About Us
Who we are
We’re a team of over 140 professionals worldwide who lead product innovation, technical development, and marketing initiatives geared at growing the Hedera ecosystem. We exist to enhance the Hedera platform and to build products and services that accelerate app builders time to market.
We’re dedicated to accelerating the adoption of decentralized applications by launching groundbreaking products and services that seamlessly integrate traditional and decentralized finance.
Together, we’re propelling towards an internet of value, where innovation knows no bounds. Join us at Hashgraph and help shape the future of decentralized technologies.
True to our roots
COMING FULL CIRCLE
Hashgraph (formerly Swirlds Labs) is a rapidly growing software company comprising world-renowned leaders and builders in web3, including Dr. Leemon Baird, the inventor of the hashgraph consensus algorithm and Hedera co-founder Mance Harmon.
With a global presence spanning 20 countries and employing 140 professionals, Hashgraph spearheads Hedera’s marketing, product innovation, and technical development. Committed to accelerating application deployment, Hashgraph introduces pioneering products and services that bridge web2 and web3.
Our leadership
LED BY A STRONG TEAM
Eric Piscini
CEO
Eric Piscini
Eric is the Chief Executive Officer of Hashgraph. With 25+ years of experience in building companies, developing strategies and launching new products, he has previously served in executive and management roles at IBM Watson Health, Emerging Business Networks, Deloitte and Citizens Reserve. Eric regularly speaks and writes on the business of innovation, Web3, and emerging networks, having been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Fortune, and Forbes, among many others. He enjoys traveling and playing tennis.
Dr. Leemon Baird
Co-founder & Chief Scientist
Dr. Leemon Baird
Leemon is the Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Hashgraph. The inventor of the organization’s namesake, the distributed hashgraph consensus algorithm, Leemon co-founded the Hedera network with Mance Harmon. He has two decades of technology and start-up experience, and served as Professor of Computer Science at the US Air Force Academy, as well as holding senior scientist roles in several labs. Leemon received his PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and has multiple patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has spoken at conferences in computer security, machine learning and mathematics.
Mance Harmon
Co-founder & Chairman
Mance Harmon
Mance is the Co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Hashgraph. As a Co-founder of Hedera, he has extensive experience as a business leader in Web3. Previously, he served as Head of Architecture and Labs at Ping Identity, as well as founding and leading two tech start-ups and managing Product Security at a $1.7 billion revenue organization. Mance is the Program Manager for the large-scale software program at the Missile Defense Agency, and the Course Director for Cybersecurity at the US Air Force Academy, as well as a research scientist in Machine Learning at Wright Laboratory. He received an MS in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts and a BS in Computer Science from Mississippi State University.
Natalie Furman
General Counsel
Natalie Furman
Natalie is General Counsel for Hashgraph, following on from her previous role as General Counsel for Hedera Hashgraph LLC. Prior to entering blockchain, Natalie was a Senior Associate Paul Hastings LLP, focusing on intellectual property, unfair competition, and rights of privacy and publicity. Prior to law school, Natalie’s career began in Silicon Valley, where she provided strategic advice to high tech start-ups. She has been a strategy consultant at RB Webber & Associates and Director of Strategy and Business Development at ONElist. She has a BA in Anthropology from Stanford University and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.
Lionel Chocron
CPO
Lionel Chocron
Lionel is the Chief Product Officer at Hashgraph. He is an entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience in management roles in the emerging technology space. Before joining the Hedera ecosystem, Lionel was Vice President of Industry and Emerging Technology at Oracle and Vice President and General Manager at Cisco, where he productized and scaled Cisco’s IoT business. He has experience at Bain & Company, and BNP Paribas, and has an MBA from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Engineering from McGill University.
Joe Blanchard
CIO & CSO
Joe Blanchard
Joe is the Chief Information Officer and Chief Security Officer of Hashgraph. He has over 15 years of experience conceptualizing, building, and securing products for Government, fintech, and Web3 enterprises. His career started as a software engineer, before he eventually shifted his focus to become a security practitioner. He volunteers and mentors on security with several groups including OWASP. Joe is a volunteer with the Eagle Scout program and enjoys the outdoors.
Madelene Gani
CFO
Madelene Gani
Madelene is the Chief Financial Officer of Hashgraph. She has more than 25+ years experience leading financial operations and business transformations at public and hyper-growth start-ups. She brings a wealth of experience in Web3 technology, having previously held roles at prominent organizations such as Gemini and Aptos, as well as SaaS, semiconductor, and consumer brands. Madelene began her career at Ernst & Young.
Sara Hale
CMO
Sara Hale
Sara is Chief Marketing Officer at Hashgraph. She has over 25 years of experience in marketing, with a focus on emerging technology, scaling businesses, and digital transformation, and previously worked as CMO at R3. Over the course of her career she has held global marketing leadership roles at high-growth fintech and financial services companies including Finastra, Fitch Ratings and Fitch Solutions, bringing numerous technology products to market. Sara holds an MA in Organizational Development from Columbia University and is a member of several leadership and advisory networks.
Luciano Belizan
SVP of Human Resources
Luciano Belizan
Luciano is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources of Hashgraph. He oversees the full employee life cycle – from recruiting and onboarding to compensation and performance management. Luciano was the first Human Resources Officer at Hedera, joining in early 2018. Prior to joining the Hedera ecosystem, Luciano served as Vice President of Organizational Development and Training at Ziff Brothers Investments, a large family office operating in many fields of investing including public equities, fixed income, commodities and macro trading. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University and graduated from San Diego State with Honors in English Literature.
Atul Mahamuni
SVP of Products
Atul Mahamuni
Atul is the Senior Vice President of Products at Hashgraph. A Computer Science and Engineering graduate from IIT Madras, he has 25+ years of experience in emerging technologies and blockchains, serving in executive positions at Oracle and Cisco. He has developed systems and networking products for Juniper Networks, Nokia Networks, and Wipro – authoring 24 granted patents. At Cisco, he was CTO overseeing the Cisco Catalyst 3K product line with $6 billion annual revenue.
RICHARD BAIR
VP of Engineering
Richard Bair
Richard is Vice President of Engineering at Hashgraph. Before the Hedera ecosystem, he was a Chief Client Architect for the Java platform at Oracle, and an architect for Oracle’s IoT applications. With 20+ years of experience building mission-critical platforms and applications used by millions of people worldwide, his passion is building incredible, scalable, high performance systems. He loves backpacking, camping, and watching his kids grow.
Kurt Bierbower
VP of Business Development
Kurt Bierbower
Kurt is the Vice President of Business Development at Hashgraph. With a decade of experience as a blockchain and Web3 executive, he has driven emerging technology engagements at organizations including Deloitte, while also building and leading Web3 divisions at two publicly listed companies. Kurt has scaled businesses across Layer-1 blockchains, exchanges, NFTs, stablecoins, and wallets.
Lance Laughridge
Director of Operations
Lance Laughridge
Lance is the Director of Strategic Operations at Hashgraph, where he drives operational efficiency and strategic initiatives across the organization. With over 15 years of experience in technology and healthcare, he has led operations and strategic client engagements at prominent organizations including UnitedHealth Group and Walgreens Boots Alliance. He loves hiking, downhill skiing, and spending time with his family.