Muneeb Ali

Last updated
Muneeb Ali
Muneeb Ali.png
NationalityAmerican, Pakistani
Education Princeton University (PhD)
Known for Stacks, Protothread
Scientific career
Fields Distributed Computing
Thesis Trust-to-Trust Design of a New Internet  (2017)
Doctoral advisor Andrea LaPaugh

Muneeb Ali is a Pakistani-American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of Stacks, an open-source smart contract platform for Bitcoin. He is known for the regulatory framework that resulted in the first SEC-qualified offering for a crypto asset [1] [2] and for his doctoral dissertation which formed the basis of the Stacks network. [3] [4] He is a co-author of Protothread and Proof-of-Transfer (PoX) consensus. [5]

Career

Ali studied Computer Science at LUMS [6] and received his PhD in Computer Science from Princeton University in 2017. [7] Ali co-founded Stacks (formerly Blockstack) with Ryan Shea and went through Y Combinator in 2014. [8]

His work mainly focused on sensor networks, blockchains, and cloud computing.

Ali was a technical advisor to the HBO Silicon Valley show, and appeared in the Amazon Prime Video Rizqi Presents: Blockchain show. [9]

In 2019, he convinced the SEC regulators to allow his company to start a token offering under Reg A+ exemption, becoming the first to do so. [1] [2] In 2020, Ali released a legal framework for non-security status of Stacks. [10]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardano (blockchain platform)</span> Public blockchain platform

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An initial coin offering (ICO) or initial currency offering is a type of funding using cryptocurrencies. It is often a form of crowdfunding, although a private ICO which does not seek public investment is also possible. In an ICO, a quantity of cryptocurrency is sold in the form of "tokens" ("coins") to speculators or investors, in exchange for legal tender or other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ether. The tokens are promoted as future functional units of currency if or when the ICO's funding goal is met and the project successfully launches.

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A security token offering (STO) / tokenized IPO is a type of public offering in which tokenized digital securities, known as security tokens, are sold in security token exchanges. Tokens can be used to trade real financial assets such as equities and fixed income, and use a blockchain virtual ledger system to store and validate token transactions.

Paxos Trust Company is a New York–based financial institution and technology company specializing in blockchain. The company's product offerings include a cryptocurrency brokerage service, asset tokenization services, and settlement services. ItBit, a bitcoin exchange run by Paxos, was the first bitcoin exchange to be licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services, granting the company the ability to be the custodian and exchange for customers in the United States.

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Solana is a blockchain platform which uses a proof-of-stake mechanism to provide smart contract functionality. Its native cryptocurrency is SOL.

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References

  1. 1 2 Vigna, Paul (10 July 2019). "SEC Clears Blockstack to Hold First Regulated Token Offering". The Wall Street Journal .
  2. 1 2 "Squawk Box on SEC's work to regulate crypto". CNBC Television.
  3. "Princeton-Trained Computer Scientists Are Building a New Internet That Brings Privacy and Property Rights to Cyberspace". Reason TV. 22 June 2017.
  4. Vigna, Paul (26 October 2019). "Tech Giants Have Hijacked the Web. It's Time for a Reboot". The Wall Street Journal .
  5. "Blockstack anchors to Bitcoin network with new mining algorithm". ZDNet .
  6. "LUMS Graduate, Muneeb Ali Featured at TEDX New York". LUMS News.
  7. "Researchers link realism to blockchain's promise". Princeton University News.
  8. "Top 100 Y Combinator Companies". Y Combinator Database (YCDB).
  9. WIECZNER, JEN (June 8, 2018). "Meet the Blockchain Startup That Inspired HBO's 'Silicon Valley' Season 5". Fortune. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  10. Chavez-Dreyfuss, Gertrude (2020-12-07). "Blockstack's digital currency 'Stacks' to be tradable in U.S. once new blockchain arrives". Reuters.