RESUME/CV
One page resume can be downloaded here
Professional Summary
Research/engineer, technical leader and entrepreneur currently working at the intersection of blockchain infrastructure (consensus, zero knowledge, cryptographic primitives, bridges) and Decentralized protocols (identity, DeFi, NFT’s). Track record of driving projects from conception to completion, identifying research gaps and providing solutions. Proven leader of engineering teams with the ability to drive collaboration across the organization and the entire ecosystem.
Achievements
Research and Engineering
- Wrote multiple DeFi whitepapers.
- Researched consensus, bridging, cryptographic primitives and zero knowledge proofs.
- Built Layer 1 platforms, DeFi protocols, non-custodial wallets, web3 identity, wallet infrastructure and NFT contracts for gaming character token sales.
Building Great Technical Teams
- Grew Harmony from 6 to 20 Engineers, managed 7 engineers at LOYYAL and founded an enterprise consulting startup onboarding a team of 5.
Successful Product Launches
- 5 blockchain launches and multiple ecosystem releases, Gama Space Station NFT Launch, dot-country web3 identity and web2 backend launch.
Founder
- Founded an enterprise consultancy firm which I grew to $800k in annual revenue and ran from 2000-2009.
- Lead research, legal framework for incorporation, compliance and fundraising efforts for multiple blockchain protocols.
Projects
Below are some of links to projects I have designed and built or contributed to.
Founder / Research Engineer
johnwhitton: July 2018 - Present, Silicon Valley
- isolab.gg: Trustless Bridge Research using Zero Knowledge Proofs including cryptographic primitives, consensus layer and zero knowledge implementations.
- hiddenstate.xyz: 1.country implementation inspired by ENS and enhanced to integrate web2 DNS server and SMTP routing.
- modulo: 1-wallet and sms-wallet: non-custodial crypto wallet and lightweight crypto sms wallet.
- kanga.finance: Dex implementation inspired by Sushi and proof of concept integration with one-wallet. (github). Winner of $30,000 in prizes from Harmony Hackathon.
- eave.network: Polkadot DeFi Parachain (github) inspired by Acala and launched on the Rococo Network.
- em∆sset (github):
- Designed StableCoin Payment Platform integrating with banking systems
- Defi Research: Uniswap, Polkadot, Curve, Balancer, Coinbase Rosettanet
- Built gRPC API Layer: proto, golang, grpc-gateway, openapi, MongoDB
- Mobile App: Flutter, Dart integrating with gRPC Services
- WASDEX: designed a decentralized regulated platform for digital securities
- Shell protocol: developed initial prototype of the COWRI protocol, a stable coin, meta layer which leveraged the 0x Protocol and became Shell Protocol.
- Project X: wrote white paper for a layer 1 blockchain platform
- Pocketh - wrote design document for a mobile payment platform for restaurants using stable coins and collateralization.
- Jincubator: researched layer 1 platforms including polkadot, cosmos, stellar and ethereum
Ecosystem Architect
Harmony: August 2019 - May 2020, Silicon Valley
Layer 1 Proof of Stake, Sharded Blockchain Protocol
- Hired and Mentored over 10 Engineers growing the team from 6 to 20
- Launched Mainnet ONE, Token Swap and Open Staking
- Owned Developer Tooling including API, SDK, HRC and IDEs
- Deployed Network Upgrades including over 50 rollouts of complete Harmony Protocol and Network
- Presented Internationally at Technical Conferences
- Responsible for Partner Success and Developer Advocacy
Chief Technology Officer
loyyal: July 2016 - Jun 2018, New York
Loyalty Platform leveraging tokenization of points using blockchain
- Hired and mentored a team of 7 engineers
- Launched LOYYAL program management suite on HYPERLEDGER
- Built Dubai Points the first loyalty mobile application built on blockchain
- Deployed and maintained a private ethereum network
- Owned partner success with IBM, Deloitte, Emirates Airlines, CIBC Bank
Founder, Engineering Manager, Architect, Developer
Enterprise Software and Consulting: July 1986 - Jun 2016, Global
Enterprise Software and Integration Platforms
- Managed over 100 initiatives and 50 staff at EFI
- Built EFI Business Integration Services an SOA platform integrating SAP, Salesforce, FLEXERA and external partners including CANON and Fedex
- Founded Global Enterprise Solutions a niche SAP technical consultancy and hired and mentored a team of 5
- Lead Autodesk Subscription Program integration - integrating SAP, TIBCO, SEEBEYOND, registration systems and CRM systems
- Developed Enterprise Software for the Mining Industry
Whitepapers and Design Documents
Codebases
Websites and Applications
Presentations and Videos
Education
Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland (1984-1987)
- Gitcoin: John on Gitcoin
- Hackathons: Kanga Harmony Hackathon Proposals
- Awards: Kanga winning multiple awards in Harmony Hackathon
- Proposal: Kanga Launch Proposal