Elizabeth Stark

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.

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.”

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.