Barry Silbert

Who is Barry Silbert?

Barry Silbert is a highly influential investor and pioneer in the crypto-sphere. With a background in finance and a fruitful career as an investment banker in New York, Silbert was not afraid of taking risks when it came to Bitcoin. In 2013, he started a Bitcoin investment fund, and seeded $2 million dollars via SecondMarket, a investment technology firm he founded and later sold to Nasdaq. Though he was bullish on Bitcoin, few at the time saw it as a good idea. But, clearly, his bold venture paid off. As a major early investor, he was able to single handedly shape the contemporary crypto arena. Currently, he is the CEO and founder of the Digital Currency Group (DCG)

In 2015, he started DCG, which he describes as “sitting at the epicenter of the Bitcoin and blockchain industry.” According to Silbert’s LinkedIn Page, “DCG is a global enterprise that builds, supports, and invests in companies all over the world.” He is also the owner of Grayscale Investments, which is the largest asset manager in the crypto industry, totaling over $2 billion assets under management. Through these financial ventures, Silbert has provided funding for more than 150 companies around the world, including Coinbase, CoinDesk, Luno, Genesis Trading, Ripple, BitPay and Chainalysis. 

Before Silbert became one of the top dogs in crypto, he graduated from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University and was already a licensed stock broker in high school by passing the Series 7 Exam at age 17. His business-savvy mindset has gotten him plenty of accolades and recognition. As his LinkedIn page notes, his intelligence has not gone unnoticed. Silbert was named Entrepreneur of the Year by both Ernst & Young and Crain's; he was also chosen by Fortune for their prestigious "40 under 40" list.

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Quote:

“Once Wall Street starts putting money into Bitcoin – we’re talking about hundreds of millions, billions of dollars moving in – it’s going to have a pretty dramatic effect on the price.”

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Picture source: Twitter Profile