Founding atthe frontier ofweb3 / AI.
I'm Simon Piazolo — Frankfurt-born engineer turned founder, currently in my MBA at Lisbon × MIT Sloan. I built OpenTheta from a solo MVP to $15M+ in first-year volume, run ecosystem strategy at Theta Labs, and help build Europe's Web3 scene through THETA EuroCon and the TEC Incubator.
A short introduction.
- Based
- Switzerland
- Roles
- CEO · Founder
- Studied
- RWTH · MIT Sloan
- Founded
- OpenTheta '21
- Wins
- 4× hackathons
- Talks
- 5× intl. confs
- Languages
- DE · EN · ES
- Open to
- Ventures & advisory
Frankfurt-born founder who turned a deep curiosity for distributed systems into a portfolio of Web3 ventures — from a $15M-volume marketplace to Europe's flagship Theta conference and a $150K ecosystem incubator.
I founded and lead OpenTheta as CEO, scaling it to the highest-volume launch on Theta Network. I co-organized THETA EuroCon (2024 & 2025), structured and ran the TEC Incubator — deploying $50K into each of three startups — acquired and grew ThetaSwap, and shipped sTFuel liquid staking. As Theta's first Developer Advocate, I bridge protocol teams with builders and investors across the network.
Built on engineering from RWTH Aachen and industry depth at ZF Friedrichshafen — I'm now sharpening the business side with an MBA at Lisbon MBA × MIT Sloan, including field leadership training with the Portuguese Marines. Technical depth as a founder's tool, not an identity.
Ventures I've built.
OpenTheta
Built the MVP solo and scaled OpenTheta to $15M+ first-year volume — one of Theta's highest-volume launches. Onboarded 50+ creators and 100+ projects. First public showcase of Theta's patented NFT DRM technology.
ThetaSwap
OpenTheta operates ThetaSwap — acquired and scaled Theta's native DEX over 3+ years, with an integrated fiat on-ramp via Wert.io so users can go from card to swap without leaving the flow.
THETA EuroCon
Organizing Europe's flagship Theta conference in Berlin — scaled from 70 to 100+ attendees across the 2024 and 2025 editions. Programming, sponsors, speakers, plus the adjacent BlockJam build week.
theta-euro.com ↗TEC Incubator
Structured and ran the inaugural Theta Ecosystem Incubator — mentorship track, BlockJam hackathon, investor demos. Placed $50K into each of 3 startups: Covelant, Surff, and Checkmate.
Developer Advocate
Leading ecosystem strategy and growth at Theta Labs — bridging protocol teams, external builders, and investors. Ran workshops at 42 Berlin, judged hackathons, and drove partner integrations across Theta Blockchain, EdgeCloud, and AI infrastructure.
BlockJam 2025
Ran BlockJam 2025, the in-person hackathon ahead of THETA EuroCon — teams built on Theta Blockchain and EdgeCloud with six-figure prizes and mentorship.
BlockJam details ↗Hackathon Wins
1st — Agents Without Masters, NEAR AI · 2025 · Track Winner NFTs, Theta · 2023 · 2nd DeFi, Theta Q1 · 2022 · 2nd NFTs, Theta Q3 · 2021. Also juror at Theta Network hackathons (2024).
sTFuel
The liquid staking protocol for TFuel on Theta Network — earn staking rewards without locking liquidity.
stfuel.com ↗How I got here.
Start a venture.
Ship something real.
Open to co-founding, advisory roles, and ecosystem partnerships — especially at the intersection of Web3 and AI.
[email protected] ↗