# Will Warren

> Will Warren co-founded 0x in October 2016 alongside Amir Bandeali, building the open protocol that became foundational DeFi infrastructure for peer-to-peer trading of Ethereum-based digital assets. A former applied physics researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory who left a PhD program in structural engineering to bet everything on Ethereum, Warren grew 0x from a whitepaper into a protocol powering billions in DEX volume and a developer platform serving the broadest ecosystem of DeFi apps, wallets, and market makers. In May 2026 he stepped down as Co-CEO while remaining a major shareholder and board member.

- **Role:** Co-founder & Board Member at 0x Labs
- **Organizations:** 0x Labs, 0x Protocol, Basic Attention Token (advisor)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), PhD in Structural Engineering (incomplete), University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
- **Known for:** Co-founded 0x Protocol, foundational DeFi infrastructure for decentralized asset trading on Ethereum, First place, DRS Infrared Imaging Competition (2013), First place, Consensus Proof-of-Work Pitch Competition by CoinDesk (2017)

## Career timeline

- **2012-2013** — Undergraduate researcher in computer vision at UCSD Coordinated Robotics Lab
- **2013-2014** — Post-Baccalaureate Researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory (DARHT Experiments and Diagnostics)
- **2014-2016** — PhD studies in Structural Engineering at UCSD; departed program to pursue blockchain full-time
- **2015-2016** — Graduate Research Assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory (laser diagnostics, optics, signal processing)
- **2016** — Co-founded 0x Protocol alongside Amir Bandeali in October 2016
- **2017** — 0x won first place at Consensus Proof-of-Work Pitch Competition by CoinDesk
- **2017** — Technical Advisor for Basic Attention Token (March-May 2017)
- **2018** — Launched 0x Protocol v2.0
- **2020** — Introduced 0x Labs and Periscope Trading; 0x API drives nearly 40% of WETH-DAI volume
- **2021** — 0x Protocol expands to Binance Smart Chain and multiple Layer 1/Layer 2 networks
- **2022** — Raised $70M Series B (April 2022); total funding reaches $109M
- **2023** — 0x Labs settled with CFTC for $200,000 over leveraged token trading facilitation
- **2026** — Stepped down as Co-CEO of 0x Labs (May 15, 2026); remains major shareholder and board member

## Achievements

- Co-founded 0x Protocol, foundational DeFi infrastructure for decentralized asset trading on Ethereum
- First place, DRS Infrared Imaging Competition (2013)
- First place, Consensus Proof-of-Work Pitch Competition by CoinDesk (2017)
- University Fellowship, UCSD Department of Structural Engineering (2014)
- Undergraduate Research Scholarship, Warren College Provost, UCSD (2012)
- Grew 0x API to power ~40% of WETH-DAI volume on Ethereum within months of launch
- Raised $109M in total funding, including $70M Series B in 2022
- Expanded 0x Protocol to multi-chain: Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Fantom, Optimism, Celo, and more
- Navigated and settled CFTC enforcement action in 2023, helping set precedent for DeFi regulation

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Stepped down as Co-CEO of 0x Labs on May 15, 2026; Amir Bandeali assumes sole leadership. Warren remains major shareholder and board member.
- **2026-03** — 0x launched Cross-Chain API to private beta, targeting AI agents and autonomous systems that need to transact across blockchains without managing chain complexity.
- **2023-09** — 0x Labs settled with CFTC for $200,000 over facilitation of leveraged token trading by third parties on the platform.
- **2022-04** — 0x raised $70M Series B (April 2022), bringing total funding to $109M.

## Links

- Website: https://0x.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/will-warren-92aab62b
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/willwarren
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/0xProject/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/will-warren
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-20