Jansen Teng is a Malaysian entrepreneur based in Kuala Lumpur, best known as the CEO and co-founder of PathDAO and the co-founder of Virtuals Protocol, a decentralized platform for building and co-owning AI agents. Before moving into blockchain and AI, he worked as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Who Is Jansen Teng?
Jansen Teng earned a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology with Business Management from Imperial College London, graduating in 2018. Before university, he achieved four A* grades in his Cambridge A Levels at Taylor’s College Subang Jaya and scored 9A+ in his high school studies at SMK Seri Bintang Utara in Kuala Lumpur.
He served as president of the Imperial College Union Malaysian Society and worked as an undergraduate student researcher at Imperial College London from 2017, focusing on genetic engineering to improve water nucleation techniques.
For profiles of other builders shaping the Web3 industry, visit our crypto personalities page.
Jansen Teng’s Career and Contributions
Teng founded CIPTA in 2015, a platform that connected investors with Malaysian students studying in the UK and provided grants for student-led projects. That platform later became known as iCUBE. In 2016, he co-founded ThinAir, a water-harvesting technology company inspired by natural water-collection processes, serving as Co-Founder and CTO from October 2016 to July 2018.
His time at Boston Consulting Group began in 2018, when he progressed from associate to senior associate and consultant, working on analytics, digital banking license projects, and market studies across Southeast Asian industries. Alongside his consulting work, he co-founded DIAM Digital Marketing in 2019, where he ran advertising strategies for real estate clients, and co-founded Aidaro in 2020, applying AI and data analysis to improve home search.
In October 2021, Teng co-founded both PathDAO, where he serves as CEO, and Virtuals Protocol. PathDAO originally operated as a gaming guild before pivoting during the 2022 market downturn to incubate AI-enabled projects. According to an interview Teng gave on the GameSpot podcast, that pivot shaped Virtuals Protocol’s direction toward building AI agents for gaming and entertainment, some of which have since begun generating revenue.
Jansen Teng’s Views and Positions
Teng has spoken publicly about the pressures of leading a company through a difficult pivot, including the anxiety founders can face when balancing personal challenges with leadership responsibilities, discussing this on the GameSpot podcast in the context of PathDAO’s 2022 restructuring.
At the Cryp2KL 2.0 Conference in 2022, Teng also participated in a panel called “GameFi: Future of Gaming?” alongside Wong Chun Weng of TavernDAO, Irene Umar of YGG SEA, and Suresh Naidu Sadasivan, where the group discussed how blockchain introduces decentralized ownership of in-game assets, acknowledging concerns about sustainability while remaining optimistic about the category’s long-term potential.
At SuperAI 2024 in Singapore, he also joined a panel titled “Decentralized Intelligence: The Vision for Universal AI” alongside Nikhil Vadgama of the DLT Science Foundation, Michael Heinrich of 0G, Jake Brukhman of CoinFund, and Humayun Sheikh of Fetch.ai, where panelists discussed how decentralization applies to AI control, resource allocation, and participant engagement, and where it trades efficiency for transparency compared to centralized systems.
Readers interested in how AI and crypto are converging more broadly can find context in our guide on artificial intelligence and crypto.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need a refresher? Here are the questions readers most often ask about Jansen Teng.
Who is Jansen Teng?
Jansen Teng is a Malaysian entrepreneur based in Kuala Lumpur, best known as CEO and co-founder of PathDAO and co-founder of Virtuals Protocol, a decentralized platform for building and co-owning AI agents. He previously worked as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group and holds a degree in Biotechnology with Business Management from Imperial College London.
What is Virtuals Protocol?
Virtuals Protocol is a decentralized platform, co-founded by Jansen Teng in October 2021, that enables contributors to collaboratively build AI agents for gaming and entertainment and receive ownership shares managed through smart contracts. Its focus on AI agents grew out of a 2022 pivot at Teng’s other company, PathDAO, away from operating as a gaming guild.
What is PathDAO and how does it connect to Virtuals Protocol?
PathDAO is a company Jansen Teng co-founded and leads as CEO, originally operating as a gaming guild. During the 2022 market downturn, PathDAO pivoted to incubating AI-focused projects, a shift that shaped Virtuals Protocol’s focus on building AI agents for gaming and entertainment.
What did Jansen Teng do before working in crypto?
Before moving into blockchain and AI, Teng worked at Boston Consulting Group starting in 2018, progressing from associate to senior associate and consultant on analytics and market studies across Southeast Asia. He also co-founded ThinAir, a water-harvesting technology company, and DIAM Digital Marketing, an advertising agency for real estate clients.
Where did Jansen Teng study?
Jansen Teng earned a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology with Business Management from Imperial College London, graduating in 2018. He served as president of the Imperial College Union Malaysian Society during his time at Imperial College and worked as an undergraduate researcher focused on genetic engineering applications for water nucleation.
