Whether it is the invention of the first radio receiver by Aleksandr Popov, the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1, or the creation of the periodic table by Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian innovators are always among the frontrunners of technology. Regarding blockchain and web3, the founder of Telegram Pavel Durov, and the co-founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin are two household names around the crypto families, and another addition is the mysterious co-founder of Chainlink, Sergey Nazarov.
This article will explore Sergey Nazarov’s career and personal life, his path to the creation of Chainlink, and his current activities. We will cover his education details, the timeline of LINK’s creation, and his social media presence. Let’s get started.
Who is Sergey Nazarov?
Born in 1987, Sergey Nazarov grew up around engineer parents with STEM backgrounds where his companions were computers and technology. As a kid interested in dismantling and reassembling televisions and computers, his passion was further boosted by his parents who taught him engineering.
In his teens, he started learning coding skills which made him secure third place in the “Google Coding Jam” competition at the age of 19. Despite his interest in coding and hardware, his graduation was in philosophy and management, which he completed at New York University in 2007.
Early Years of Sergey Nazarov’s Career
Sergey joined New York University Stern School of Business after graduating, where he met Lawrence Lenihan. Lenihan, the CEO of venture capital fund FirstMark Capital, was a professor at Stern School teaching entrepreneurship to students.
When Lenihan founded FirstMark in 2008, Sergey joined as an intern in the firm. Later he worked as a software engineer at Google and then moved to a startup called Smart Contract. He acquired knowledge of smart contracts and decentralized technologies and decided to build a blockchain along with his friend Steve Ellis.
Oracle Problem and SmartContract
Sergey was trying to find innovation gaps in blockchain technology and finally, he reached the oracle problem, the issue of introducing off-chain data into blockchain in a secure way. The security of a blockchain is primarily dependent on its isolation, the separation from external connections. However, it was important to build a secure bridge to the external technologies because then only we will expand the use cases of blockchain into a larger social spectrum.
Sergey dissolved his startup SmartContract into the new venture, and together with Steve Ellis, he named the platform Chainlink, with the token ticker $LINK. However, the launch of the idea got postponed because of the need for the right time and space.
The Birth & Growth of Chainlink: A Timeline
Started building in 2017, Chainlink was formally launched in 2019 and became a huge success in 2021. Let’s get into a detailed timeline from 2017.
- 2017: The initial idea was to create a blockchain that connects off-chain environments with the digital realm by acting as a bridge. Sergey and Steve Ellis contacted Cornell University professor Ari Juels to help them write the whitepaper.
- 2018: Town Crier, a trusted execution environment (TEE) based blockchain oracle in which Ari Juels also worked, was integrated into Chainlink’s program.
- 2019: Chainlink was formally launched into the mainnet, attracting various developers and investors. Initially, it had a minimal setup with a single ETH/USD transaction option. However, it gradually started getting mainstream recognition.
- 2020: Many decentralized financial (DeFi) services started using Chainlink as a tool, resulting in major developments in NFTs, DeFi, and other web3 applications. When the year was nearing its end, Chainlink’s native coin started surging.
- 2021: Chainlink’s market capitalization witnessed an incredible surge to 20 billion dollars around May, creating an all-time high of $52.88 per coin. Currently, LINK is 55.65% down from this point.
- 2022 to Present: Various developments have improved Chainlink into a secure and scalable solution, and it is now a prominent coin in the web3 arena. LINK, which was moving sideways for the past two years, now started showing signals for another bull run. In the past month alone, the coin soared 96.20%.
Sergey Nazarov’s Media Presence
With around 152.5K followers, Sergey is a popular figure in X. He regularly posts his opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms on the platform. He occasionally appears in mainstream media, and recently he emphasized the importance of security in an interview.
He has been conducting various teaching sessions and AMAs around the world, inspiring youngsters. His Chainlink Labs provides numerous career opportunities for qualified job seekers.
Conclusion
Sergey and his Chainlink are looking for talented next-generation prodigies to take blockchain technology into another stage of evolution. As an inspiring figure, Sergey’s career and achievements will boost the confidence of young web3 enthusiasts. Let us hope for more innovative solutions from him soon.
