10 Crypto Breakthroughs to Watch in the 2020s

The cryptocurrency industry has come a long way since a pseudonymous genius known as Satoshi authored the Bitcoin Whitepaper, changing the world as we know it forever. And if you thought the 2010s were a crazy decade, the 2020s will be even wilder.

From falling below $4ki in March ’20 to charging over $63k just over a year later, then falling in the middle of a bear market, digital gold has remained the industry’s White Whale, captivating, confusing and exasperating a legion of investors. These days the industry is much bigger than BTC. It’s a rapidly growing, ever-moving ecosystem that encompasses endless altcoins and dazzling metaverses, lucrative DeFi protocols and gamified NFTs. Pronounced dead more times than Rasputin, it’s an industry that just keeps on running.

With so much going on, it can be a full-time job to keep your finger on the pulse. That’s why it pays to monitor the activities of the industry’s movers and shakers, the key investors and influencers who almost always seem to be at the forefront. Whatever happens in crypto between now and 2030, we’re betting the following pioneers will be at the forefront.

1. Charles Read, Web3 investor

Co-founder of crypto-focused VC fund Rarestone Capital, Charles Read is all over the web3 space in a big way, from starting up promising blockchain gaming ventures like Alien Worlds and FOAD to buying up exclusive NFTs from Mike Tyson and DJ Premier . An avid gamer and collector of crypto art, 28-year-old Read is currently developing his own podcast and will be the subject of an upcoming documentary about the web3 world.

2. Cobie, Trader/Influencer

Cobie (formerly Crypto Cobie) is one of the biggest personalities on Crypto Twitter. A major leaguer, arch meme word and insightful analyst/commentator, he also co-hosts the UpOnly podcast series with good friend Ledger (Vitalik Buterin was a recent guest). A font of knowledge with a wicked sense of humor, Cobie will amass a million followers this decade (current count: 723k) regardless of industry performance.

3. Banteg, Yearn Finance AND

One of the few DeFi influencers who hasn’t sold his soul, Banteg has yet to be caught in shilling vaporware or promoting dubious ponzis. Having made his name with Yearn Finance, the pseud-anon has shown a penchant for decoding onchain data and reading the tea leaves swirling around the ETH merger. As independent as he is principled, Banteg is that rare thing: a flickering flame of hope that suggests DeFi hasn’t lost its way.

4. Elena Nadolinski, founder of ironfish

Given the government’s ongoing assault on privacy (see the recent Tornado Cash sanctions), the founder of decentralized privacy platform Iron Fish will have his work cut out for years to come. Fortunately, Russian-born Elena Nadolinski is committed to countering the hawkish actions of our surveillance-obsessed overlords—and for that, we should be grateful. A software developer and engineer by trade, Elena was recently recognized for her talents with a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

5. Hasu, Angel Investor

A prolific investor, researcher, writer and podcast host (Uncommon Core), Huh is one of CT’s most tech-minded accounts: a guy who can wax lyrical about liquid staking, block subsidies, MEV, EIP and everything in between. Currently working as head of research and development strategy at organization Flashbots, a research site for web3 investor Paradigm, Hasu seems destined to be in the thick of things as the 2020s continue.

6. Martin Köppelmann, CEO of Gnosis

As the founder and figurehead of the decentralized prediction market platform Gnosis, the first dApp published on Ethereum, Martin Köppelmann has enormous influence in the cryptosphere. He is also heavily involved in the blockchain-based Universal Basic Income (UBI) project Circles, which aims to evolve into a “vibrant democratic economy”. Köppelmann recently predicted that price discovery for global currency markets, including the ruble, yuan and rupee, will take place on Ethereum. If that forecast turns out to be true, Köppelmann is always worth listening to.

7. Agustin Mendez, CTO of Decentraland

Virtual playground Decentraland was one of the prime movers in the metaverse space, and with some properties selling for $2.4 million last year, many investors believe it has the legs to keep running. As the platform’s Chief Technology Officer, and having worked on the project since 2018, Agustin Mendez will be a major tastemaker as the metaverse matures. The programmer may keep a low profile on social media, but he may just be our best hope to stave off Meta/Facebook’s plans for VR dominance.

8. Pentoshi, merchant

The market analyst and trader who goes by the pseudonymous moniker Pentoshi must be doing something right: he’s amassed nearly 600,000 followers in just three years, many of whom depend on him for portfolio advice. A team member of the web3-focused Merit Circle DAO, Pentoshi made headlines in 2021 after revealing that he had sold the Bitcoin peak in April, cementing his status as a cool head in a hot kitchen.

9. Elizabeth Stark, CEO of Lightning Labs

Elizabeth Stark is the big boss of Bitcoin scaling layer Lightning Labs, and since scaling is the complaint most often lobbied against crypto’s dominant digital asset, she has a huge role to play in the future of the currency. Earlier this year, the California-based firm she leads raised $70 million in a funding round led by Valor Equity Partners and Baillie Gifford, as it seeks to turn Bitcoin into a network capable of trading billions in volume each year. If you’re not already following Stark, what are you doing?

10. Benyamin Ahmed, NFT Wunderkind

Benyamin Ahmed earns his place on this list by becoming a millionaire before he hits his teens. The 12-year-old’s entrepreneurial moxie shone through when he created a series of Minecraft characters and then put them up for sale on OpenSea. Although that venture turned out to be a non-starter, the school kid soon moved on to a new project: Weird Whales. These smart NFTs sold like hotcakes and Benyamin’s first drop netted him $160k. A talented computer programmer, he has already lectured on NFTs at Oxford University.

What do you think: will these ten figures be the trendsetters of the decade? Or have we failed to pay tribute to a trailblazer who casts a shadow over them all? Have your say in the comments below.