Amber Welch is the Founder & CEO of NaviAI Inc. and Finsuite Inc. With two decades of C-level experience, she launched the HackHERZ podcast in June 2023 to spotlight marginalized groups in Web3. Amber, a game-changer in the Web3 ecosystem, graduated Magna Cum Laude in Accounting/Finance and Computer Information Science. She has vast experience in finance, technology, and startup operations. NaviAI, her latest venture, is an AI-powered community helping startup founders understand finance, regulation, and compliance. Amber prioritizes client success, values continuous education, and enjoys speaking engagements, reading, working out, and outdoor activities with her family.
Andrew Chu is the Founder and CEO of One2all.io, the leading web3 nocode development agency with over 800 discord members, 40+ web3 no-code plugins and 50+ projects built to date across a variety of business verticals. Andrew has over 20 years of product management experience in the fintech space and has designed and launched global electronic trading platforms for banks, multinational corporations and institutional investors that have collectively generated over $100 billion dollars in notional volume. Andrew currently resides in Honolulu with his wife and two boys, and is a proud alum of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School.
Avery Ching is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Aptos Labs, the company creating developer tooling and products to enhance the Aptos ecosystem. With more than a decade’s experience in the industry, Avery has led teams at Meta across general blockchain development as well as ecosystems, wallet infrastructure, strategy and most notably, the Diem blockchain.
Prior to that, Avery led the team responsible for scaling Meta’s products to millions of people around the world. He was overall head of batch processing teams including Spark, Graphic processing (Apache Giraph), Facebook Hive/Hadoop (Corona), distributed scheduling, and the unified programming model for pipelines.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Avery studied at Northwestern University where he also received a PhD in Computer Engineering specializing in the area of supercomputing, parallel computing frameworks, and high-performance file systems.
Ben Hoxie serves as an Associate at Vectr Fintech Partners (VFP), which invests in Seed to Series A technology companies that are transforming capital markets and financial services infrastructure. With presence in Asia-Pacific and North America, VFP focuses on scalable solutions that are innovating in deep tech such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. Ben is a core member of the investment team, specializing in deal sourcing, due diligence, market research, and financial analysis. With experience on both sides of the U.S. coasts, he has also led multiple technology projects to enhance the firm’s investment capabilities.
Ben holds a Master of Engineering Management and a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth College. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and a minor in Economics from Bowdoin College.
Brandy Camacho is a seasoned tech professional with over 25 years of experience in the industry. She has made significant contributions to companies like Google, Udacity, and Celo. As the host of "The Brandy Camacho Show," she shares her extensive knowledge, offering insights into the latest tech trends, career advice, and business strategies. Brandy's passion for technology and education shines through as she interviews industry leaders and provides valuable content for tech enthusiasts and professionals alike. Join her to explore the ever-evolving tech landscape and discover how today's innovations are shaping the future.
Chris Lee has served in the Hawaii State Legislature since 2008. He currently serves in the Senate leadership and chairs the Senate Committee on Transportation, Culture and Arts. Senator Lee wrote laws making Hawaii the first state to mandate 100% renewable energy and target economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2045, and direct the transition to zero emissions transportation throughout the state. He authored the first legislation passed in the United States written by innovative AI LLM, and some of the earliest resolutions pushing the adoption and integration of blockchain-based applications for government services. Senator Lee also serves as President of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a bi-partisan coalition of 1400 state legislators across all 50 states focused on sharing and spreading innovative best practices, laws, and policies across the country. He is a graduate of Oregon State University.
Dagan Bernstein is a dynamic Hawaii-based education leader specializing in Web3 and blockchain integration. As the Community Engagement Lead at Ed3 DAO, a global Web3 community reimagining education, Dagan successfully grew an online support network for educators. He also serves as the Digital Content Manager for the National Capstone Consortium and is a Board Member of the Hawaii Society for Technology in Education (HSTE). Additionally, he is the founder of Ed3 Weekly, a Substack newsletter and podcast about the intersection of Web3 and education.
Ellen Ng is the founder of Inoa, a Web3 strategic advisory firm with a focus on creating phygital experiences and social impact through non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Her journey into Web3 started when she oversaw the State Government of Hawaii’s Digital Currency Innovation Lab (DCIL), a pilot program to establish a regulatory framework for crypto exchanges operating in Hawaii. Her international corporate experience spans public and private companies in the tech and retail industries, with roles in strategic planning, go-to-market, and e-commerce implementation. In 2021, she was selected by Pacific Business News as a 40 Under 40 Honoree for her work in economic development.
Kenny White is the founder and Chief Economist of Cowri Labs, the company building Shell Protocol. Kenny has been building and designing DeFi protocols for over six years. His projects have processed over $750 million in volume.
Jacy L. Youn is the Founder of PocketPears, a global consultancy delivering strategy, content support, and leadership to emerging tech teams. Jacy has played an integral role in leading project teams and startups, including The Carly P. Reilly Show, FiftyOne Insights, Overpriced JPEGs, and The Nerd Collective.
She enjoys researching and writing about the intersection of blockchain x business, consumer crypto, AI and digital assets. She travels frequently to web3 events and has a diverse background in journalism, law, public policy, corporate communications, and executive management.
Ken Spedden is the Managing Director of Native Hawaiian Veterans (NHV), a small business in Oahu with a strong record in IT Modernization and National Security for the Department of Defense and Civilian Agencies. NHV is a subsidiary of Cayuse Holdings, a 100% Native American Tribally Owned enterprise of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CUITR) in Oregon.
Prior to joining NHV, Ken has led both national and international innovation initiatives focused on utilizing emerging technologies to address difficult societal and national security related issues. Ken has served as a Sr. Industry Adviser for Innovation for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's office of Innovation, a Sr. Industry Adviser for Cybersecurity/Innovation for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of the Chief Information Officer and served as a Subject Matter Expert supporting a local Combatant Command on Oahu.
Ken serves as an Industry Advisory Board member for several Universities and as an Advisory Board member of two emerging technology companies, one of which is a leading U.S. based Web3 solutions company, Constellation.
Linda Goto Ph.D. is the co-founder of the Blockchain Billiards holding company, game, and league, where their mission is to integrate their real-world billiards league into the virtual space of democracy through smart contract technology, while revolutionizing the way we recognize and celebrate phygital achievements. Since 2019, she has been passionate about decentralized blockchain technology as a mechanism to ensure global transparency and accountability, and has been a Web3 Senior Advisor to HYPERREAL Digital since 2021.
Dr. Goto is also a multidisciplinary behavioral economist with a background in democratization. She has consulted internationally with organizations like the UNDP and acts as a Chief Labor Negotiator with the largest U.S. public sector, member-driven union, exemplifying her commitment to championing governance and amplifying voices. Additionally, she has recently held senior-level positions in organizations responsible for designing incentive and reward systems.
Megan Murray, with over 15 years experience in financial services, relationship management, and operations, recently founded Leoluna Finance Collective. This venture extends her expertise in outsourced CFO services to startups in emerging tech like AI and blockchain, helping them scale efficiently and manage resources effectively. Leoluna offers finance, accounting, tax, compliance, and HR services to growth stage companies. Megan also serves as the Operations Manager for ATX DAO, contributing to Austin's blockchain community and global decentralized governance.
Additionally, as Co-Founder of ATX Women in Web3, she hosts community events and is launching the Femme Founder Bootcamp this fall. Megan's impact has earned her recognition as one of the Most Inspirational Women in Web3 & AI, with her efforts featured in Axios and Forbes.
Meilani Pint is the founder, CEO, and owner of OpulenceX Inc. She is a seasoned leader in reshaping finance and championing decentralization. With over five years as the Managing Director of The Pint Hawaii, she honed finance, project management, and asset analysis skills. Also, she demonstrated her commitment to financial inclusivity. Her broad skill set includes data analysis, finance, and analytical skills, allowing data-driven decision-making. She excels in account management, networking, investment, and corporate development. Meilani's expertise spans investments, minerals, marketing, and contract negotiation, with notable knowledge in coal, iron ore, and real estate.
In her visionary role at OpulenceX, she identifies market trends, anticipates challenges, and fosters a culture of innovation, driving the organization toward groundbreaking solutions. Her understanding of economic principles and collaborative leadership style position OpulenceX Inc for sustainable growth in the rapidly evolving financial landscape. Meilani Pint's innovative approach makes her a driving force in decentralized finance.
Mele Hamasaki is a designer and producer based between Honolulu and Los Angeles who uses systems thinking, visual design principles, clear communication, and intuition to manifest visions of beauty, joy, and healing for generations to come. Born and raised in Kāneʻohe, her personal mission is exquisite equilibrium - the everyday remembering to cultivate and nourish our relationship to the natural world, the spiritual world, our communities, our families, and ourselves. She collaborates frequently as a producer and designer with the production company Ringshout Productions and Honolulu-based non-profit Puʻuhonua Society. She currently serves on the board of directors for the publishing non-profit Tropic Editions, leads design system tooling and innovation as a Staff Product Designer for Coinbase, and has co-curated the film program Huli of Consciousness at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Most recently, she produced Tutuvi Tutuvi Tutuvi, a fashion show for one of Honolulu’s iconic brands. Mele holds a Master’s Degree in Human Computer Interaction from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
Michael Ching leads the Treasury and Operations for Aptos Foundation, whose mission is to support the development of Aptos protocol, as well as drive engagement with the Aptos ecosystem. Aptos is a next generation layer 1 blockchain. Aptos’ breakthrough technology and programming language, Move, are designed to evolve, improve performance and strengthen user safeguards.
Prior to joining Aptos, Michael was a senior vice president at Bank of Hawaii. Over his 17-year career at the bank, he held numerous leadership roles, including strategic planning, online and mobile banking, investment services, and treasury. His responsibilities in treasury included overseeing the bank’s Foreign Exchange and Money Market, Asset Liability Management, Liquidity, Capital, and Derivative functions.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Michael earned his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Melissa Kim moonlights as a deal partner with Ganas Ventures, a Latinx-founded VC firm that invests in pre-seed and seed Web 2.0 and Web3 community-driven startups in the US and Latin America. She previously served as the regional marketing manager for CareMates, a future of aging startup, and served as the general manager of Entrepreneur's Sandbox after completing her MBA at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. She has interned with FemTech Focus, as well as IDEA Fund Partners, where she connected with startups building in the Future of Work and Future of Homes. At her current day job, she is the Director of Events & Protocol for Governor Josh Green, M.D.
With over a decade of experience building and nurturing crypto communities, Rosie Riddle stands at the forefront of shaping the digital asset landscape. She began her career by helping to build Coinbase into a global crypto powerhouse and now continues to innovate the customer experience as the Executive Director of Community Support at Consensys.
Rosie’s dedication to advancing transformative technologies is evident through her founding of Decentralized Hawaii, the state’s first community-focused organization promoting and educating on Web3 and decentralized innovations.
Based on Oahu, Rosie enjoys exploring the island’s hiking trails and perfecting her golf swing when she’s not working. Rooted in the aloha spirit, she seamlessly integrates her passion for technology with her love for community, fostering meaningful connections that bridge the digital and physical worlds.
Noah Williams is an Analyst with Alpaca VC, covering commerce, vertical SaaS and marketplaces. Prior to joining Alpaca VC, he managed the investment process and program at Blue Startups, a venture accelerator based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Much of his early career was spent in and around early-stage startups, often in product and engineering roles. He graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University, where he focused on semiconductor physics and machine learning.
Sean Cover leads accounting and operational finance at the a16z-backed blockchain company, Eco. He is the author of The Story of Money: The Journey From Shells and Shekels to Bills and Bitcoin and the co-creator and host of the Blockchain in Paradise meetup group.
Song Choi is the Co-Founder of Buildcore, a web3 agency whose projects include the Trust Era, an open source, web3 enterprise platform; and the Soonaverse, a former 36,000 member DAO-on-Demand and NFT marketplace. He is currently the founding co-host of Just Build, one the largest, fastest growing social-fi communities on Farcaster.
Prior to web3 he was an award-winning marketing professional, last serving as the Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications Division Manager at First Hawaiian Bank. Before his time with FHB he led the marketing operations for ALTRES and co-founded the payments start-up ChipIn. His consulting portfolio includes the University of Hawaii, HawaiiUSA FCU, and clients in commercial and residential real estate where his campaigns contributed to over a billion dollars in total sales.
Sarah Otsuki is the visionary Founder of Key to Web3, a global recruitment agency. With over a decade of professional experience, Sarah specializes in driving business expansion and building high-performing teams. She firmly believes that having the right people is a company's greatest asset. Throughout her career, Sarah has been a leader in supporting blockchain, gaming, and artificial intelligence companies worldwide.
Sarah is distinguished by her relentless drive for growth, unwavering commitment to excellence, and deep passion for innovation and technology. Together with the global team of experts at Key to Web3, she has fostered remarkable partnerships, collaborations, and an extensive network across the globe. This exceptional team is truly the KEY to hiring success.
Sean Watase is a Developer Relations Engineer at thirdweb, a full-stack web3 developer platform. He got introduced to blockchain technology in 2020 through NFTs and from there got fascinated by the potential of the technology. After self-teaching himself how to code for a couple years he joined thirdweb as a DevRel where he currently educates people on how to get started in the space and how to build and develop web3 applications.
Tatyana Cerullo has over 16 years of experience practicing law in the Marshall Islands, specializing in corporate, maritime, and litigation matters. In the past two years, she has focused on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), advising numerous clients on registering their DAOs as Marshall Islands DAO LLCs. Tatyana played a key role in drafting the 2023 amendment to the Marshall Islands DAO Act and its accompanying regulations, and she provides ongoing legal counsel to the Marshall Islands DAO registered agent, MIDAO. The Marshall Islands offers a non-US legal entity with a legal framework tailored specifically to the unique characteristics of DAOs and Web3, that allows for flexible structures and does not require a board or managers or a huge sum of money to set up and maintain.
Tatyana is licensed to practice law in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, New York, Hawaii, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has experience working with large U.S. law firms and as in-house counsel for both private and public companies. A member of the American Bar Association, Hawaii Bar Association, and New York Bar Association, Tatyana also served as a law clerk for United States District Judge Samuel P. King and United States Magistrate Judge Kevin S.C. Chang in the District of Hawaii
Zac Manafort is the Growth Lead for Phoenix Marketing, a full-service Web3 marketing agency specializing in developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies, content creation, community management, advertising, and event curation. He began his blockchain journey in 2017 by building Ethereum miners and ghostwriting for various projects. From 2021 to 2023, he created content for numerous Web3 games on the Avalanche Blockchain and later joined Avalabs' gaming marketing team after retiring from the military to pursue his passion to push blockchain innovation and adoption full-time. With extensive experience advising and leading marketing efforts for games, DeFi protocols, and NFT projects he strives to use his passion to assist clients and mentor others on how to get started in the web3 space.
When he is not working he enjoys spending his time with his wife and 2 daughters, gaming, and being in the trenches with all the Web3 warriors on social media.