First there was bitcoin, now there's ethereum. The cryptocurrency, along with its associated blockchain software platform, has gained popularity recently and is considered an alternative to . Ethereum is up 4,100 percent year to date, CNBC reports, and made headlines this week when its price plummeted from $319 to just 10 cents in seconds. (It later rebounded.) But what people may not realize is that ethereum's founder, Vitalik Buterin, is only 23 years old.

Vitalik Buterin, founder of ethereum Getty Images

Buterin has become a celebrity in the cryptocurrency space and is credited with co-founding Bitcoin Magazine in 2011. He has more than 90,000 Twitter followers and posts frequently about the industry's latest news. He was a 2014 recipient of billionaire Peter Thiel's prestigious fellowship and last year, he was included on Fortune's 40 under 40 list.