Last week, SOM welcomed the second annual Yale Blockchain Conference. The conference presented panels of a certain number of industry experts and former alumni. Programming the programming and the main lecturer Edison Siu, who organized the first blockchain conference in Yale in 2024 and returned to talk about his business, solo. Founded in 2024. Solo is a blockchain company which focuses on improving user verification in the web 3 ecosystem.
The entrepreneurship program met Edison following the conference to discuss his career.
What inspired you to start the solo? Was there a specific problem or moment that triggered the idea?
The idea of solo was launched during a blockchain class that I followed in Yale, taught by Professor Ben Fisch. A conference focused on Worldcoin and its attempt to create a system of “proof of humanity” using biometric orbs. This discussion opened my eyes to a fundamental need for the web 3 ecosystem – while waiting for real human users decentralized.
I was fascinated by the implications. Although WorldCoin’s approach has been daring, it has raised serious concerns about the centralization of equipment, privacy and regulatory compliance. I started to wonder: is there a way to build a system that checks human uniqueness without relying on centralized infrastructure?
This question led me to discuss the concept with two brilliant spirits: my co-founders, Professor Sissi Wu, an IA expert focused on analyzing user behavior, and Professor Stephen Wang, a specialist in zero-connoissance and blockchain architecture. Together, we have considered a decentralized solution and preserving confidentiality for the continuous verification of humanity – that which was not based on the proprietary equipment, but could rather take advantage of the largely accessible mobile devices.
What started as a curiosity in class has quickly changed into a mission. The more we explored, the more we realized that the attacks of Sybil Parade of real applications on Web3 – of Airdrops and governance to labeling of data and depolition. Solo was born to fill this gap. Our goal is to create a protocol for evolving, secure and user -friendly humanity that allows what we call “credible anonymity” – a future where users can remain anonymous, but responsible, in the new Internet.
Can you guide us through your background before launching solo? Have you always been in technology or crypto?
My trip to the crypto started in 2017 when I was involved in the “Kimchi Premium” arbitration – one of the first opportunities that highlighted the ineffectiveness and the potential of the global cryptography markets. In 2018, I went to a more structured role, leading marketing for one of the first exchanges of approved cryptography in Asia. This experience gave me an exhibition both to the regulatory landscape and the importance of user confidence in creating the web infrastructure3.
Later, while continuing my MBA in Yale, I directed the Som Blockchain Club and co-organized the very first Yale blockchain conference in 2024. Thanks to this experience, I deepened my understanding of the ecosystem both from a technical and political point of view, and also linked to many researchers and manufacturers working at the intersection of crypto and real consumption cases.
These experiences have laid the basics of the solo – combining my passion for crypto with a mission to provide an evolutionary identity infrastructure and preserving confidentiality to Web3.
What does success look like you personally and has this definition changed over time?
For me, success means creating a real and lasting impact on society – constitute something that does not only generate yields, but fundamentally improves the way people live, connect and interact. This definition of success has become much clearer after joining the Yale MBA program, where the school’s mission “educate managers for business and society” has deeply resonated with me. This has strengthened my conviction that entrepreneurship should serve a wider goal. With Solo, we do not only build another web3 tool – we aim to redefine digital identity and allow more equitable, secure and human systems. It is, for me, what success looks like.
What has been your biggest technical challenge so far, and how has your team overcome it?
One of our largest technical challenges has been to create a fully decentralized biometric verification system while protecting the confidentiality of users. Most existing solutions are based on centralized equipment or present sensitive user data during the process. We wanted the solo to be different – something that works on any mobile device, proves that each user is a real and unique person and retains confidentiality at each stage.
To overcome this, we have combined advanced cryptographic tools such as homomorphic encryption and zero knowledge to check users while preserving their biometric data. This required close collaboration between the expertise of our team in cryptography, in blockchain and AI systems. It took months of iteration and tests, but we finally created an evolutionary architecture and preserving confidentiality which can take charge of the real world use on web3.
What is your biggest step you have taken to date?
Our biggest step to date has been to obtain integration partnerships with a solid range of strong impact Web3 projects, notably Sapien, Perle AI, Geodnet, Synesis One and Publicai. Each of these partners operates in fields where proof of humanity is essential – whether data labeling, decentralized mapping or alignment of AI – and they have chosen to work with solo to ensure that their user base is made up of real and verified humans, not robots. These agreements not only validate the need for our solution, but also give us a direct path to acquire tens of thousands of users of the first day.
In parallel, we closed our pre-series funding tour led by Draper Associates and joined by Velocity Capital. We are also fortunate to have the support and advice of some of the best spaces in space, including Brian Retford (founder of RISC Zero), Ahmed Rashed (Founder of Pearl AI and former Growth Manager on a AI scale) and Matt Katz (founder of Caldera). Their support affirms our technical and strategic orientation and gives us a unique advantage in the execution of our vision.
Together, these partnerships and support have given solo both credibility and momentum to become the fundamental layer of identity in web3.
How do you see solo contribute to the construction of an internet more focused on man?
The solo contributes to building a more man focused on man by ensuring that each digital interaction is linked to a real and unique person – without compromising confidentiality. In today’s internet, bots distort online communities, drain the resources of real users and undermine confidence in digital ecosystems. Solo resolves this by allowing a decentralized biometric verification which is both preserved and evolving, so that users can prove that they are human without revealing who they are.
Our long -term vision is to allow “credible anonymity”, where users can remain pseudonyms while creating a verifiable reputation and being held responsible for their actions. This fundamental layer of confidence unlocks an entirely new form of the web3 economy – one where users can access non -polled loans, significant credit rating and personalized recommendations, all without sacrificing their privacy. It also allows individuals to keep the property of their data, choosing when and how it is shared or monetized. By anchoring digital identity in preserving but verifiable human authenticity, Solo opens the way to a more equitable, secure and human internet.
What advice would you give to other founders working on the brink of privacy technology, crypto and AI?
Stay focused on resolving a real human problem – technology should be at this. At the intersection of privacy, crypto and AI, it is easy to get caught in media threshing or complexity. But winning solutions are those that are not only technically solid, but also usable, compliant and clearly aligned with user needs. Build with confidentiality as a basic design principle, and not afterwards, and surround yourself with collaborators who bring both technical depth and ethical clarity. And above all – stay resilient. The border is the place where it is the most difficult, but also where the greatest impact is made.
