Bitfury green lights Russian blockchain accelerator

Bitfury has hooked up with the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics to create a blockchain technology accelerator, Forklog reports.

New additions

Earlier this week, we brought you news of the addition of Korelya Capital co-funder Antoine Dresch to Bitfury’s board of directors and Annette Nazareth, a former member of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, to its advisory board.

Dresch has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking and has held senior positions at Goldman Sachs, UBS and Morgan Stanley. In 2012, he founded DDMA to advise media and internet investors in Europe. In 2016, he and business partner Fleur Pellerin founded Korelya Capital, a €200 million PE fund dedicated to Europe’s most promising tech companies.

Nazareth, meanwhile, heads Davis Polk & Wardwell’s Washington, D.C. office, where she leads the firm’s Trading and Markets practice.

Valery Vavilov, CEO of Bitfury, commented: “Antoine’s years of experience in investment banking and mergers and acquisitions will be valuable assets as Bitfury continues to grow. Annette will serve in a different capacity; as a trusted advisor, she will help guide and support Bitfury by offering her comprehensive knowledge on financial markets and regulation.”

“I am delighted to be joining the board of Bitfury, a leading technology platform in the blockchain and AI space,” said Dresch. “I am thrilled to be working alongside a group of highly talented individuals, all animated by a great innovative spirit.”

Nazareth said: “I could not be more pleased to have the opportunity to participate on the advisory board alongside such knowledgeable individuals in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space.”