# Kathleen Breitman

> Kathleen Breitman is the co-founder and CEO of Dynamic Ledger Solutions, the company behind Tezos — the self-amending blockchain that raised $232 million in a 2017 ICO, then the largest in history. A Cornell-educated economist turned crypto builder, Breitman navigated one of the most turbulent governance crises in blockchain history to deliver a live, functioning network. Known for her blunt wit, anti-hype stance, and combative advocacy during the Tezos legal battles, she has become a defining voice in the 'build it or shut up' wing of the crypto world. She is currently building Coase, a software company focused on reducing transaction costs, while serving as a venture partner at Social Impact Capital and writing pointed op-eds for Fortune about crypto culture, women in tech, and the industry's credibility problem.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Dynamic Ledger Solutions / Tezos
- **Organizations:** Dynamic Ledger Solutions, Tezos, Tezos Foundation, Coase, Social Impact Capital, Gnosis
- **From:** Connecticut, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Secondary School, Immaculate Heart Academy, Bachelor's degree, Economics & Mathematics, Cornell University, Robert L. Bartley Fellowship, The Wall Street Journal
- **Known for:** Co-founded Tezos, which held the world's largest ICO in 2017 at $232 million, Steered Tezos through one of the most contentious governance crises in blockchain history and delivered a live mainnet, Fortune Ledger 40 Under 40 (2018), ranked #13

## Career timeline

- **2009-2011** — Vice President & Editor at R&M Political's 'The Politicizer'
- **2011** — Robert L. Bartley Fellow at The Wall Street Journal (3 months)
- **2012-2013** — Consultant at De Dicto
- **2013** — Management Associate at Bridgewater Associates
- **2014** — Co-founded Dynamic Ledger Solutions to build Tezos
- **2014-2016** — Strategy Consultant at Accenture (concurrent)
- **2016** — Senior Strategy Associate at R3 CEV blockchain consortium
- **2017** — Tezos ICO raises $232 million in 13 days — then the largest ICO in history
- **2017-2018** — Led battle against Tezos Foundation administrator Johann Gevers during governance crisis
- **2018** — Tezos mainnet launched (September); ranked #13 on Fortune Ledger 40 Under 40
- **2020** — Co-founded Coase, a software company named after economist Ronald Coase
- **2020** — Launched Emergents TCG, a blockchain-based collectible card game on Tezos
- **2022+** — Venture Partner at Social Impact Capital; Advisor to Gnosis
- **2024** — Published op-eds in Fortune on crypto culture and women in blockchain
- **2025** — Spoke at Accelerate 2025 and TezDev 2025; Tezos X upgrade announced
- **2026** — Tezos pivoting toward real-world assets (RWA); CFTC-regulated XTZ futures launched by Bitnomial

## Achievements

- Co-founded Tezos, which held the world's largest ICO in 2017 at $232 million
- Steered Tezos through one of the most contentious governance crises in blockchain history and delivered a live mainnet
- Fortune Ledger 40 Under 40 (2018), ranked #13
- Named to CoinTelegraph's Top 100 People in Crypto
- Tezos has completed 11+ self-amending protocol upgrades without any hard forks
- Built the first major proof-of-stake blockchain with on-chain governance
- Secured major brand partnerships for Tezos including McLaren Racing, Red Bull F1, Gap, Ubisoft
- Venture Partner at Social Impact Capital
- Advisor to Gnosis (blockchain prediction markets)
- Regular op-ed contributor to Fortune on crypto and women in tech
- World Economic Forum listed speaker/profile

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Tezos pivoting toward real-world assets (RWA); CFTC-regulated XTZ futures launched by Bitnomial; Uranium.io (uranium tokenization on Tezos) launched.
- **2025-06** — Tezos X upgrade announced at TezDev 2025, aiming for deep EVM integration via Etherlink and 50ms transaction finality.
- **2025-04** — Gave 'Ship or Die' lightning talk at Accelerate 2025 conference.
- **2024-12** — Told CoinDesk the future of blockchain will be 'deeply boring' — meaning stable, predictable infrastructure replacing speculative volatility.
- **2024-11** — Spoke at Web Summit in Lisbon; said Trump's election victory led to 'unfettered enthusiasm' for crypto and predicted regulatory clarity would boost RWA tokenization, ETFs, stablecoins, and gaming.
- **2024-08** — Appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box during global crypto sell-off; declared 'Bitcoin's narrative as a store of value is being decimated as we speak.'
- **2024-03** — Published Fortune op-ed 'Perfume won't fix the crypto industry's failure to attract women,' arguing the barrier is toxic culture ('vibes'), not education gaps.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kathleenbreitman.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-breitman-6860279
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/breitwoman

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/kathleen-breitman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-29