Projects

Johann Gevers CFA CA BCom BSc BA
Founder: Crypto Valley ecosystem, Monetas, Tezos Foundation, Crypto Valley Association, Digital Finance Compliance Association, Bitcoin Association Switzerland
Rated Top 100 finance leader in Switzerland

johann-gevers-2011-11-11johann-gevers-2016-01-01

Bio:
Johann is a visionary thought leader and entrepreneur, currently building a new legal and social system based on breakthrough research.

He is the founder of the world-leading Crypto Valley ecosystem, as well as several startups and industry organizations. Rated as a Top 100 finance leader in Switzerland, his thought leadership has guided regulatory reform in multiple jurisdictions, and his articles, interviews, and presentations such as The Four Pillars of a Decentralized Society and The Age of CryptoFinance have been influential in the decentralized technologies and fintech spaces.

In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, he has served as consultant and strategic advisor to governments, regulators, and companies across diverse industries, including pioneering technology startups.

Résumé:
LinkedIn

Presentations:
The Four Pillars of a Decentralized Society
The Age of CryptoFinance — How CryptoFinance Will Transform the World

Articles:
The Future of Finance
Why Crypto Technologies are a Powerful Force for Improving the World

Current projects:

My mission is to drive the development of a free and prosperous society. I believe innovative legal systems and advanced technologies present us with a unique opportunity to dramatically improve the quality of life of people everywhere.

Our economies and societies operate within the framework of governance systems — systems of values, rules, and mechanisms that govern our interactions and our lives. While there is much that is sound and good in our current cultural and politico-legal systems, there is also substantial room for improvement. My colleagues and I are researching innovative new concepts and rules to improve how our legal systems — and therefore our economies and societies — operate.

Successfully realizing the promise of innovative new governance systems and crypto technologies requires a vibrant ecosystem of talented entrepreneurs, deep pools of capital, world-class engineers, and expert service providers, underpinned by supportive government and a friendly regulatory environment.
In May 2013 I developed the vision for Crypto Valley as an ecosystem and global hub for crypto technologies modeled on the success of Silicon Valley. In July 2013, after researching and visiting candidate jurisdictions across the world, I chose Zug, Switzerland as the ideal location and started building the Crypto Valley ecosystem here by developing supportive relationships with the authorities, attracting leading crypto startups, helping them design their strategy and setup their operations, developing an ecosystem of expert professional service providers, driving the development of a friendly regulatory environment, and promoting Crypto Valley in the industry and the media.
With the broad support of numerous individuals, startups, corporates, service providers, industry associations, educational institutions, governments, and regulators, Crypto Valley has grown into a thriving ecosystem and vibrant community, attracting world-class talent, over a thousand companies including 14 unicorns, and billions of dollars in investment. Industry leaders including Bitcoin Suisse, Ethereum, Consensys, Cardano, Solana, Polkadot, Near, Cosmos, Elrond, Dfinity, Tezos, Aave, Nexo, Bitmex, Bittrex, Seba, Sygnum, SwissBorg, ShapeShift, and many others were born in Crypto Valley or have moved here.
In July 2016 the city of Zug became the first government in the world to officially accept bitcoin payments. In July 2017 the city of Zug announced that it would become the first government in the world to offer blockchain-based digital identities to its citizens. Crypto Valley is now a world-leading ecosystem for crypto, blockchain, and distributed ledger technologies.

We live in an incredibly exciting time in history. Never before have we held such power to positively transform the world.

Past projects include:

  • In 2017 I co-founded the Crypto Valley Association as a professional organization to coordinate, accelerate, and scale the further development of Crypto Valley.
  • In 2016 I was invited by the Liechtenstein government to help develop a friendly regulatory framework for the crypto industry. Our work was completed in 2019 with the public announcement of the world’s first “crypto law” — a comprehensive, pioneering act of legislation that puts Liechtenstein in the lead as the most advanced, business-friendly jurisdiction for crypto technologies.
  • In 2014 I founded the Digital Finance Compliance Association (DFCA) to spearhead the development of a clear, business-friendly legal framework for the cryptofinance industry. Through several years of strategic behind-the-scenes work with regulators and authorities in Switzerland, the DFCA made excellent progress — many of our proposals were adopted, thereby removing obstacles and enabling the development of the crypto industry in Switzerland. Our work shaped the direction of discussion and regulation in Switzerland and internationally.
  • In 2013 I co-founded the Bitcoin Association Switzerland — the first fintech association in Switzerland — to help nurture the Swiss cryptofinance community, spread awareness and understanding of Bitcoin and crypto technologies, and organize cryptofinance meetups and events in Crypto Valley and beyond.
  • In 2012 I co-founded Monetas to bring the world’s most advanced financial and legal services to everyone with a mobile phone, including the world’s billions of unbanked and underbanked adults. Our open and extensible technology enables consumers, businesses, and institutions to trade all types of assets, currencies, and instruments across devices, providers, and borders with matchless security, efficiency, and performance. Monetas’ mission is to develop technologies that enable everyone to live in freedom and to generate limitless prosperity. Monetas achieved a series of recognitions, including: winner of the Swisscom Startup Challenge, one of the Top 7 cryptofinance startups in EMEA and one of the Top 21 globally, and one of the 50 hottest fintech companies in Europe.
  • In 2011, I took Future Cities Development from idea to operational company in three months. Helped define vision, mission, business model, and strategy. Developed valuation model for a new kind of company — a country startup — validated by Goldman Sachs consultant. Developed contract template that advances the state of the art, validated by top international law firm. Negotiated legal contracts with billionaire investors in successful USD 1 million seed funding round. Researched and implemented best practices and best-of-breed solutions across the corporate infrastructure: jurisdictions, incorporation, banking, legal, collaboration infrastructure, security, technical support, organizational systems, recruiting, and compensation framework.
  • At the Institute for Freedom, developed foundational elements of a new legal system for a truly free, just, and prosperous society — a society that works for everyone — based on the insight that individual sovereignty forms the essential basis of community and civil society. At the core of the system is a new, precise formulation of the Golden Rule:
    Every person is sovereign to the extent that they respect the sovereignty of other persons, and have made restitution to persons whose sovereignty they have violated.
    This principle of individual sovereignty (which I’ve named The Freedom Universal), combined with innovative choice of law and choice of forum provisions, enables a system of highly adaptive social organization.
  • Advised Smart Action from conception to commercialization, on strategy, business plan, intellectual property, legal contracts, computer security, communications and collaboration infrastructure, website, valuation model, and investor presentation. Company successfully commercialized product in 2009 — clients include Fortune 100 companies.
  • Developed artificial intelligence forecasting and optimization solution for a greenhouse farm. System bested existing methods 89% of the time — reduced variances to less than 10% from over 25%. Analysis revealed unexpected factors impacting crop yield — enabling improved control, higher yield, and lower costs.
  • Performed global macro investment analysis and long-term portfolio recommendations for a trust company and recommended purchase of precious metals in early 2009 when gold was trading at $900 and silver at $13. Within three years, gold exceeded $1,800 — a 100% return, and silver exceeded $40 — a 208% return.
  • Re-engineered business systems and work processes for a graphic design agency, driving a 40% productivity improvement. Cut expenses more than 30% by improving procurement systems and controls. Restructured loans to reduce cost of borrowing. Reduced sales tax bill 75% through little-known exemption.