Saeed Badreg
Saeed Badreg is the co-founder and CEO of Wormhole Labs, the core contributor company behind the Wormhole cross-chain interoperability protocol, which has processed over $70 billion in cumulative transaction volume across more than 40 blockchain networks and supports institutional tokenization partners such as BlackRock, Apollo Global Management, and VanEck.[5][6]
Education
Badreeg graduated with a B.A. in Law and Society from American University in 2012. He then earned a Primer MBA from DePaul University in 2015.[2]
Career
Badreg was CEO of Tolemaeus, a mobile and web application developer, from May 2017 to August 2021. He then worked in strategic partnerships at Jump Trading LLC, a data and research-driven trading business, and later led strategic partnerships at Jump Crypto, the firm's Web3 and cryptocurrency division, from August 2021 to August 2023.[1] In 2023, after the Wormhole protocol was spun out of Jump Crypto with a $225 million funding round at a $2.5 billion valuation, Badreg co-founded Wormhole Labs to serve as a core contributor to the protocol.[5][3]
Wormhole
In 2023, Badreg co-founded Wormhole Labs with his coworkers, Anthony Ramirez and Tony Jin. Wormhole Labs is an independent technology company specializing in blockchain interoperability and serves as a core contributor to the Wormhole protocol.[6] It launched in November 2023 after the Wormhole protocol was spun out of Jump Crypto with a $225 million funding round at a $2.5 billion valuation from backers including Coinbase Ventures, Brevan Howard, Jump Trading, Multicoin Capital, ParaFi, Dialectic, Arrington Capital, and Borderless Capital.[5][3] The Wormhole protocol has processed over $70 billion in cumulative transaction volume across more than 40 blockchains and acts as interoperability infrastructure for institutional tokenization initiatives by firms including BlackRock, Apollo Global Management, and VanEck.[5]
“I hope the new funding will help the company push forward the relentless expansion of blockchains. It's not just a niche trend, but an enduring transformation where Fortune 100 companies onboard both public and private blockchains.”
Interviews
Hashflow x Wormhole
In a 2022 interview on the Hashflow Podcast, Badreg discussed the collaboration between Hashflow and Wormhole, highlighting the integration's technical aspects and benefits for cross-chain trading. He explained how Wormhole's network of guardians facilitates secure asset and message transfers across different blockchains, enhancing efficiency and security. Badreg also elaborated on Hashflow's RFQ system, where market makers provide liquidity for trades, and how the integration with Wormhole allows for seamless cross-chain swaps without vulnerabilities like front-running. He also touched on plans to expand support to non-EVM chains and enhance cross-chain liquidity through APIs and widgets, aiming to improve the overall user experience in decentralized finance.[4]
Talking Tokens: Why Price Discovery Will Move Onchain Within Three Years
In a February 17, 2026 episode of Solana's Talking Tokens podcast, Badreg discussed Sunrise, a tokenization and distribution platform incubated by Wormhole Labs that helps asset issuers reach users across multiple blockchains with an emphasis on the Solana ecosystem. He explained how Sunrise uses Wormhole's Native Token Transfer (NTT) framework to move assets across chains without relying on wrapped tokens, aiming to preserve provenance and reduce liquidity fragmentation. Badreg also outlined why he expects price discovery for major assets to migrate onchain within about three years, citing accelerating institutional adoption and improving market infrastructure.[7]
Lightspeed: Listing Assets Everywhere Onchain
In a January 27, 2026 episode of Solana's Lightspeed podcast, Badreg discussed Solana's efforts to expand onchain markets through cross-chain asset listings and the role of Sunrise in helping issuers bring assets to Solana. He described coordinated go-to-market and liquidity strategies that combine cross-chain infrastructure with distribution to exchanges and applications, aiming to make new listings accessible across multiple networks from day one. Badreg also shared his views on the future of tokenized markets, emphasizing how interoperable infrastructure could support broader adoption of tokenized assets.[8]
