Barry Silbert

Barry Silbert
Born1976 (age 48–49)
Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
EducationGoizueta Business School
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forEarly investor in Bitcoin
SpouseLori Silbert

Barry Silbert is an American entrepreneur and investor who is the CEO of the Digital Currency Group.[1][2][3] As of 2022, he was estimated to have a net worth of $3.2 billion.[4] In 2023 he was accused of exploiting the bankruptcy laws to take funds for himself after the crypto company he controlled went bankrupt.[5]

Early years and education

Silbert was born Gaithersburg, Maryland and was reported to have earned his first $1,000 by selling baseball cards to students at his high school. At 17, he passed the series 7 stockbroker exam. In 1998, he graduated from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, receiving a bachelor's degree in finance.

Career

In 2004, Silbert founded SecondMarket, an online marketplace for shares in private technology companies. It was valued at $200 million in 2011.[6] It was acquired by Nasdaq in 2015.[7]

In October 2015, Silbert founded Digital Currency Group.[8]

In November 2024, Silbert announced that he was launching Yuma, a decentralized artificial intelligence company.[9]

References

  1. ^ Roush, Ty. "Crypto Exec Barry Silbert's Firm Wants New York's $3 Billion Genesis Fraud Suit Tossed Out—Calling It 'Baseless'". Forbes.
  2. ^ Zuckerman, Gregory; Huang, Vicky Ge; Ostroff, Caitlin (2023-01-17). "A Crypto Magnate Saw the Risks and Still Was Hammered". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  3. ^ Dugan, Kevin T. (May 20, 2024). "The Crypto World Has a New Villain". Intelligencer.
  4. ^ "Barry Silbert". Forbes.
  5. ^ "Barry Silbert Could Pocket $1 Billion in Personal Gains by Exploiting Bankruptcy System: Report". Crypto News. March 27, 2024.
  6. ^ Ante, Spencer E. "SecondMarket Gets Its Own Funding".
  7. ^ Hope, Tess Stynes and Bradley. "Nasdaq Acquires SecondMarket, Profit Rises 12%".
  8. ^ Vigna, Paul. "Bitcoin-Focused Investment Firm Brings On Western Union, Lawrence Summers".
  9. ^ Huang, Vicky Ge. "The Crypto Magnate Barry Silbert Pins His Comeback on AI".