Adam Blumberg, CFP®, CDAA, is Managing Partner and Chief Compliance Officer at Protocol Wealth, an SEC-registered investment adviser serving investors, founders, families, businesses, and entities with complex financial lives. Registered in financial services since 2009, Adam brings traditional wealth-management discipline to the challenges created by digital assets, including custody, liquidity, concentration, tax coordination, estate access, and operational risk. He founded Interaxis in 2019 to help financial professionals build practical fluency in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and decentralized finance, and later co-founded PlannerDAO. Through courses, presentations, and industry programs, he has helped educate thousands of financial professionals worldwide. Adam holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. His work focuses on integrating traditional and digital assets within a documented, fiduciary planning process.

Anna P. Murray (A.P. Murray) is a technology executive, and author. She is a Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of SIX3RO, a post-quantum technology company focused on securing the future of data exchange. She is also founder & CEO of emedia, LLC, one of the earliest web development and digital transformation firms in the U.S. She is the author of multiple business and technology titles as well as works of fiction. Her newest non-fiction release, Quantum Computing 101: The 90-Minute Guide to the Future of Computing, Cryptography & Q-Day, delivers a clear, no-hype briefing for leaders who need to understand quantum risk, cryptographic disruption, and what to do next.

Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters is at the heart of a Kansas City movement driven by innovation and craft. Every day, artists, entrepreneurs, government leaders, non-profit and startup leaders connect over coffee (or cocktails) at Thou Mayest, fueling their passion to advance their city. Co-owner/majority stakeholder Bo Nelson is a big reason why. Bo is a homegrown Kansas Citian, whose blend of rural and urban life experience reflects the city he serves. Bo grew up on a farm, working his family’s 10-acre nursery where he honed horticultural skills, learned business basics, and developed a hard work ethic that is evident in everything he does. Bo traveled the world, but felt the call back home, inspired to put his mark on the culture of the city he loves. Bo started Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters in 2012, built upon the idea that communities grow through connections and conversations over a good drink. Fresh specialty coffee in the morning and truly inspired cocktails in the evening, Thou Mayest is named in reference to a passage from John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, and the shop’s design/atmosphere is equal parts Jacques Cousteau, Frank Zappa and the Boy Scouts of America. One visit and it’s evident that Bo has created a magnetic space that is itself alive, gathering people of all backgrounds and interests to have a drink and foster collaboration.

Dave Brucker has 30 years of experience as a licenced Professional Engineer. He has successfully launched and scaled successful engineering and construction firms. Dave has always been tech savvy, building the software his firms use. Dave lives and breathes the problems VisiPay solves and has been a primary architect on the project from the start.

David Cui is Co-Founder and President of REMI Technology Pte Inc., which is building neutral settlement rail infrastructure for regulated stablecoins and tokenized assets. REMI operates as a non-custodial, license-light messaging and settlement layer purpose-built for community and regional banks — positioned in the tokenized economy much as SWIFT and DTCC are in traditional finance, allowing smaller institutions to participate in digital asset settlement without building custody infrastructure of their own. David leads the Payments Committee at BAFT and guest lectures on stablecoins at Georgetown and George Washington University. His background spans FX trading and derivatives sales at global banks, followed by cross-border payments leadership at a US correspondent bank clearing roughly $6 billion in annual transaction volume.

Edward Nwokedi is the Founder & CEO of RedSwan Digital Real Estate ("RedSwan"), a leading commercial real estate platform and marketplace for digital real estate and asset-backed securities, and Executive Director of Sales at RedSwan Markets, LLC, its FINRA-member broker-dealer affiliate. With over 20 years of experience in CRE and capital markets, Edward has built an SEC- and FINRA-compliant marketplace that expands institutional-grade access to real estate security token offerings. Previously Executive Director at Cushman & Wakefield, he oversaw $2.7 billion in multifamily transactions across Texas. He holds a Series 82 and Series 65 FINRA license, an MBA from St. Mary's College in California, and a B.S. from the University of Michigan, and serves on the advisory board of the Bauer Real Estate Program at the University of Houston

Eleni Steinman is the Head of Stablecoins at Lead, an API-first, developer-focused banking infrastructure platform. Eleni owns development and strategy for all digital asset products. She is currently launching Visa and Mastercard network settlement using stablecoins, meaning fintech partners no longer have to wait on weekends and holidays for funds to move. Eleni began her finance career in the public sector at the Ex-Im Bank, the State Department, and the White House, and has spent the last eight years working full-time in crypto. Most recently, she founded and served as CEO of Loop Crypto, which was acquired by Lead to build out their stablecoin offerings. She holds an MBA degree from Yale and a master’s degree in finance from the University of Florida.

Evan Szu is a seasoned trader, entrepreneur, and technologist with over 30 years of experience in commodity futures, debt instruments, and equity markets. With a PhD from Stanford and a bachelor's from Brown, Evan was also an early pioneer in machine learning, decades before the current AI boom. He has developed AI systems for multi-billion-dollar debt valuations, commodities trading, and algorithmic trading platforms. As a serial entrepreneur, Evan has co-founded and led multiple startups across Web3, AI, and biotechnology. Beginning his career in Silicon Valley's early Web2 era, he has since built and scaled companies at the cutting edge of finance and technology. Now, as CEO of Gamma Prime, he is leveraging his expertise to revolutionize alternative investing.

Garrett was named the Fintech and Digital Asset Vertical Leader for WTW in 2026. He is a recognized expert in fintech and digital asset risk. A former tech founder and VC, he brings technical fluency rare in the insurance industry. Garrett’s role is to support growth and client experience for WTW’s fintech, digital asset, and traditional financial institutional clients over North America. His 20 years in the insurance industry has been exclusively focused on complex technology risk. His expertise is in Technology and FI Errors &Omissions, Cyber, Crime/Fidelity, and Specie lines. Prior to joining WTW, Garrett launched the digital asset practice for a large national brokerage, as well as served as their head of innovation and corporate venture capital studio. He also co-founded a web3 project called web3Labs, which was built to bring blockchain technology into the insurance ecosystem. Garrett is a strategic advisor to many emerging blockchain and AI startups and remains an active angel investor. Other roles include serving as the chief executive officer for a global technology risk broker network. Garrett is a sought-after keynote speaker for his foundational work in digital asset insurance. He also acts as an advisor to the United States Department of the Treasury and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regarding new and upcoming regulations of stablecoins and digital currencies.

Gennadiy Kleyman is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley in New York City and Head of Digital Assets and Data Platforms within Wealth Management. He joined the Firm from Merrill Lynch in 2014 as a Vice President, was named Executive Director in 2018, and Managing Director in 2024. He has held several leadership roles within Technology and has led product management for Client Onboarding and Client Data.​​Gennadiy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, graduating from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University. ​​He resides in Marlboro, New Jersey with his wife, Jackie, and their two daughters.​

Greg has more than 15 years’ experience managing corporate IT data center and network operations and ten years’ experience in the digital assets space. Greg is responsible for scoping, developing and assessing blockchain & GenAI innovations against rigorous business and regulatory criteria. Activities include researching and developing solutions related to blockchain, decentralized finance, tokenization, stablecoin payments, generative AI, and similar emerging protocols and innovations. Greg assists all types of engagements of digital asset-native companies including deal advisory, risk frameworks, SOC readiness, regulatory, custodian assessments, proof-of-reserves attestations, and financial audits. Greg experiments frequently with DeFi, running a home Ethereum validator, configuring AI agents, and more. Greg speaks frequently on blockchain & GenAI concepts and was featured on a local PBS special surrounding blockchain. He's also presented at the Blockworks Digital Asset Summit, DC Blockchain Summit, KPMG's Tech & Innovation Symposium, AICPA & CIMA conferences, NRF conferences, CFO leadership summits, and more.

Heidi E. Lehmann is a three-time exited technology founder and CEO, investor, and board director working at the intersection of family-office capital, strategic partnerships, AI infrastructure, energy, and digital assets. As Chair of TIGER 21 in Kansas City and Founder of the Heartland Digital Asset Exchange (HDAX), she brings together family offices, private investors and industry leaders to explore emerging investment opportunities and the future of finance. Heidi also serves as a Capital Formation Advisor to Critical Materials Crossroads (CMC), recipient of a prestigious NSF Engines award, and leads capital partnerships and strategic relationships for BTM Energy.

Jake Claver is Chairman and Principal of Digital Ascension Group, a global digital asset wealth management firm setting the standard for end-to-end digital asset management for established investors, family offices, and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs). In this role, Jake leads the firm’s strategic vision and guides long-term direction, governance, and the evolution of its multi-family office model. A recognized expert in blockchain and Web3 adoption, Jake has spent more than a decade advising HNWI clients on modernizing legacy structures, with a focus on the practical application of technologies such as decentralized finance, digital-asset infrastructure, and how they are reshaping long-term capital planning.

Jason has 30 years of global experience as a military veteran, certified six sigma Black Belt, and a finance and operations professional working in a family office for 13 years while investing, starting, and fixing businesses in multiple industries. Most recently Jason started two companies in the last mile delivery industry while also launching his current venture Fund, Collaborative Capital Opportunity Fund.

Jason Noto is a nationally recognized payments and fintech attorney at Polsinelli who brings more than two decades of experience spanning law, banking and the payments industry. A former payments executive and Head of Legal for a global acquiring bank, Jason advises banks, credit unions and fintech companies on complex payments, digital assets and emerging markets. His work extends beyond interpreting laws and regulations—he helps clients design and architect payment programs, risk frameworks and operating models that turn emerging opportunities into workable businesses. Jason regularly advises financial institutions on stablecoins and the legal, regulatory and risk considerations involved in banking cryptocurrency and other emerging-market customers. A published author and frequent speaker, Jason is known for translating novel technologies and complex payment ecosystems into practical strategies grounded in how money, risk and responsibility actually move.

Jim Starcev is a serial entrepreneur, having started multiple businesses in fin-tech, retail and data analytics. He has an incredible passion and appetite for innovation and emerging technologies. He joined KC Digital Drive in October 2020, right at the heart of the pandemic, and jumped in to lead the Solutions Lab innovation-based work. Jim has been instrumental in building and expanding university and industry partners, tackling and curating new ideas across digital health, civic innovation, fintech, digital assets and ed tech, all while connecting emerging technology solutions to entrepreneurs who can lead them to market.

Joelle Wyser-Pratte is the Founder and Managing Partner of Chimera Capital Partners, a holding company comprising a variety of her commercial interests including real estate development, energy and power, equestrian businesses, as well as an SEC registered broker dealer. Joelle began her finance career as a trader and then portfolio manager at Pier Funds before launching her own hedge fund company, Minerva Capital Management, which traded liquid public securities across global equity markets, convertible bond markets, and high yield credit markets. After a brief sabbatical to raise three young children, she returned to the capital markets at her father’s firm, Wyser-Pratte Management Company, to devise and launch its Euro Value Fund, an activist strategy focused on European equities. Once that fund was launched, Joelle became an entrepreneur again, co-founding OCP Capital, a capital development business which serves investment managers across public and private markets, helping them grow their capital and investor bases. Joelle also serves on the Advisory Board of Windrose Advisors, a $2.6 billion customized wealth management advisor based outside Boston. Away from her business life, Joelle is a tireless advocate for girls’ education and has served as a board member for Educate Girls Globally for more than 15 years. She is also deeply committed to animal welfare in general and wild horses in particular, supporting the American Wild Horse Conservation. An enthusiastic equestrian, Joelle is a competitive jumper and three-day eventer, as well as an accomplished polo player, regularly competing in New York, Florida, France, and Italy. Joelle graduated from Tufts University with a double major in International Relations and English Literature where she competed as a member of the Tufts Equestrian team. She is fluent in French and Spanish.

John Squire is a General Partner at Blockchange Ventures, a venture capital firm investing early in category-defining companies built on blockchain technology. Founded in 2017, Blockchange has made approximately 150 investments at the Seed and Series A stage. John sources new investments, is a member of the investment committee and leads the firm's West Coast and Midwest fundraising efforts, primarily working with high-net-worth individuals and family offices, Before venture capital, he spent 20 years founding, building, and selling multiple SaaS analytics and AI companies, following an earlier career in chemical engineering at Chevron. He has served on the IBM Privacy Council and the National Retail Federation Digital Council. John holds an MBA with honors from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and a degree in Chemical Engineering, with highest honors, from UC Davis.

Katie Dixon is a Kansas City-based finance professional with a background in chemistry, energy infrastructure, the wellness industry, and a passion for decentralized finance. She currently acts as the Director of Finance Strategy for the Critical Materials Crossroads where she serves the mission of developing a domestic critical materials supply chain. She is acting treasurer for The Moment, Missouri Mission for Exponential Technologies; a 501c6 dedicated to helping Missouri businesses become leaders in a digital economy. Katie coaches pranayama, ancient breath patterns, because she recognizes that the nervous system is infrastructure, too. Katie believes that Missouri is one of the best places in the country to raise and deploy capital, full stop – and she’s building the ecosystem to prove it.

Maximillian Jungreis is the Global Head of Crypto & Digital Assets at Plug and Play, where he founded and leads the firm’s global strategy and innovation programs across blockchain, digital assets, and financial infrastructure. He works closely with FIs, technology companies, investors, and emerging startups to accelerate enterprise adoption and develop commercially viable use cases. Max has designed and led accelerator programs and strategic initiatives with organizations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with a particular focus on stablecoins, tokenization, institutional payments, real-world assets, and the convergence of AI and blockchain. With more than eight years of experience as an operator, researcher, and investor, Max previously served as a founding member of Stanford University’s Future of Digital Currency Initiative, contributing to multidisciplinary research on standards for stablecoins and CBDCs. Earlier, as Head of Partnerships at Blockchain Labs in South Korea, he helped develop COOV, a government-backed digital health application serving 47 million users. Colombian-American, his global perspective is enhanced by his proficiency in Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese, and English, coupled with extensive international experience overseas. He is also an active angel investor and frequent speaker on the evolution of digital finance, emerging technologies, and corporate innovation.

Melissa Footlick, Founder and CEO. In 2010, she joined Topstep as its second employee and spent eleven years as COO building the first retail prop firm, an industry now estimated to be worth over $20B. Most of the Catalyst team is ex-Topstep.

Michael Cantu is the CEO of Stellar Forge Compute, a U.S.-based developer and operator of high-performance computing Blockchain and AI data center infrastructure across the Midwest, with thousands of computing systems currently under management. At Stellar Forge, Michael works alongside a multidisciplinary team focused on the strategy, development, engineering, construction, and operation of large-scale, power-dense infrastructure supporting next-generation accelerated computing platforms, including NVIDIA, AMD, TPU, and ASIC technologies. The Stellar Forge team has continued to expand its infrastructure portfolio across the Midwest, with an emphasis on scalable power, direct liquid cooling, high-availability operations, and energy-efficient data center design. The company works closely with utilities, technology partners, engineering and construction teams, capital partners, and local stakeholders to develop infrastructure capable of supporting the rapidly evolving requirements of AI and high-performance computing. Michael’s background spans technology, infrastructure, data center operations, and business development. His role at Stellar Forge centers on bringing together the people, partnerships, and resources required to move complex, power-intensive computing projects from early-stage site development through construction and long-term operations.

Michael Santore is Founder and CEO of BlockSkunk, building cryptographically verifiable systems of record for regulated industries. BlockSkunk helps institutions and multi-party networks share a single source of truth, independently verify activity, and go live in weeks instead of years. Michael previously helped take Draftster from MVP to a reverse-merger exit into Fan Logic after securing early venture capital. At Clearco, he built treasury and lending systems supporting $2.5B in loans, including bank transfers, ledgers, identity checks, and virtual cards. At Republic Services, he built backend systems for enterprise-scale logistics.

Mike Miroslaw is CEO of IncumbentFI, a fintech infrastructure and orchestration platform that modernizes debit capabilities for community banks and credit unions. Mike has spent more than two decades building and scaling technology and payments businesses, including StoreFinancial, which became a global leader in prepaid payments before its acquisition by EML Payments. At IncumbentFI, he applies that experience to help financial institutions compete more effectively through innovative, modern payment solutions designed to strengthen customer engagement, expand capabilities, and create new opportunities for growth.

Mike Orr is founder and CEO of EnergySolutions.AI (ENESOL), an AI-native ERP platform transforming oil and gas revenue operations. With more than 30 years of technology leadership across upstream, midstream, and downstream, he combines deep industry knowledge with experience solving complex data, operational, and compliance challenges. ENESOL uses semantic microservices, Snowflake, agentic AI, real-time processing, and blockchain-enabled settlement transparency to modernize the full revenue lifecycle. Mike also leads DataForge Technologies, SCADALite, and Occlusion Solutions. These businesses deliver enterprise data management, field surveillance across 250,000-plus assets, carbon management, well plugging and abandonment, and nuclear waste monitoring and placement technologies. Previously, Mike held global technology leadership roles at Murphy Oil, Phillips 66, and ConocoPhillips, and worked with Williams, Deloitte, McDonald’s, and Saint Francis Health System. He is an Osage County well owner and operator, inventor, and holder of multiple technology patents focused on practical energy innovation, advancing commercially focused energy industry transformation.

Michael Sobek is an entrepreneur, engineer, and executive with more than 30 years of experience building and commercializing digital and physical infrastructure across broadband, fintech, energy, and transaction processing. As Managing Director of BTM Energy, he leads development of behind-the-meter energy platforms for AI data centers and manufacturing, while advancing new models for tokenizing real-world energy and infrastructure assets. Earlier, Sobek led the architecture design, delivery, and sales of Sprint’s pioneering national IP-based broadband services to U.S. federal agencies and laboratories, including the DoD, NASA, and Department of Energy. He later co-founded StoreFinancial, which merged with publicly traded EML Payments, and founded or led fintech ventures that processed billions of dollars in digital transactions. Sobek holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas and is named on multiple patents spanning financial payments, digital assets, and clean energy infrastructure, connecting decades of experience in digital networks, financial platforms, and investable infrastructure.

Founder, fintech innovator, and family office executive with 15+ years of experience leading companies at the intersection of real estate, finance, and technology.

Nathan Mauck is the Arvin Gottlieb Chair in Business Economics and Professor of Finance at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC), and a member of the leadership team for NSF Critical Materials Crossroads (CMC). His work focuses on one of the central challenges facing the development of domestic critical materials supply chains: how promising technologies and projects attract the capital needed. Drawing on research in sovereign wealth funds, institutional investment, valuation, and mergers and acquisitions, Dr. Mauck studies how public and private capital can be aligned around strategic economic priorities. Within CMC, he works on capital formation, investor readiness, project financeability, and approaches for connecting critical materials companies with private investors, strategic partners, and public-sector sources of capital. Dr. Mauck has 19 years of experience in finance education and research and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles, with research cited in outlets including The Wall Street Journal. He is also co-author of AI Co-Thinking, which earned Amazon's #1 New Release badge in Business Intelligence Tools.

Pratik Shah is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innovo Markets, a financial infrastructure company building the payments and settlement layer for energy and commodities markets. He spent two decades on trading floors before starting it, leading emerging markets trading at Societe Generale, Standard Chartered, Macquarie, and ANZ, and helping Societe Generale launch its first electronic pricing platform for emerging market currencies. He later served as Chief Investment Officer at CrossTower, where he built a digital asset fund and an institutional OTC desk. Across all of it he kept hitting the same wall, which is that the money side of these markets still runs on spreadsheets, paper checks, and manual reconciliation. Innovo is his answer to that.

As Co-President of Diode Ventures, Rachel Attebery provides strategic leadership for the company's growth and operations. She oversees business development and project execution, helping drive the successful progression of Diode's growing portfolio. A founding member of Diode Ventures, Rachel brings extensive institutional knowledge and deep expertise in digital infrastructure and renewable energy development, with experience advancing projects across global markets. Prior to her leadership role at Diode, Rachel held positions within Black & Veatch focused on technology innovation and process engineering. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Kansas and holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance. Rachel is also a recognized industry thought leader, having spoken at conferences, authored white papers and a book, and earned honors including ENR's Top 20 Under 40 and Ingram's 40 Under Forty awards.

Rachel manages cybersecurity, fraud, data quality and privacy-related risks for the Wealth Management business at Morgan Stanley. Her team is responsible for the security of client data and for preventing unauthorized access to or misuse of client funds. As a senior subject matter expert, Rachel regularly advises Wealth Management leadership and clients on the cyber threat landscape and mitigation strategies. In her capacity as Chief Data Officer, she coordinates Wealth Management’s holistic approach to data governance across the areas of information security, data quality, data privacy and information management. In 2019, Rachel was recognized by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management as part of the MAKERS Class, a program that honors women who serve as groundbreakers, innovators and advocates. She was also named one of the Top Women in WealthTech 2020 by ThinkAdvisor. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2017, Rachel spent 15 years at the National Security Agency (NSA), where she held several key senior executive-level leadership positions. Between 2008 and 2010, she ran NSA’s counterterrorism operations and led a global enterprise in detecting and disrupting terrorist plotting against the U.S. and its allies. Between 2010 and 2012, Rachel served as NSA’s Chief of Operations in the U.K., working out of the U.S. Embassy in London. In this role, she worked with U.K. intelligence services to counter terrorist and cyber threats to the 2012 Olympics. Returning to the U.S. in 2012, Rachel spent nearly five years leading NSA’s cyber exploitation operations as the Deputy and then Chief of the Remote Operations Center within NSA’s Tailored Access Operations. She led the planning and execution of thousands of cyber exploitation operations against a wide array of foreign intelligence, military and cyber targets, and served as the committing official for many of NSA’s highest risk and most important intelligence gathering activities.

Rika Nakazawa is Chief Growth Officer at EigenQ, an applied quantum technology company commercializing innovations across quantum security, communications, sensing, and computing. A global technology executive, venture investor, best-selling author, and internationally recognized speaker, she leads global strategy, commercialization, partnerships, and ecosystem growth, helping governments and enterprises prepare for the Quantum Era through practical, deployable technologies. Previously, Rika served as Executive Head of Global Strategic Innovation at NTT DATA, advancing initiatives in photonic networking, quantum technologies, AI, and space-based intelligence. She has held senior leadership roles with NVIDIA, Accenture, Capgemini, Sony, and venture-backed startups. Recognized by Forbes for innovation, she has also been named to CRN’s Women of the Channel Power 70 and Power 80 and recognized among the Top 100 Women in Emerging Technology. Rika is pursuing doctoral research in photonic quantum information systems, holds an MSc from the University of Leeds, and is the bestselling author of Dear Chairwoman.

Rosa is a technical operator with deep roots in aerospace and emerging tech. She began her career at NASA and went on to spend a decade at SpaceX, where she led the setup of production and manufacturing lines for the most complex propulsion systems. She played a key role in the development and deployment of the Falcon 9 and Starship’s engines, contributing across R&D, testing, and launch operations. After SpaceX, she spent four years at Atento Capital, the early-stage venture arm of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, where she served as Principal. There, she focused on backing founders and innovations at the intersection of deep tech, industrial innovation, and American resilience. She holds a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from USC and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from Oral Roberts University.

Sam Grewal is a Director of Origination & Strategy at Wildcat Labs, where he focuses on borrower origination, lender development and strategic partnerships. Prior to Wildcat, Sam worked across leveraged finance, private credit, asset-based lending and principal investing, with roles at BNP Paribas, Golub Capital, Wells Fargo, and Emigrant Bank. His experience spans underwriting, structuring and evaluating financings for middle-market businesses across a range of industries and credit strategies. At Wildcat, he works with borrowers and lenders to develop credit structures for use cases including working capital, trade finance and settlement finance, with a broader focus on how blockchain infrastructure can support more efficient private credit markets.

Scott is Founder of N3XT. Previously, he was the founder of Bank United of Texas, Merrick Bank and Signature Bank, as well as a founding director of Ranieri Partners, Super Derivatives, Shellpoint Mortgage, Home Partners of America and the Elah Funds. Scott was also the creator of Signet, the first 24/7 block chain enabled bank money transfer system that enjoyed enormous success and popularity within the compliant crypto industry.

Steve Vest is the President of Nationwide Equipment Transportation, Inc. (NET), a Kansas City-based freight brokerage for 20 years. Steve has a unique perspective on the challenges facing shippers and carriers, and is passionate about technological innovation in supply chains. Steve has also built a strong social media presence in multiple transportation sectors, educating shippers, carriers and entrepreneurs on problems, solutions and innovations. NET was one of the first freight brokerages in the World to adopt blockchain-based transportation trade finance.

Todd Ziegler (JD) is a decade-long c-suite transportation veteran. As founder and CEO of TCS, Ziegler is a pioneer in onchain trade finance, settling the World's first freight invoice on blockchain rails in 2022. TCS settles freight invoices in 1-2 business days, up to 90% cheaper than invoice "factoring." Ziegler has been invited to private meetings with the White House and U.S. Department of Commerce; and attended the GENIUS Act signing ceremony. In 2026, TCS announced major strategic partnerships, including PayPal. Beyond TCS, Ziegler serves on the Supply Chains & Transportation Committee at the Global Blockchain Business Council. More details at: www.TCSblockchain.com.

Anthony Caruso is CEO of the Critical Materials Crossroads Engine, Curators’ Professor of Physics and Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Before shifting into technical economic development, Caruso developed and co-founded radiation detection and semiconductor-based pulsed power businesses, and the Missouri Institute for Directed Energy (MIDE), leveraging and paralleling fundamental university innovation.

Will is an experienced investor with a background spanning venture capital and public markets. As a partner and co-founder of Atento Capital, the early stage investment arm of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, he spent five years deploying capital across early-stage startups, growth rounds, venture studios, and emerging fund managers. He has held roles as a board member, investment committee member, and LPAC participant, with a focus across aerospace, energy, consumer, and healthcare. Previously, he was a public markets investor at Cavanal Hill Investment Management, where he earned his CFA and contributed to several strategies, including a top-ranked World Energy fund. Will began his career at BOK Financial and holds an MBA and B.A. from The University of Tulsa. He also competed professionally on the ATP Tour, earning world rankings in singles and doubles.

Wills Reardon is Director of Investor Relations & Capital Formation at Multicoin Capital. Mr. Reardon previously served as Head of Capital Formation at Galaxy Asset Management, where he directed global fundraising efforts across multiple investment strategies. Earlier in his career, he was a Partner on a Private Wealth Management team at Morgan Stanley, advising Family Offices and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. He began his career as an analyst at Coanjo Capital, producing fundamental equity research. Wills earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Florida State University. He is based in New York.

Xander Carpousis is the founder and CEO of Paper, an end-to-end digital asset infrastructure platform that enables banks, credit unions, PSPs, and corporations to seamlessly integrate digital assets, stablecoins, tokenized assets, and next-generation financial services into their existing products and customer experiences. Over the past decade, he has held leadership roles at Strike, Hoseki, and Alpaca, helping launch and scale fintech and digital asset companies at the intersection of traditional finance and emerging technologies. Passionate about bridging legacy finance with the digital asset economy, Xander is building the infrastructure that enables institutions to securely adopt the next generation of financial technology while making digital assets more accessible to businesses and consumers worldwide.