Funding the Commons Forum Berlin

Ethan Frey is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Co-founder at Layer.xyz, where he drives the development of decentralized infrastructure with a focus on Actively Validated Systems (AVS) to enhance blockchain security and efficiency. His technical leadership aims to push the boundaries of innovation in Web3 by creating scalable and secure solutions that support decentralized finance and governance.

Before joining Layer.xyz, Ethan founded CosmWasm, a secure and performant smart contract platform that facilitates multi-chain interoperability. He also led Confio GmbH, advancing open-source blockchain protocols and tools, and architected Mesh Security, a bi-directional “restaking-like” protocol for the Cosmos ecosystem. Ethan’s extensive contributions to blockchain technology include writing the original specification and implementation of the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, as well as building the first version of the Cosmos SDK, solidifying his role as a key innovator in the Cosmos ecosystem.
Currently, Ethan's work at Layer.xyz includes expanding capabilities in the Ethereum and EigenLayer ecosystems while advancing AVS technology to redefine how smart contracts and decentralized systems verify data.
Areas of Expertise:
Custom Blockchain Development (Cosmos SDK, CosmWasm)
Actively Validated Systems (AVS)
Blockchain infrastructure and decentralized finance (DeFi)
Ethereum ecosystem and Layer 2 solutions
Multi-chain interoperability and distributed governance