Team

 

Min-Si Wang

 

MIB International Finance and Banking, The Fletcher School, Tufts U.; BS Economics, The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania

 

Min-Si is an accomplished product leader in the financial services industry, with 20 years of experience in traditional and novel domains across the US, Europe, and Asia. She specializes in Web3, including crypto on/off-ramp payments, privacy, zero-knowledge proof, and other Ethereum protocols. Previously, she served as the Chief Product Officer (CPO) of AZA Finance (BitPesa), where she navigated the foreign exchange (FX) Fintech landscape and the early days of the crypto industry. She has also worked as a product market lead for a venture-backed cryptography and privacy firm funded by prominent investors such as Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz (A16z). Before these roles, Min-Si worked as an M&A consultant and risk model developer.  With an extensive background at the intersection of technology, finance, and blockchain, Min-Si is a pivotal player in establishing early startups in the ever-evolving environment of digital assets and decentralized systems.

 

      • Product leader in traditional finance services, web3 and other Ethereum protocols

      • Product market lead for a venture-backed cryptography/privacy firm

      • Former CPO for FX fintech, crypto firm, and AZA Finance

      • Former M&A consultant and risk model developer
     
     

    Robert Schlegel

     

    PhD Marine Sciences, U. of the Western Cape; MS Marine Sciences, U. of Cape Town; BA Psychology, U. of Washington

     

    Robert is an established researcher who has spent the last decade investigating the impact of extreme climate events on biodiversity and human society. As a global leader in the study of marine heatwaves, he has led multiple international research teams on subject matter as diverse as air-sea heat flux budgets, shifting fisheries, and Arctic tourism. Through these projects he has nurtured a deep understanding and appreciation for the complex interconnectedness of the physical and natural world. As well as the technical experience necessary to design and lead missions for the in situ sampling that allow for scientific reporting on the biodiversity impacts of climate change. These competencies are rounded out by a career as a data scientist, during which he developed software that has become a global standard in academia, as well as operational web platforms for the valorisation and dissemination of scientific research outputs.

     

        • Academic researcher: PhD in biodiversity, postdoc in physical oceanography

        • Global expert: Thought leader in the study of marine heatwaves

        • Data scientist: Writing ML algorithms + software for understanding the natural world

        • In the field: Team lead for deployment of in situ sensors
       
       

      Marios Kagarlis

       

      PhD Physics, U. of Pennsylvania; MS Physics, Carnegie Mellon U.; SB Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

       

      Marios is an entrepreneurial scientist and AI innovator with three decades of international experience in research and leadership. A nuclear physicist by training, his early career at prestigious institutions resulted in scientific contributions that won recognition and forged expertise in data analysis, empirical modeling, and simulation frameworks.

      Venturing into the industry, he patented disruptive technology innovations from dynamical systems models to AI algorithms and statistical methods. A multi-agent model of pedestrian behavior that he created is now the global benchmark for crowd simulations, powering Digital Twins for optimizing large-scale venues from the Olympics to airports, railway stations, and smart-city services. A housing price index he invented was adopted for derivatives by investment banks, awakening a dormant market with a traded volume exceeding $4 billion in three years. Data-driven decision-support tools he has developed, including for the US Department of Energy, inform strategic high-stakes decision-making.

      Marios has been orchestrating interdisciplinary teams and spearheading complex technical programs for over twenty years, delivering cutting-edge applications that redefined industries.

       

          • Technical Pioneer: Nuclear Physicist with AI patents and distinguished research

          • Innovation Leader: Two decades of directing teams that deliver transformative solutions

          • Real-world Impact: Digital twins and financial applications with global recognition

          • Strategic Decision Support: Tools that underpin policy-making in energy transition