Blockchain
Celo Foundation promotes Eric Nakagawa to Executive Director amid leadership expansion
The Celo Foundation has announced significant changes in its senior leadership, with the aim of strengthening the Celo ecosystem during the transition to Ethereum Layer-2. Eric Nakagawa has been promoted to executive director, while Isha Varshney takes on the role of head of ecosystem, according to the Celo Foundation.
Eric Nakagawa’s new role
Eric Nakagawa, who previously served as Head of Developer Relations at Celo Foundation for nearly three years, will now oversee day-to-day operations as Executive Director. Nakagawa has an extensive background, including key roles at Facebook and Novi Financial, where he was instrumental in developing the Diem blockchain and Move language. He also co-founded the popular meme site icanhazcheezburger and was part of Ripple’s first team, helping drive consumer adoption and growth.
In his new role, Nakagawa joins the Celo Foundation board of directors alongside founders Sep Kamvar, Marek Olszewski and Rene Reinsberg, as well as Morgan Beller, Jai Ramaswamy and Richard Parsons.
Promoted by Isha Varshney
Isha Varshney, former head of DeFi at the Celo Foundation, has been promoted to head of the ecosystem. Varshney has been with the foundation for over two years, leading DeFi partnerships and strategy. In her new role, she will oversee collaboration with more than 1,000 global Celo-based projects, as well as lead business development initiatives.
New developer relations manager
As Nakagawa takes on her new role, Sophia Dew takes on the role of the new head of developer relations. Dew brings valuable experience from his previous position as technical lead for Gitcoin’s Public Goods Network (PGN). Her expertise will be crucial as cLabs, a core contributor, migrates Celo to an Ethereum Layer-2 leveraging the OP stack.
“I am thrilled to join the Celo Foundation and support builders in creating a more regenerative and equitable future,” said Dew. “The Celo ecosystem aligns perfectly with my passion for environmental sustainability and financial inclusion.”
Strategic initiatives and growth
The leadership changes come at a crucial time for Celo, which has seen significant growth over the past year. The platform consistently ranks in the top 10 across all ecosystems based on daily active users (DAU) and has surpassed 400 million total transactions. Key initiatives such as Opera’s MiniPay wallet and TGE Bloom consultancy initiative are expected to further drive this growth.
Celo is an emerging Ethereum Layer-2 and mobile-first blockchain network designed for fast, low-cost payments. Launched on Earth Day 2020, Celo supports a rich ecosystem of more than 1,000 projects that contribute to its global mission of prosperity for all.
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