Mike Silagadze

Mike Silagadze is a Canadian entrepreneur and blockchain innovator best known as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ether.fi, a decentralized liquid staking protocol on the Ethereum network that enables users to stake ETH while retaining control of their private keys; a key emphasis on self-custody and decentralization in DeFi.

Silagadze began his professional journey in tech after graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He first made his mark in the startup world as the co-founder and CEO of Top Hat, an educational technology company that grew into a market leader in classroom engagement software with hundreds of employees and millions in annual revenue.

In the early 2020s, Silagadze transitioned into the cryptocurrency and decentralized finance space. After stepping down from Top Hat and an interlude with Gadze Finance (a DeFi-oriented investment vehicle), he launched Ether.fi in 2022, aiming to build a non-custodial ETH staking protocol that better protects users’ assets and promotes true decentralization.

Under his leadership, Ether.fi has been at the forefront of the liquid staking and re-staking movement on Ethereum, expanding its product suite to include tools like liquid staking tokens and crypto financial services that blur the line between traditional banking and decentralized finance. Silagadze has also positioned Ether.fi to evolve toward broader on-chain financial offerings, including crypto-native banking features designed to increase mainstream adoption.

Beyond his work at Ether.fi, Mike is known as a speaker and thought leader in the blockchain community, regularly participating in industry events and discussions about the future of Ethereum, DeFi, and decentralized financial infrastructure.