Jonathan Levin

A native of England with an economics degree from Oxford—where he published research on virtual currencies—Levin cofounded Chainalysis nearly six years ago, tracking Bitcoin movements on the blockchain. Since then, Chainalysis has expanded its blockchain analysis to other cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Tether, and more, and become an indispensable tool both for crypto exchanges—who want to prevent thieves and other bad actors from transacting on their platforms—as well as regulators, who have, in the past year, used Chainalysis’s software to bust crypto-using criminals from hackers to terrorists to child porn purveyors. In July, Levin’s company topped off its $49 million Series B round, with funding from Accel and Benchmark as well as Ashton Kutcher’s VC firm. That positions Chainalysis as one of the key companies working to make cryptocurrency secure enough for mainstream users and investors, a professionalization that would be a game changer for the industry.