Ankur Nandwani is a computer engineer and entrepreneur best known as a co-founder of ZetaChain, a Layer 1 blockchain platform built to connect networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana. He also co-founded the Basic Attention Token (BAT) in 2017 and held an early leadership role at Coinbase.
Who Is Ankur Nandwani?
Ankur Nandwani earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Surat, India, in 2008, then completed a Master of Science in Computer Science at Texas A&M University in 2010. His graduate work focused on mobile security, machine learning, and blockchain technologies.
Nandwani began his career in technology with a focus on mobile security, contributing to research and development in that field before moving into blockchain and cryptocurrency. That early security background later informed his approach to the cross-chain and privacy-focused projects he would go on to build.
For profiles of other builders shaping the Web3 industry, visit our crypto personalities page.
Ankur Nandwani’s Career and Contributions
Nandwani joined Coinbase as an early team member and led the Consumer Product Division, focusing on making the exchange’s services easier to use as the platform expanded access to cryptocurrency worldwide.
In 2017, Nandwani co-founded the Basic Attention Token, a decentralized advertising platform built on Ethereum. BAT integrates with the Brave Browser, letting users and content creators earn rewards while preserving user privacy in digital advertising. The project raised $36 million through an initial coin offering, one of the notable ICOs of that period.
After BAT, Nandwani worked as an investor at Ribbit Capital, a venture capital firm focused on financial technology and blockchain investments, where he evaluated and supported blockchain startups across the industry.
Nandwani went on to co-found ZetaChain, a Layer 1 blockchain designed to connect multiple blockchain ecosystems using EVM-based universal smart contracts, allowing asset and data transfers across chains without wrapped tokens or third-party bridges.
As of February 2025, ZetaChain supported more than 280 decentralized applications, processing more than 171 million transactions and over 4.2 million unique wallets, with applications spanning DeFi, gaming, and lending.
Ankur Nandwani’s Views and Positions
Throughout his career, Nandwani has maintained a consistent focus on blockchain interoperability, decentralized application development, and security, themes that connect his early mobile security research to his later work on BAT and ZetaChain. His approach to ZetaChain, in particular, centers on eliminating the need for wrapped tokens and third-party bridges, which are common points of failure and security risks in cross-chain infrastructure.
Readers interested in how blockchain platforms like ZetaChain fit into the wider DeFi ecosystem can find more context in our coverage of DeFi adoption growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need a refresher? Here are the questions readers most often ask about Ankur Nandwani.
Who is Ankur Nandwani?
Ankur Nandwani is a computer engineer and entrepreneur best known as a co-founder of ZetaChain, a Layer 1 blockchain platform that connects networks such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana. He also co-founded the Basic Attention Token in 2017 and led Coinbase’s Consumer Product Division as an early team member.
What is ZetaChain?
ZetaChain is a Layer 1 blockchain platform co-founded by Ankur Nandwani that connects multiple blockchain ecosystems, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana, using EVM-based universal smart contracts. The platform enables asset and data transfers across chains without requiring wrapped tokens or third-party bridges and supports more than 280 decentralized applications as of 2024.
What is the Basic Attention Token and Nandwani’s role in it?
The Basic Attention Token is a decentralized advertising platform built on Ethereum that Nandwani co-founded in 2017. It integrates with the Brave Browser to let users and content creators earn rewards while preserving privacy in digital advertising. The project raised $36 million through an initial coin offering.
What was Ankur Nandwani’s role at Coinbase?
Nandwani joined Coinbase as an early team member and led the Consumer Product Division, where he focused on making the exchange’s services easier to use as the platform grew its global user base. His time at Coinbase came before his work co-founding BAT and later ZetaChain.
What did Ankur Nandwani do at Ribbit Capital?
After his time at Coinbase and BAT, Nandwani worked as an investor at Ribbit Capital, a venture capital firm specializing in financial technology and blockchain investments. In that role, he evaluated and supported blockchain startups, expanding his exposure to the crypto and Web3 industries before co-founding ZetaChain.
