Ilya Veller
I’m a CFO with a hybrid background across traditional finance and Web3, and over the past six years I’ve built full financial and operational infrastructure for crypto companies from the ground up. At Gear Technologies, I scaled finance, treasury, compliance, and investor relations across multiple jurisdictions, supported a token listing on Coinbase, and managed both fiat and digital asset operations in a highly regulated environment. At Blum, a Telegram MiniApp Dex with 90mm+ subscribers in our TG channels, I built the entire operations stack from scratch in under 6 weeks, making the company ready for institutional investors. What I specialize in is turning early-stage crypto platforms into institutional-grade businesses - meaning structured treasury, audit-ready reporting, strong banking relationships, and clear unit economics, while also preparing the company for international expansion and institutional capital.
Experience
CFO, Head of Finance & Operations
Blum Labs Inc
Remote
Web3 DEX on TON with 90M+ Telegram Users (@blumcrypto) Automated accounting, approvals, and reconciliation pipeline - compressed monthly close from 14 days to 2 days using CryptoWorth + ApprovalMax + QuickBooks Designed and rolled out global crypto payroll and contributor payment rails for a distributed team across multiple countries (Request Finance, RainCards, Tonkeeper) Designed internal controls, AML/KYC workflows, and compliance documentation ready for institutional partnerships and exchange requirements Managed investor relations, treasury reporting, and financial forecasting for a hyper-growth environment
Co-Founder, CFO & Head of Capital Formation
Gear Technologies Inc. (Vara Network)
Remote
Non-EVM Layer-1 → Standalone L Co-founded and scaled protocol from pre-seed to $1B+ fully diluted valuation; led all finance, treasury, legal, and operations as founding CFO Raised $12M+ from top-tier crypto VCs including Lemniscap, Distributed Global, Blockchange Ventures, Mechanism Capital, Spartan Group, P2P, Signum, Bitscale, and many others Managed ongoing investor relations, quarterly auditor requests, board materials, and financial reporting for 100+ globally distributed contributors Designed and implemented multi-entity corporate structure across Switzerland, Cayman Islands, BVI, and USA - optimized for token issuance, IP protection, and regulatory compliance Led Coinbase listing process end-to-end: exchange due diligence and legal coordination Built and automated all internal workflows: treasury (Fireblocks), reconciliation and approval automation (ApprovalMax), equity/token cap table (Carta), project management (ClickUp), contracts (DocuSign) Owned HR and people operations: global hiring, contractors agreements, payroll structure, and team management
Independent Entrepreneur & Angel Investor / Founder / Operator / Investor
Independent Entrepreneur & Angel Investor / Founder / Operator / Investor
Remote
Deep-Tech, Fintech, ML Founded and self-funded multiple technology startups in ML, fintech, and e-commerce - took several from 0→1, achieving proof-of-concept and early revenue Deployed $2M+ of personal capital across 10+ early-stage ventures as founder and angel investor; built deep pattern recognition in startup finance and operations
Traditional Finance / Director Level / Sales & Trading
Morgan Stanley • Bank of America • Renaissance Capital
Remote
Executed equities, fixed income, and derivatives trading in high-pressure institutional environments Built risk frameworks, analytical systems, and cross-team coordination processes — discipline that now underpins my approach to Web3 treasury and compliance
Education
New York University
University of Wisconsin–Madison
B.A.
Skills
CORE CAPABILITIES
Fundraising & IR
SAFTs, token warrants, equity rounds ($12M+); ongoing investor relations, board reporting, cap table management (Carta)
Treasury & Crypto Finance
Fireblocks + multisig + MPC workflows; on-chain/off-chain payment rails; stablecoin and token treasury management
Accounting Automation
Monthly close from 14 → 2 days using CryptoWorth, ApprovalMax, QuickBooks; audit-ready reporting from day one
Legal & Multi-Jurisdiction Structuring
Designed entity structures across Switzerland, Cayman Islands, BVI, and USA; foundation, foundation subsidiary, and token issuer setups
Compliance & AML/KYC
Institutional-grade AML/KYC frameworks; compliance workflows for exchange listings and institutional partnerships (Chainalysis, Sumsub, Shuftipro etc)
HR & Global Payroll
Built and managed people ops for 70+ global contributors; crypto payroll via Fireblocks, Request Finance, RainCards, Tonkeeper
100% Remote Execution
Managed geographically distributed teams across multiple time zones; asynchronous-first workflows with full accountability
EDUCATION & LICENSES
New York University
Risk Management
University of Wisconsin–Madison
B.A. Finance, Investment & Banking
SEC Licenses
Series 4, 7, 24, 31, 55, 66