Eli Ben-Sasson: Biography, Career, and Business Insights

Eli Ben-Sasson’s Profile Summary

Company	StarkWare
Position	Co-Founder, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors at StarkWare.
Source of wealth	Co-founder and leadership role at StarkWare, co-inventor of key cryptographic protocols (STARK, FRI, Zerocash), founding scientist at Zcash
Also known as	Cryptographer, blockchain pioneer, Zcash founding scientist
Age	Unknown
Education	Hebrew University of Jerusalem - PhD in Theoretical Computer Science
Citizenship	Israel
Residence	Haifa, Israel
Family	Information
Website, Social Media	https://starkware.co/

Biography

Eli Ben-Sasson is a prominent figure in cryptography and blockchain technology, best known for co-founding StarkWare, a company that specializes in scaling blockchain using STARK-based solutions. Born in Israel, Ben-Sasson earned his PhD in Theoretical Computer Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2001. Throughout his career, he has held research positions at prestigious institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. He was also a professor at Technion before venturing into the private sector. Ben-Sasson’s groundbreaking work includes co-inventing the STARK, FRI, and Zerocash protocols, which have revolutionized the fields of cryptographic proofs and privacy. His contributions to the Zcash Company as a founding scientist further solidified his influence in blockchain and cryptographic innovation. Today, he continues to advance blockchain scalability and security as StarkWare's president, driving innovations in zero-knowledge proofs and decentralized systems

How did Eli Ben-Sasson make money?

Eli Ben-Sasson makes money in the following areas:

Co-founder and leadership role at StarkWare, co-inventor of key cryptographic protocols (STARK, FRI, Zerocash), founding scientist at Zcash
What is Eli Ben-Sasson net worth?

As of 2026, there is no publicly available and reliable information regarding Eli Ben-Sasson’s net worth.

What is Eli Ben-Sasson also known as?

Eli Ben-Sasson is renowned not only for his role at StarkWare but also for his pioneering contributions to cryptography. As a co-inventor of the STARK (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) protocol, he enabled a new level of scalability and privacy for blockchain applications without the need for trusted setups. Additionally, he played a key role as a founding scientist of Zcash, a cryptocurrency focused on enhancing privacy through zero-knowledge proofs. His work extends beyond the blockchain sphere to theoretical computer science, where he held research positions at leading academic institutions, making significant contributions to the field of computational integrity

Prominent achievements

Co-inventor of STARK, FRI, and Zerocash protocols, founding scientist at Zcash, professor at Technion, research positions at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton, co-founder and CEO of StarkWare, significant contributions to zero-knowledge proofs and blockchain scalability

What are Eli Ben-Sasson’s key insights?

Eli Ben-Sasson believes in the power of cryptography to drive innovation in blockchain, with a focus on privacy, scalability, and decentralization. He emphasizes creating technologies that maintain computational integrity without relying on trusted intermediaries, which is evident in his work with STARKs and zero-knowledge proofs

Personal life

No detailed public information about his family.

Useful insights

Evaluate the team behind the project

If you’re interested in picking top crypto projects, learning from the experience of successful Crypto developers and Crypto Angel Investors can help you avoid common pitfalls. One of the key elements to consider when evaluating a crypto project is the team behind it. Here’s how to assess it effectively

Research the founders and developers

Crypto Angel Investors often stress the importance of knowing the people behind the project. A credible project usually has a transparent team with a strong background in blockchain technology or relevant industries. Make sure to look into their previous work, LinkedIn profiles, and their reputation in the crypto community.
Look for a track record of success

Many top Crypto Angel Investors, such as Anthony Pompliano, emphasize the value of a team's track record. If the developers or founders have successfully built or contributed to previous projects, it's a positive sign that they know how to deliver. Trustworthy teams are often recognized for their expertise and credibility in the space.
Assess transparency and communication

Good projects maintain transparent communication with their community, often using platforms like GitHub, Twitter, or Discord. If the team regularly updates their followers on milestones, developments, and challenges, it’s usually a sign of reliability. From my experience, projects with open lines of communication are more likely to succeed long-term.