I’m Evan Ward, a Web3 builder passionate about decentralized finance, structured finance, and community-driven innovation. With experience in crypto since 2013, I’ve built and scaled projects that push the boundaries of DeFi, working at the intersection of liquidity, security, and accessibility.
Things I’m Good At:
- DeFi Protocol Design – Expertise in structured finance mechanisms, staking models, and tokenomics that drive sustainable yield.
- Business Development & Growth – Scaling Web3 projects through strategic partnerships, marketing campaigns, and community engagement.
- Smart Contract Strategy – While I'm no longet a fulltime dev, I work closely with dev teams to design and optimize on-chain mechanisms.
- Community & Content Strategy – Building engaging, education-driven ecosystems that make DeFi more accessible to users.
What Drives Me:
I’m motivated by the idea of financial inclusion through DeFi—enabling anyone, anywhere, to access yield-bearing digital assets in a secure and transparent way. I thrive on solving complex liquidity challenges and pioneering new models that make crypto safer, smarter, and more accessible.
Interesting Projects I’ve Built:
- Umoja Protocol 🐻💜 – A structured finance protocol for next-generation Yield Vault Tokens (YVTs) that reduce risk while maximizing yield. Raised $5M+ and processed $40M+ in transaction volume.
- $yBTC – A yield-bearing Bitcoin derivative that brings native yield to BTC without counterparty risk.
- UmoAI – A viral AI-driven engagement tool on the VIRTUALS protocol, designed to educate and interact with the community while supporting the broader Umoja ecosystem.
- $UMAI – A creative AI Meme Coin built on VIRTUALS that integrates Web3 culture with DeFi.
- $UMJA – The staking token that powers $yBTC, reinforcing Umoja’s structured finance model.
I’m excited to bring my experience in DeFi, structured finance, and community-building to this hackathon, collaborating with like-minded builders to push Web3 forward.