Solana founder Anatoly Yakovenko discusses the crypto downturn at Disrupt – TechCrunch

These are turbulent times for both crypto investors and projects alike. Over the past several months, Bitcoin and Ethereum have seen substantial declines in their token prices. But investors have given even bigger haircuts to the breakout success stories of the 2021 bull run. Solana, a newer blockchain with early Silicon Valley backers, has watched its token price drop from $260 in November 2021 to a low of $26 last month.

Despite the aggressive selloff, Solana continues to show signs of adoption as DeFi protocols and NFT storefronts on its network begin to see more action. The platform’s lower fees have attracted developers — the company pegs its unique active monthly accounts at more than 21 million — but the network has still come under fire for lengthy outages.

What does a crypto company do in the face of such a daunting landscape? In Solana’s case, it launched a web3-focused mobile phone. It’s a bold move, and one of the reasons why we’re excited to announce that Solana’s co-founder, Anatoly Yakovenko, will join us for a fireside conversation on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt on October 18-20 in San Francisco.

In a wide-ranging conversation, we’ll talk to Yakovenko about this move toward mobile and its potential appeal to a wider audience versus what it means for hardcore crypto enthusiasts. We’ll ask about the steps Solana’s taking to become the go-to blockchain for decentralized app developers. 

We’re also very curious to get his take on the challenges ahead as the downturn in crypto prices raises concerns about how newly popular networks will keep the enthusiasm building. 

And, just when you might wonder whether a crypto winter is coming, Solana’s investment arm, Solana Ventures, launches a $100 million fund for South Korean web3 startups. 

We have lots of questions, and here’s information about the man who might be able to provide the answers.

Anatoly Yakovenko, the co-founder of Solana, has almost two decades of experience building high-performance operating systems. He led OS development at Qualcomm and held engineering roles at both Dropbox and Mesosphere. Yakovenko has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

TechCrunch Disrupt is back in person on October 18-20 in San Francisco. Early action equals bigger savings. Buy your pass now and save up to $1,300. Student, government and non-profit passes are available for just $195. Prices increase July 29.