The Team Behind the $377M Presale: Meet the Builders Fueling BlockDAG’s Rapid Rise
BlockDAG’s success isn’t just about technical architecture or aggressive marketing, it’s about the people behind it. As the presale surges past $377 million, BlockDAG continues to establish itself not only as one of the most successful crypto presales in history but also as a project backed by a highly specialized, globally experienced team. With core leadership drawn from blockchain veterans, academic pioneers, and industry specialists, BlockDAG’s momentum reflects a clear synthesis of vision and execution.
This article offers a comprehensive profile of the key individuals shaping BlockDAG’s trajectory, from architecture to community-building, as the project inches closer to its $600M goal and prepares for exchange listings, product expansion, and widespread adoption.
Antony Turner – Founder & CEO
At the top of BlockDAG’s hierarchy is Antony Turner, a serial entrepreneur and seasoned executive with a background spanning fintech and blockchain innovation. Turner’s previous experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer at Spirit Blockchain, a publicly listed investment company. Notably, he also launched Switzerland’s first equally weighted crypto index fund, a major milestone in institutional-grade crypto finance.
Turner’s role at BlockDAG has been instrumental in shaping its long-term strategy. His leadership style combines sharp execution with long-term vision, evident in how the project rapidly scaled its presale, activated global community engagement, and introduced mining, referral, and gamification layers simultaneously.
Jeremy Harkness – Chief Technology Officer
Driving the tech backbone of BlockDAG is Jeremy Harkness, a highly skilled engineer and systems architect. Harkness brings deep expertise in AI, data engineering, and decentralized infrastructure. His ability to build scalable systems and lead high-functioning tech teams across startups and corporate environments has allowed BlockDAG to meet the demands of a globally scaling user base while rolling out robust features like the Dashboard V4 and testnet integration.
Harkness is also responsible for ensuring that BlockDAG’s hybrid architecture, combining blockchain and DAG, maintains high transaction throughput without sacrificing security or decentralization.
Dr. Youssef Khaoulaj – Chief Security Officer
Security is foundational to any decentralized project, and Dr. Youssef Khaoulaj brings unmatched authority in this area. He holds a dual profile as a technical expert and academic, teaching cybersecurity at Université Internationale de Rabat. His prior roles include Chief Security Architect at Intelcia Group and contributions to the Central Bank of Morocco.
At BlockDAG, Dr. Khaoulaj leads the design of smart contract audit systems, risk controls, and node-level defense mechanisms. His influence ensures the network’s resilience against attack vectors while keeping it compliant with evolving regulatory frameworks.
Dr. Maurice Herlihy – Blockchain Advisor
The presence of Dr. Maurice Herlihy as an advisor adds academic depth to BlockDAG’s structure. A Ph.D. graduate from MIT and former Carnegie Mellon faculty member, Herlihy is renowned in computer science, having won the Dijkstra and Gödel prizes, among other accolades. His work in distributed systems directly informs BlockDAG’s approach to consensus, scalability, and theoretical robustness, particularly as it relates to DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) consensus models.
Herlihy’s involvement signals the project’s commitment to not only building quickly but also building on solid, peer-validated computational foundations.
Steven Clarke-Martin – Senior Advisor, Partnerships & Policy
With over two decades of experience in innovation management and blockchain advocacy, Steven Clarke-Martin serves as the bridge between BlockDAG and external stakeholders. His role covers regulatory policy, strategic partnerships, and international collaborations.
His prior work in Web3 strategy and digital transformation helps position BlockDAG as not just a technology platform, but a viable ecosystem ready to integrate with public and private sectors alike.
Marius Bock – Lead Project Manager
A blockchain veteran with over 25 years in enterprise software and fintech, Marius Bock ensures that BlockDAG’s product and ecosystem development runs on schedule. His prior work with Input Output Global on Cardano-related products gives him a sharp understanding of how to coordinate large-scale blockchain deployments.
At BlockDAG, Bock is responsible for project execution timelines, team coordination, and aligning engineering goals with community and investor expectations.
Nicolaas van den Bergh – Chief Marketing Officer
BlockDAG’s visibility in the crypto space, from aggressive referral campaigns to influencer engagements, is the work of Nicolaas David van den Bergh. With 20+ years in digital media and an MBA from Oxford Brookes University, he has built the brand’s identity from the ground up.
He previously led marketing at DFY Studios and now manages BlockDAG’s outreach strategy, ensuring the presale gains consistent momentum through carefully timed announcements, AMAs, and community incentives.
Allen Joseph – Developer Relations Lead
Allen Joseph plays a crucial role in onboarding Web3 developers and establishing long-term trust within the technical community. With past stints at Chainstack, Nethermind, and Bitlayer, Joseph’s experience ensures that BlockDAG becomes a developer-first platform, where support, documentation, and community tooling are prioritized.
His role also ties into the BlockDAG Academy initiative, designed to train and certify the next wave of blockchain contributors.
Additional Team Members Supporting Growth
The team’s growth is further reinforced by:
- Robert Radek (Product Manager), with prior experience at CLST and G2A, Radek ensures BlockDAG’s DeFi products match user needs.
- Joshua Sack (Head of Mining & Miners), leads the X Series miner roadmap and integration, overseeing logistics, technical specs, and user support.
- Liza van den Berg (Head of HR & Operations), manages recruitment, internal culture, and cross-department collaboration.
- Marcus Xavier (Head of Learning), builds out curriculum and onboarding materials, leading BlockDAG’s educational infrastructure.
The Last Line
The reason BlockDAG’s presale has already exceeded $377 million is not just because of its product or hype, it’s because of the trust instilled by this well-rounded, expert-led team. Each leader plays a distinct role in building credibility, maintaining quality, and growing the ecosystem sustainably. The project is not driven by anonymous founders or speculative roadmaps but by a transparent, public team with proven credentials.
As the project approaches full exchange listings and final presale milestones, the team’s execution will likely determine whether BlockDAG can scale from a successful presale to a long-term industry player. So far, the track record suggests they’re more than capable of seeing it through.
Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network
Website: https://blockdag.network
Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial
Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu
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