler
n00b
Events
Past and Future Events
If you want "blockchain is amaaaaazing" type events, this ain't it. Speakers are vetted pros, with legit projects, sharing deep insights.
Builders
Utah's Crypto Builders
Some of the world's top blockchains and crypto startups have builders right here in Utah, local to Salt Lake City and Utah County.
Circle
Polygon
mtndao
Base
Eigen Layer
Sei
XAI
The Graph
Alchemy
OKX
Jito
Anchorage
Nucleus
Bridge
DeFi Kingdoms
CPAI
SphereOne
Azura
Etherfuse
Noves
Tally
Uprising Labs
Odin.Fun
Panoptic
TapTools
Resolv
Temporal
HIFI
WolvesDAO
WPL
Alum Labs
Moonwalk
Ranger
Canton
Realio
DeFi Orbit
W3.io
Ripe Protocol
Hightop
Flow
Pagoda
Sherlock
Giddy
EZ Trade Pro
Fidelity
Exponential
MNTGE
Crystal Intel.
Amberdata
Chainalysis
Dragonfly
PrimeVault
tZERO
Toniq
Trinsic
Community
Utah's Crypto Community
The crypto scene in Utah is growing. Check out the local communities and organizations making it happen.
Utah Crypto Club is the hub for crypto events & meetups in Salt Lake City and Utah County.- FREE to join
- Focused on builders, startups, devs, degens
- Monthly events and Crypto Coffee Club
Salt Lake Bitcoin is a monthly meetup focused on Bitcoin and Lightning - talk, learn, and share in the revolution that is Bitcoin.- FREE to join
- Focused on Bitcoin, Lightning
- Monthly meetups and Bitcoin Brunch
mtndao is a world-class, action-packed startup experience for builders on Solana, held twice a year in Salt Lake City.- FREE to join
- Approval required
- Focused on builders, Solana ecosystem
- Semi-annual, February and August
Utah Blockchain Coalition is a collective working to establish Utah as a leader in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.- FREE / PAID to join
- Membership required
- Focused on advocacy
- Quarterly events
Blockchain at Utah is the University of Utah blockchain club, helping students collaborate to build lasting projects with blockchain.- FREE to join
- Focused on blockchain education
- Weekly events
Utah Crypto Club
Crypto events & meetups in Salt Lake City
What was your “I get it” moment with crypto and/or blockchain?
I “got it” when I took out my first loan from Aave. I was sold on Bitcoin in 2018, and by 2019 I was looking for yield without giving up custody. I found Aave and Compound on Ethereum, where I could not only generate yield, but also borrow against it.I was working in fintech selling software that helped banks lend more efficiently. Banks typically measure the time to originate collateral-backed loans in days; Aave just did it in seconds
What was your “I get it” moment with crypto and/or blockchain?
I “got it” when I took out my first loan from Aave. I was sold on Bitcoin in 2018, and by 2019 I was looking for yield without giving up custody. I found Aave and Compound on Ethereum, where I could not only generate yield, but also borrow against it.I was working in fintech selling software that helped banks lend more efficiently. Banks typically measure the time to originate collateral-backed loans in days; Aave just did it in seconds
How did you move from “I get it” to working in the industry?
I started investing in Bitcoin because I believe in a censorship-resistant store of value, but Aave proved to me that blockchains can be useful for other things too. I quickly traded my Bitcoin for Ether, and left my job in fintech to get into the blockchain industry.I recognized then what I still believe now – that mainstream crypto adoption will require regulatory acceptance and monitoring. I joined a team based out of Marina Del Rey, CA to build zero-knowledge AML tools at the intersection of CeFi and DeFi.
Today, what are you building?
Today I’m building Para, the most comprehensive wallet and authentication suite for onchain applications.
What problem is Para solving, and why does it matter?
When I signed up for Aave the first time, I faced steep onboarding challenges:1. I had to educate myself on “what is a wallet”
2. I had to download a browser extension
3. I had to write down 12 (or 24) words
4. I can’t recover my account if those words are lost
5. I can’t access my account on any other device or browser
6. I can’t easily onramp funds from fiat or offramp funds to fiatMany users coming onchain today still face these challenges, and most of the world can’t overcome them. This is what Para is solving.
What makes Para unique from other similar offerings e.g. Magic?
Para combines the benefits of Magic with those of Metamask, providing social-powered accounts that can be used anywhere in web3.As with Magic, Para enables users to sign up to an onchain app with email address, phone number, or social login. However, Magic generates wallets that can only be used on your app, while Para wallets are universal – as with accounts on Metamask.This combination enables users to onboard once to transact everywhere. For apps, this means higher customer retention and decreased onboarding drop off.
Most people will never see the hard work you’ve put in, in the background, and they may never fully understand the difficulty of building in crypto. What is something you’re really proud of?
I spent the first 8 years of my career in fintech, working with financial institutions of all shapes and sizes. When I pivoted to blockchain, pretty much everyone I knew and respected told me that it was all a scam, or that it would never work.I am proud that I remained committed to innovation, and continue to dive into web3 with a sense of curiosity and desire to think without constraints.
For you, is there any particular reason you’re in Utah? And, why stay in Utah? Why not move to a major crypto hub like New York?
To me, Utah combines the luxury of unbeatable outdoor access with the convenience of an international airport. Salt Lake City offers easy travel to any domestic and many international destinations that make it easy to stay plugged into the crypto scene.I lived in NYC for six years while I was working in fintech. I lived in LA for two years when I first got into crypto, and thought I’d stay there forever. Then I came to Utah and discovered the unbeatable access to skiing (The Greatest Snow on Earth) and National Parks (more than any other state except California and Alaska).
How do you feel about the pool of builders / builder talent here in Utah?
I am bullish on Utah’s builders. The talent pool in Utah boasts stalwarts Adobe, Qualtrics, Meta, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs, and Silicon Slopes (Provo, Lehi, Salt Lake) is one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the U.S.
Do you think Utah could ever become a top-5 crypto hub? What would it take?
I think Utah is already in the top 5 US destinations for crypto builders. Utah has long been friendly to innovation, and for decades has attracted innovators with low tax rates, pro-business regulations, and low cost of doing business.Utah companies raised billions in venture funding last year — a sharp rise over the past decade. To break into the top 5 globally, we need to see more of that going into crypto.
Any other Utah builders or projects you admire?
mtnDAO - a community of Solana builders that come to Salt Lake City twice a year to build.
How can people support and get involved with what you’re building?
Follow me - x.com/zimm0x
Follow Para - x.com/get_para
