Erik Voorhees #37

Founder and CEO of Shapeshift

Erik Voorhees & Founder and CEO of Shapeshift & background` Erik Voorhees & Founder and CEO of Shapeshift & poster`
Erik Voorhees & Founder and CEO of Shapeshift
Category Exchanges
Alma mater University of Puget Sound
Known for Being an early Bitcoin entrepreneur, espousing libertarianism, and founding crypto exchange platform
person-quote
“There’s no way to go from a zero-dollar asset into one that is worth trillions without massive speculation and massive volatility and cyclical bubbles.“

Biography:

Erik Voorhees was among the first wave of crypto entrepreneurs, believing Bitcoin to be a necessary technology to separate money and state and create a free society. Since 2014, he has been the CEO of Switzerland-based cryptocurrency exchange platform Shapeshift. Prior to Shapeshift, Voorhees headed marketing efforts at BitInstant, one of the first crypto exchange services founded by Charlie Shrem. Voorhees also co-founded Bitcoin wallet, payment processor and broker Coinapult.

Erik Voorhees's 2019:

In January 2019, Shapeshift laid off one-third of its team, citing a confluence of reasons including a bear market and lack of product focus. In May, Voorhees came out to say that Bitcoin won’t achieve a trillion-dollar valuation without more hype cycle bubbles.

In July, the firm launched its new noncustodial crypto exchange platform designed to accommodate various cold storage wallets, including Shapeshift-owned KeepKey. In November, Shapeshift announced the launch of the FOX token to enable zero-fee trading on the platform.

What Cointelegraph expects for 2020:

The exchange landscape is difficult to navigate given the high cost of compliance and the shifting regulatory landscape. The dichotomy of custodial vs. noncustodial services has been a particular challenge with exchanges in the past, so we expect Shapeshift to remain nimble and adapt to the industry’s currents.