In 2018, we set out to fulfill the promise of blockchain and to improve people’s lives using Ethereum Classic by providing the necessary tools to help grow the community. Since then, we’ve made exceptional progress in the development and deployment of this innovative technology, and now, to make further advancements, we are expanding the ETC Labs team!

We’re pleased to announce the addition of 3 new team members including:

Jessica Smith, Director of Business Development

Afri Schoedon, Technical Advisor

Kelsey Ruiz, Senior Public Relations Manager

“We are excited to expand the team with 3 new exceptional talents who have a diverse and well-rounded arsenal of skill sets and look forward to further expanding the functionality of the Ethereum Classic technology and ecosystem through essential partnerships, PR and marketing,” said Terry Culver, CEO of ETC Labs.

Jessica Smith, Director of Business Development

Jessica has 8+ years of international experience in sales, account management and global partnerships tech and Blockchain verticals.

She currently leads business development where she focuses on the deployment and adoption of Ethereum Classic, funding R&D, as well as building key partnerships for the Accelerator and Social Impact initiatives.

Previously, she was the Global Partnership Manager at ConsenSys, a software technology company and blockchain consulting firm building products for Ethereum. At ConsenSys, her efforts leading the Ethereal team more than doubled partnership deals and expanded into new markets.

Prior to that, Jessica held a leadership role at AngelHack, leading a sales team to grow a global ecosystem of hackathons and white label accelerators, closing over 50% of the company’s pipeline to Fortune 500 companies.

Afri Schoedon, Technical Advisor

Afri is a software engineer with 7 years of experience in Blockchain and Ethereum Classic.

Originally from Berlin, he has a Bachelor of Science degree in applied computer science and a Masters of Science in computer graphics systems from the Hasso Plattner Institute.

Afri specializes in software project management, release management, repository organization, issue triage, road mapping, technical documentation, user support, and developer relations.

Previously, he founded the Görli Testnet initiative, known for their Görli Ethereum Testnet and Kotti Classic Testnet, which he launched live on-stage at Görlicon-0 and ETC Summit.

Kelsey Ruiz, Senior Public Relations Manager

Kelsey has 7+ years of experience in PR and marketing within tech, emerging markets, startups and innovation.

She currently leads PR and marketing efforts focusing on the ETC Labs Accelerator, Ethereum Classic technology and ecosystem. Kelsey brings her experience and expertise in media relations, earned media, branding, strategic planning, content marketing, writing, social media and more to ETC Labs.

Previously, she’s worked with Fortune 500 companies such as NFL, Mastercard and IBM on various innovative initiatives as well as early-stage startups on a global scale. Prior to that she held a leadership role at AngelHack where she set annual strategy, worked closely with the CEO and top executives on thought leadership opportunities, speaking engagements, and provided media training; successfully securing interviews and stories with major publications such as Voice of America, VentureBeat, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, Entrepreneur and many more while forming relationships with reporters and media outlets all over the world.

She is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America and served on the board of PRSA California Capital Chapter as the Director-at-Large.

About ETC Labs

The mission of ETC Labs is to build relevant, accessible, and high-quality technology, and to use that technology to create communities of value in a mature and regulated ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to fulfill the promise of blockchain to improve people’s lives using Ethereum Classic, one of the world’s major public blockchains. The ETC Labs team of experts also fosters partnerships with organizations and institutions to address fundamental challenges in developing and deploying this innovative technology. We fulfill the mission in three ways: the ETC Labs Accelerator, which invests in up to 25 blockchain projects annually that contribute to sustaining a robust ecosystem; strategic investments in innovative projects focused on economic and social development; and the Core Team, a team of experts and developers who maintain the Ethereum Classic blockchain and build key applications, solutions, and tools.

For press inquiries contact, kelsey.r@etclabs.org