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Elizabeth Stark

Elizabeth Stark is the CEO of the technological company Lightning Labs, which specializes in Bitcoin scaling solutions.
Elizabeth Stark
Residence
USA
Occupation
Listing Coordinator, Tech entrepreneur
Known for
Lightning Labs (Founder)
Education
Bachelor's (business Administration and Management, Boston University)
Social Media
Summary

Elizabeth Stark is the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, a company that “scales blockchains” based in San Francisco.

She is also a fellow at Coin Center, a non-profit research centre for advocating and developing sound government policy regarding Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other decentralized technologies; an advisor at Comma.ai, a company that develops a self-driving kit for cars.

Also, she is the co-founder of the Open Video Alliance, a coalition of people and organizations promoting free expression in online video.

Aside from her general interest in open source, decentralized protocols, Elizabeth was also a key figure in the anti-SOPA/PIPA movement dedicated to online freedom of expression and content distribution that mobilized over 18 million people in an effort to stop government regulation.

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Elizabeth got her J.D. in law from Harvard University. She continued to become an affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

Her ties to academia did not end there, however, as she has been a visiting fellow at Yale’s Information Society Project, and has taught at Stanford and Yale about peer-to-peer technology, the future of the Internet, open-source software, the issue of online privacy, and much more.

At Stanford, she started the Ideas for a Better Internet Program in order to engage students in building and developing ideas for the betterment of the Internet.

Elizabeth was also an entrepreneur-in-residence at Stanford StartX and has worked as a mentor for the Thiel Fellowship, intended to provide financial and guiding support to students under the age of 23 who want to drop out of school and pursue other activities which could involve building a startup, scientific study and research, working on a social movement etc.

Stark is an active contributor to the Bitcoin community; whether that is through advising startups in various areas ranging from blockchain technology to cryptocurrencies, and even artificial intelligence, or through the work she does in developing the Lightning Network.

Currently residing in San Francisco, California, Stark has lived and worked in Berlin, Singapore, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro, and speaks three foreign languages (French, Portuguese, and German). Outside of her interest in technology, Stark describes herself as an “avid listener of electronic music.”

Vision

Elizabeth Stark is focused on using technology to create a better future. Her work in academia and entrepreneurship has allowed her to explore various aspects of technology, such as peer-to-peer networks, open-source software, online privacy, and blockchain technology.

As an active contributor to the Bitcoin community, Stark appears to have a strong interest in cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence and has helped advise startups in these areas. Her work in developing the Lightning Network is a testament to her commitment to making cryptocurrency more accessible and user-friendly.

Stark's involvement in the Ideas for a Better Internet Program at Stanford, as well as her mentorship with the Thiel Fellowship, suggests that she is passionate about encouraging young people to use technology in innovative and impactful ways.

Recognition and Awards
Elizabeth Stark, the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, has led the development of a revolutionary technology that aims to scale the Bitcoin network for faster and cheaper transactions. Her company recently raised $70 million from investors, including early backers of Tesla and SpaceX, to fund the development of the Lightning Network. The Lightning Network is a second-layer solution built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain that enables near-instant and virtually free transactions. It uses a network of payment channels to allow users to transact with each other without needing to record every transaction on the blockchain. This makes Bitcoin transactions much faster and cheaper, making it a more viable option for everyday transactions. Under Stark's leadership, Lightning Labs has become one of the leading companies in the Bitcoin ecosystem, with its technology being used by some of the largest companies and exchanges in the industry. The Lightning Network has the potential to scale the Bitcoin network to handle trillions of dollars in volume annually, making it a serious competitor to traditional payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. Stark's work with Lightning Labs has been recognized by the industry, and she has been invited to speak at conferences and events around the world to share her insights on the future of Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Her leadership and vision for the Lightning Network have helped to shape the future of the Bitcoin ecosystem and position it as a viable option for mainstream adoption.
References
Elizabeth Stark
Residence
USA
Occupation
Listing Coordinator, Tech entrepreneur
Known for
Lightning Labs (Founder)
Education
Bachelor's (business Administration and Management, Boston University)
Social Media