Kadan Stadelmann is a blockchain developer, operations security expert, and Komodo’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Raised in Northern Africa as the son of an Austrian diplomat and an African school teacher, Kadan’s passion for information and electronic technologies started at a very young age. He coded his first applications before entering primary school, where he received a multilingual education. Later, Kadan studied IT and economics at universities in Germany and Austria. After university, he gained deep practical experience in IT security and network development while working in operations security in the government sector.

Kadan’s extensive and wide-ranging experience as a developer and ethical hacker ensures his ability to solve everyday problems related to blockchain. He has been involved with cryptography and blockchain technology since 2011. He began working with Komodo core developers in early 2016 and was promoted to the role of CTO in late 2017. He strongly identifies with Komodo’s open-source vision and ideology, and his dedication to the Komodo project is founded on an unwavering desire to make the world a better place.

Lyn Ulbricht is a political activist and advocate for individual freedom, privacy and criminal justice reform. She is also the mother of Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to double life without parole for all non-violent charges associated with his role in the Silk Road website. This was a “dark web” site, based on free market principles, and the first real bitcoin platform. On the site people anonymously traded bitcoin for a variety of both legal and illegal goods, including illegal drugs. Ross continues to appeal the excessive sentence as well as his convictions and important trial issues.

Having seen her only son incarcerated for life after a strongly contested trial, rife with proven corruption, Lyn is dedicated to fighting not only for Ross’ rights and freedom, but for the thousands who have been victimized by our flawed criminal justice system and the drug war. She strives to direct awareness to the important precedents being set with Ross’ high-profile case, issues that will impact the freedom and privacy of all Americans in the digital age.

Lyn has spoken at numerous events in several countries; appeared on many TV, radio and podcast shows— including Reason TV, John Stossel, CNN, HuffPost Live and Fox; and conducted interviews with major and alternative media, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Buzzfeed and The Guardian. She is also prominently featured in the documentary Deep Web.

When not working to raise awareness, Lyn focuses on raising funds for Ross’ legal fight through www.freeross.org.