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About us

Powering Founders in High-Growth Markets

Web3 isn’t just about tech. It’s about people. We call this the Human Layer, a network of trust built through real relationships.

Vision

Our vision is to be the growth platform where founders in high-growth markets build locally and scale globally, powered by Ethereum. We believe the next wave of digital adoption will come from real solutions in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America—where payments, identity, and financial access are already being reinvented onchain.

Lisk provides founders a clear path: local programs, stage-fit capital, and an Ethereum-aligned Layer 2 that makes products secure and usable at scale. By connecting local roots with global rails, we create the conditions for adoption to grow naturally and for founders to compete worldwide.

Mission

Our mission is to provide Web3 founders the most attractive ecosystem with capital, programs, partnerships, and Ethereum L2 tech to realize real-world products in high-growth markets.

We do this by combining on-the-ground incubators, funding of up to $250K, and infrastructure designed for adoption—enabling founders in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America to scale beyond their regions and compete globally.

Our values

At Lisk, we put founders first. We believe success is measured by what they build, not the noise around them. We show up with local roots and global vision, working closely in high-growth markets while helping founders grow with confidence.

We value adoption over speculation, true partnership over transactions, and discipline over shortcuts. We commit to transparency, accountability, and community-led decisions—ensuring resources flow through builders, not around them.

  • Our vision is to be the growth platform where founders in high-growth markets build locally and scale globally, powered by Ethereum. We believe the next wave of digital adoption will come from real solutions in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America—where payments, identity, and financial access are already being reinvented onchain.

    Lisk provides founders a clear path: local programs, stage-fit capital, and an Ethereum-aligned Layer 2 that makes products secure and usable at scale. By connecting local roots with global rails, we create the conditions for adoption to grow naturally and for founders to compete worldwide.

  • Our mission is to provide Web3 founders the most attractive ecosystem with capital, programs, partnerships, and Ethereum L2 tech to realize real-world products in high-growth markets.

    We do this by combining on-the-ground incubators, funding of up to $250K, and infrastructure designed for adoption—enabling founders in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America to scale beyond their regions and compete globally.

  • At Lisk, we put founders first. We believe success is measured by what they build, not the noise around them. We show up with local roots and global vision, working closely in high-growth markets while helping founders grow with confidence.

    We value adoption over speculation, true partnership over transactions, and discipline over shortcuts. We commit to transparency, accountability, and community-led decisions—ensuring resources flow through builders, not around them.

Impact

The Human Layer of Web3

Web3 isn’t just infrastructure, it’s people. The Human Layer is the trust, collaboration, and shared ambition that turn technology into real adoption.

Built for People, Not Just Protocols

We believe progress happens when founders, investors, and communities connect directly. Capital is a catalyst, but relationships are the foundation of everything we build.

On the Ground, With the Communities That Lead

We don’t speak for founders—we create space for them to lead. Across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, we work alongside local partners, channeling DAO resources into initiatives shaped by the communities themselves.

Our History

10 Years in Web3

2024-Present

Empowering Founders in High-Growth Markets

Lisk officially completed its migration and launched as an Ethereum L2 within the Superchain. It also launched its Grant Program and accelerator/incubation programs to provide dedicated support and funding (up to $100k) to founders. The mission is now fully refined: to be the leading platform for real-world Web3 solutions in high-growth regions, offering a full-stack, founder-first ecosystem.

2024

Strategic Migration to Ethereum Layer 2

Lisk began its process of migrating from an independent Layer 1 network to an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) Optimistic Rollup, built using the OP Stack. This strategic move was made to enhance security (by inheriting Ethereum’s guarantees), ensure scalability, and achieve interoperability within the larger Ethereum ecosystem (the Superchain). The move ensured that founders in emerging markets get the best in class security and low fees.

2023

Recognising Emerging Markets Potential

Lisk refined its strategy, publicly committing to focus on high-growth markets such as Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. This was a major strategic decision, recognizing these regions as key to achieving the mass adoption goal due to their rapid digital transformation and need for decentralized financial solutions. This officially launched the core of the current narrative.

2019–2021

The Interoperability Phase & Research

The Lisk team started developing the Lisk Interoperability Solution. The goal was to ensure seamless communication and asset transfers between all Lisk-built sidechains and the main Lisk network. This research was critical in understanding how different chains could work together—a necessary foundation for its later move into the interconnected Ethereum Superchain.

2018

SDK Development & Rebranding

Lisk underwent a major rebranding and focused heavily on developing the Lisk SDK (Software Development Kit). The SDK’s purpose was to create custom sidechains and dApps, simplifying the entire development process. This move solidified the commitment to be a “developer-first” platform, a direct precursor to the current “founder-focused” model.

2016

The Genesis

Founded by Max Kordek and Oliver Beddows in Zug, Switzerland, Lisk launched in May as an open-source Layer 1 blockchain. The foundational idea was to make blockchain development accessible to the masses by allowing developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) using JavaScript and TypeScript—the world’s most popular web languages. This set the initial stage for attracting a wider pool of developers.

Team

People Behind Lisk

Max Kordek

Founder & CEO

Oliver Beddows

Founder & CSO

Shusetsu Toda

Chief Technology Officer

Adrien Geneste

Head of Marketing

Yunus Tasliel

Head of Business Development

Arrianne Talma

Senior Marketing Manager

Christopher Loizance

Senior Social Media Manager

Alexis Low

APAC Senior Ecosystem Lead

Arin Soleymani

Senior BD Manager

Filipe Ventura

Investment Associate, Portfolio & Sourcing

Leon Waidmann

Head of Research

Mona Bärenfänger

Lead Technical Writer

Marko Marinovic

Lead Developer

Ishan Tiwari

Staff Engineer

Sameer Kumar Subudhi

Staff Engineer

Mislav Tomic

Senior Full-stack Developer

Marija Vuco

Front-End Developer

Ikemefuna Obioha

Front-End Developer

Vardan Nadkarni

Senior Back-End Developer

Matjaž Verbole

Senior Software Engineer

Juan Gonzalez

DevOps Engineer

René Spanier

Senior UX Designer

Anna Vashchenko

Senior UX Designer

We’re hiring!

Join our team, make an impact!