13 New KOLs in the Crypto Industry to Watch in 2022

Original authors: Jeff Benson, Scott Chipolina, and Jason Nelson

Compiled by: Moni, Planet Daily

If we look across the entire financial sector, cryptocurrency cannot yet be considered a mature industry. However, due to its rapid development, this field has already produced many billionaires, outstanding developers, and celebrity stars, such as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and FTX founder SBF.

From programmable money to everything being decentralized, the crypto industry is becoming increasingly diverse, witnessing a wave of excellent innovators, artists, and traders emerging in NFTs, gaming, financial applications, and DAOs.

They are also striving to leave their mark in this industry. Next, we will list 13 newcomers in the crypto industry worth paying attention to in 2022; perhaps they will continue the legend of the crypto industry:

1. Chase Chapman, "Rising Star" in the DAO Field

Chase Chapman first encountered the crypto industry as a student at the University of Michigan. In November 2019, she had the opportunity to participate in the Blockchain Week event in San Francisco. Chase Chapman graduated in 2021 and is now a co-founder of the smart contract platform Decentology.

After that, she dove into the DAO space, working on the development of DAOs like Index Coop, Rabbithole, and Forefront, while also hosting the "On the Other Side" podcast. Chase Chapman’s abundant energy and versatility have left a deep impression, and with her strong interest in education, she will undoubtedly become a significant figure in the crypto field in the coming years.

2. Cobie, Potent Crypto Podcast Host

In August 2017, when Bitcoin's price hovered around $3,000, a fintech executive wrote on Twitter: "If Bitcoin exceeds $12,000 in the next 2 years, I will give $1,000 to everyone who retweets this. Of course, you have to let me kick you in the face." ------ This person is Cobie.

However, Cobie ultimately did not kick anyone in the face (as far as we know), but he has become a heavyweight in the increasingly competitive crypto podcast space. Through a series of interviews with Mark Cuban, Vitalik Buterin, and Michael Saylor, the "Up Only" segment is rapidly rising to the top of crypto podcasts.

3. Marguerite DeCourcelle, Metaverse Genius

Marguerite DeCourcelle is a crypto digital artist and co-founder of Blockade Games, as well as the founder of the "play-to-earn" P2E game Neon District. Marguerite DeCourcelle is dedicated to rapidly building a mature metaverse and was recently selected for Fortune magazine's NFTy 50 list (the 50 most interesting people in the NFT space).

4. Farokh, Pioneer in the Social Space

Before the internet and television, radio broadcasting ruled the airwaves. Currently, crypto entrepreneur Farokh is working on decentralizing Rug Radio, which he founded.

In a true sense, this "Radio" is not AM/FM, but a community-driven "decentralized media platform," integrating Web3 with community broadcasting and some NFT elements. Farokh is a charismatic individual—his House of Farokh Discord channel currently has over 27,000 members.

5. Frances Haugen, Facebook Whistleblower

Recently, Frances Haugen revealed in explosive testimony about the Facebook scandal that her finances are "secure for the foreseeable future" because she "bought cryptocurrency at the right time"—this has prompted renewed attention on how cryptocurrency supports whistleblowing activities.

People discovered that Frances Haugen later fled to Puerto Rico and sought refuge with her "friends in the crypto space." Throughout this process, Frances Haugen has demonstrated her intelligence and courage, along with what sounds like a substantial crypto fortune—so what will her next move be? If she fully immerses herself in the crypto field, no one should be surprised.

6. Izzy Howell, Pioneer in the DeFi Space

Self-described as a "rebellious princess," Izzy Howell graduated from Columbia University with a degree in creative writing and is now a key figure in the Solana-based derivatives protocol Cypher. However, according to Izzy Howell, her 2021 began with "no job, no purpose," and she was about to move back into her father's house.

However, after her marketing career failed, she reignited hope at Cypher and published an article for Fast Company explaining how DAOs help narrow the gender pay gap. Of course, while Web3 needs developers, it also needs people like Izzy Howell who can explain it all.

7. Joe Lau and Nikil Viswanathan, "Alchemists" in the Blockchain Field

Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau are co-founders of Alchemy, and prior to that, they co-created a social app called "Down to Lunch," which was very popular on college campuses in 2015. However, they are likely quite busy now: constantly fundraising for Alchemy, trying to build the "AWS of blockchain."

Currently, Alchemy is valued at $3.5 billion. However, the names Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau are not household names, nor is Alchemy, but this situation is likely to change soon.

8. Jack Mallers, "Planting Flags" in the Southern Hemisphere

On May 7, 2021, the same day that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced that Bitcoin would be accepted as legal tender, Jack Mallers took the stage at the Bitcoin Miami conference as the CEO of Strike. Strike is a crypto payment platform similar to Venmo, allowing users to easily exchange between cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies.

In fact, the platform has become an indispensable part of Bitcoin's local exchange services in El Salvador, and now, Jack Mallers' Strike is planting more flags in the Southern Hemisphere, having expanded into the Argentine market this January. More importantly, Jack Mallers is only 27 years old this year, with a bright future ahead.

9. Yosuke Matsuda, Blockchain Gaming Ambassador

Yosuke Matsuda currently serves as the president of Square Enix, the developer of the Final Fantasy series. For those excited about blockchain gaming and the future, Matsuda is undoubtedly their best supporter. There is a significant amount of debate between old-school gamers and crypto enthusiasts regarding the advantages blockchain can bring to the gaming world.

Matsuda firmly stands on the side of the crypto industry. In his year-end letter to fans and followers, Matsuda stated that Square Enix has identified blockchain gaming as a key investment area, providing reassurance to many crypto gaming enthusiasts.

10. Erikan Obotetukudo, Venture Capitalist Promoting Black Participation in Crypto

As a co-founder of Crypto for Black Economic Empowerment (CBBE), Erikan Obotetukudo focuses on leveraging crypto to create more wealth for African Americans. Last June, she announced the launch of the venture capital fund Audacity, aimed at encouraging more Africans and expatriates to explore cryptocurrency.

Erikan Obotetukudo explained: "Blockchain and cryptocurrency are exciting and interesting, but it seems that there are few Black participants. Fundamentally, crypto will be led and driven by emerging markets."

11. Osinachi, Nigerian NFT Artist

Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe (in the crypto industry, people prefer to call him Osinachi) is a digital artist from Nigeria. In fact, what makes Osinachi most interesting is that all of his artworks are created using Microsoft Word.

Last September, Osinachi's work was exhibited at Christie's, quickly attracting attention from the crypto industry. Osinachi currently serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Socialstack, a project that builds toolkits for DAOs to easily reward tokens for completing public welfare tasks.

Frankly, Osinachi is not just "opening the door for African artists to enter the NFT auction market"; he is helping decentralized communities around the world. If Osinachi soon joins the ranks of the most famous NFT artists, we should not be surprised.

12. Sam Williams, Dream Weaver

The year 2021 can be described as the "Year of NFTs," with almost everyone discussing the development of NFTs. However, storage infrastructure is essential in this field, and this is where Arweave comes into play. Sam Williams is the founder of Arweave, the "permanent hard drive," aimed at helping more people securely and long-term preserve their digital assets. Notably, the price of Arweave Token (AR) has increased tenfold in a year…

13. Amy Wu, Web3 Gamer and Crypto VC Hall of Famer

Amy Wu is actually considered an "old hand" in the crypto industry, so it seems somewhat inappropriate for her to appear on this list, which is why we placed her last (but with no disrespect). As a former partner at LightSpeed Ventures, Amy Wu has provided many insights and advice to the crypto community, especially in the realm of blockchain gaming, and her candid attitude has won her acclaim in the crypto community.

Since leaving Lightspeed to take over FTX's new Web3 fund, Amy Wu has become more widely recognized, and she has decided to fully immerse herself in the crypto gaming field, as she stated in a tweet last year: "Every major game publisher is exploring blockchain."