The Sei Foundation announced the Sei Development Foundation on April 2, 2025. This new U.S.-based nonprofit would grow the Sei blockchain inside the country. Justin Barlow took the role of executive director1. The Block reported the same day that the foundation would open its headquarters in Manhattan, with Sei Foundation funding it "for at least three years"2.
59 executive hires on the record in 2025, the most of any year
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2025: 59
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
Layer 1s & Infrastructure led executive hires in 2025, with 15
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified in 2025, by the sector of the company
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Layer 1s & Infrastructure | 15 |
| Trading Venues & Brokerage | 9 |
| Bitcoin & Mining | 8 |
| Capital Markets & Treasury | 4 |
| Institutional Custody & Asset Management | 3 |
| AI and Crypto | 2 |
| Wallets & Consumer Apps | 1 |
| Regulation & Enforcement | 1 |
The move
Barlow described his own mandate at the launch. “At the Sei Development Foundation, we are deeply committed to harnessing transformative technologies and nurturing innovation for the next generation of visionary entrepreneurs,” he said. “By establishing a strong local presence, we can further this mission while reigniting hope and optimism for crypto founders across the nation”2.
Gerald Gallagher, general counsel at Sei Labs and a board director at the new foundation, framed the launch around the regulatory climate. “With growing adoption and continuing regulatory reform underway, and the deepest capital markets in the world, the US is on track to become a global crypto leader,” Gallagher said. “We are excited to see Sei Development Foundation taking center stage amidst this new wave of adoption in the US”1. Gallagher confirmed the three-year funding commitment directly to The Block's reporter2.
Before and after the launch
Sei's own post of April 2, 2025 described the problem the new foundation was built to address. “While numerous international jurisdictions continue to actively attract crypto builders and innovators, the U.S. must work to regain its competitive edge in fostering innovation and attracting top talent, following a prolonged period of regulatory uncertainty and adversarial policy approaches,” the Sei Foundation wrote1. Both the Sei blog and The Block reported that Sei's mainnet launched in 2023. By the time of the announcement, it had processed billions of transactions across more than 18 million wallets, with backing from Multicoin, Jump and Coinbase Ventures2.
The Sei Development Foundation itself launched with a defined mission rather than a product. Sei's post described it as “an independent U.S. nonprofit dedicated to the advancement and adoption of Sei,” working "through education, funding, and ecosystem support" alongside builders and users1.
What came next
The Sei Development Foundation took on an international partner within ten months of its April 2025 launch. CryptoPolitan reported on Jan. 21, 2026, that the Sei Development Foundation had partnered with Druk Holding Investments Ltd, the sovereign wealth fund of Bhutan. The deal would deploy a Sei validator network3.
Sources
- Sei, "Introducing the US-Based Sei Development Foundation," Sei Blog, Apr. 2, 2025, https://blog.sei.io/introducing-the-us-based-sei-development-foundation/
- Jason Shubnell, "Sei Foundation backs new U.S. nonprofit in bid to fuel protocol's adoption and growth," The Block, Apr. 2, 2025, https://www.theblock.co/post/349097/sei-foundation-backs-new-u-s-nonprofit-in-bid-to-fuel-protocols-adoption-and-growth
- Collins J. Okoth, "Bhutan joins Sei Development Foundation to deploy Sei validator network," CryptoPolitan (via CryptoRank), Jan. 21, 2026, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiggFBVV95cUxPbFZsc2xoZExoajhVT09UOGhNZ2NsckxrclpzQnA0Rjd5Q19jZGpUWWJBWUFNb1hYdU9raW5ocU9ncUtuY1pnRHB4cjVpc191blprNFpkX3N2cVpPbW9SYV8yUDlVQ1I1d19wck9tbFFEQUw1OXFBblZiOVgzam5CY213?oc=5