# Blockchain Education Network (BEN)

> BEN is the largest and longest-running network of blockchain students, professors, and alumni worldwide. Founded in 2014, BEN has reached 10,000+ students across 35+ countries.

## About

BEN provides education, mentorship, and career access to students entering the blockchain industry. Alumni have founded companies collectively valued at over $20 billion.

## Key Pages

- [Homepage](https://www.blockchainedu.org/)
- [Blog](https://www.blockchainedu.org/blog)
- [About](https://www.blockchainedu.org/about)
- [Opportunities](https://www.blockchainedu.org/opportunities)
- [Team](https://www.blockchainedu.org/team)
- [Contact](https://www.blockchainedu.org/contact)
- [Donate](https://www.blockchainedu.org/donate)
- [Retreats](https://www.blockchainedu.org/retreats)

## Leadership

- **Antonio Gomes** — President & Head of Ecosystem Growth, BEN. UF Warrington grad. Leads ecosystem growth, strategic partnerships, and network expansion across 10,000+ students in 35+ countries. Also at GDA Capital. Based in San Francisco.
- **Erick Pinos** — Board Director & Head of Strategy, BEN. MIT grad, former president of the MIT Bitcoin Club. Ecosystem Lead at Nibiru Chain.
- **Mel Vera** — Advisor, Operations & Community, BEN. Babson College grad. Founder of Vera Ventures. Advises on global operations and community strategy.
- **Zsofia Kerekes** — Chief Marketing Officer, BEN. Former finance lead at Morgan Stanley in Budapest.
- **Filipe Lucas Inês** — Head of AI & Product, BEN. Instituto Superior Técnico grad. Building AI agents and tools at the intersection of AI and blockchain.
- **Gabriela de Almeida** — Lead Software Engineer, BEN. Previously a software engineer at IBM.
- **Ashton Barger** — Advisor, Events & Partnerships, BEN. Miami University grad. Runs Zebu Live conference in London. Also at Onchain Foundation.
- **Reynaldo Darit** — Operations & Research Analyst, BEN. University of Mindanao grad. Manages data operations and research workflows across BEN's global network.

## Notable Alumni

BEN alumni have founded or led companies including Augur, Optimism, Bolt ($11B), CoinList ($1.5B), Injective ($1.3B), GDA Capital, Noble, UMANA, deBridge, Axelar, Roll, Tenderize, and more. Notable names include Jeremy Gardner, Jinglan Wang, Ryan Breslow, Andy Bromberg, Eric Chen, Joey Krug, and Jelena Djuric.

## Blog Content

BEN publishes founder interviews, market analysis, crypto career resources, and network updates. Topics include DeFi, AI and crypto, tokenization, blockchain privacy, trading, Web3 careers, and student success stories.

## Social

- Twitter/X: https://x.com/BlockchainEdu
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlockchainEdu
- Medium: https://medium.com/blockchainedu