# Trung Nguyen

> Vietnamese developer and entrepreneur Trung Nguyen is the CEO and co-founder of Sky Mavis, the studio behind Axie Infinity, the blockchain game that turned NFT pets into a global play-to-earn phenomenon. He previously co-founded Lozi and worked at Anduin Transactions before betting on CryptoKitties-inspired game design in 2017.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-founder at Sky Mavis
- **Organizations:** Sky Mavis, Lozi, Anduin Transactions
- **Nationality:** Vietnamese
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia - Consumer Technology (2017), Built Axie Infinity into one of the highest-grossing blockchain games globally, Sky Mavis valued at $3 billion (2021)

## Career timeline

- **2012** — At age 20, became CTO and co-founder of Lozi, a social network for food bloggers
- **2015** — Left Lozi after it reached 8 million users and raised seven-figure funding
- **2015-2017** — Worked as software engineer for Anduin Transactions, a Silicon Valley-based platform for investment deals
- **2017** — Started developing Axie Infinity, inspired by CryptoKitties and Pokemon/Neopets gameplay
- **2018** — Released Axie Infinity beta; Sky Mavis founded
- **2020** — Sky Mavis raised $1.5M from Hashed, Pangea, ConsenSys, and 500 Startups
- **2021** — Andreessen Horowitz led $150M Series B at $3B valuation
- **2022-03** — Ronin Network hacked for ~$620M by Lazarus Group; largest crypto heist at the time
- **2022** — Sky Mavis laid off 21% of workforce amid token crash and post-hack rebuilding

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia - Consumer Technology (2017)
- Built Axie Infinity into one of the highest-grossing blockchain games globally
- Sky Mavis valued at $3 billion (2021)
- Pioneered play-to-earn model that became primary income for thousands in the Philippines during COVID-19

## Latest updates

- **2022-03** — Ronin bridge hacked for approximately $620 million in ETH and USDC by North Korean Lazarus Group
- **2022-06** — Sky Mavis announced layoffs of 21% of staff amid broader crypto downturn and token price collapse
- **2022-04** — Sky Mavis stated recovery of stolen funds could take up to two years; raised additional VC and reimbursed users

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/trung-nguyen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-30