Key Takeaways
- Kathleen Breitman, born in 1990 in Connecticut, is an important person behind the Tezos blockchain, which she started with her husband, Arthur Breitman.
- Kathleen and Arthur created Tezos 2014 to build a flexible, decentralized, and upgradeable blockchain.
- Kathleen supports more women joining tech and blockchain. She has also helped other blockchain projects like Gnosis.
Who Is Kathleen Breitman?
Kathleen Breitman is an American entrepreneur who started the Tezos blockchain with her husband, Arthur Breitman. She was born in 1990 in Connecticut and grew up in Northern New Jersey. Her father was a contractor from the Bronx, and her mother was an Irish elementary school teacher.
Early Career and Accomplishments
While at university, Kathleen Breitman was Vice President at R&M Political from June 2009 to May 2011. She was also the editor of “The Politicizer,” a publication of R&M.
In June 2011, she worked as a Robert L. Bartley Fellow at The Wall Street Journal for three months. In 2013, she joined Bridgewater Associates as a Management Associate for less than a year.
From July 2012 to June 2013, she worked as a Consultant at De Dicto. She then worked as a Strategy Consultant at Accenture from April 2014 to February 2016. Kathleen also worked as a Senior Strategy Associate at R3 CEV from February 2016 to October 2016. She has written many articles on blockchain, including “Blockchains 101” on Medium.
The Beginning of Tezos
Kathleen and Arthur Breitman came up with the idea for Tezos in 2014 while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. They recognized the need for a more adaptable and simpler-to-upgrade blockchain, so they started working on Tezos in their free time. Their goal was to create a more transparent, decentralized blockchain capable of growing and improving on its own.
Tezos Blockchain Challenges
In July 2017, Kathleen and Arthur Breitman launched an initial coin offering (ICO) for Tezos, which raised over $230 million. This made it one of the largest crowdfunding events in cryptocurrency at the time. However, the ICO faced legal and financial challenges, including investor disagreements and attention from regulators.
Even with these challenges, Kathleen and Arthur kept working on Tezos. Kathleen played an important role in creating the system that lets users vote on changes to the blockchain. This self-updating feature helps Tezos improve over time without needing big changes, allowing the network to grow and adapt.
Advocating For Women In Tech and Blockchain
Kathleen has strongly supported women in the tech industry, speaking at many conferences and events to encourage more gender diversity. In addition to her work with Tezos, she has also helped other blockchain projects, including as an advisor for Gnosis, a platform for blockchain-based prediction markets.
Personal Life and Future Plans Kathleen and Arthur continue to lead the Tezos project while managing their growing family. She focuses on expanding Tezos’ global reach and improving its governance model. Looking ahead, Kathleen hopes to empower more people, especially women, to become involved in the blockchain and tech spaces, further pushing innovation and diversity within the industry.
Vision For Blockchain’s Future
Kathleen Breitman is focused on improving blockchain technology. She believes decentralized systems can give people more control and create a fairer financial system. She talks about how blockchain can change industries and how we think about trust and leadership.
Kathleen also cares about making blockchain better for the environment. She supports energy-efficient systems like Tezos’ proof-of-stake, which uses less energy than many cryptocurrencies’ proof-of-work systems.
Personal Life and Future Plans
Kathleen and Arthur continue to lead Tezos while raising their growing family. She is focused on making Tezos more global and improving its management. In the future, Kathleen wants to encourage more people, especially women, to join the blockchain and tech fields, promoting innovation and equality.
Final Thoughts
Kathleen Breitman has been a key figure in creating the Tezos blockchain with her husband, Arthur. They built Tezos to be flexible, decentralized, and able to improve itself. Even facing challenges during Tezos’ ICO, Kathleen’s leadership has helped the project succeed. She is also passionate about encouraging more women to join the tech and blockchain fields. Looking ahead, Kathleen is focused on growing Tezos and promoting a more open and sustainable blockchain future.
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