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Key people at Centrality.
Centrality was founded in 2016 by Jerry Yuan (Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer).
Centrality operates as a New Zealand-based tech venture platform, actively building infrastructure for the decentralized web. The company leverages blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things to create a connected world, fostering a user-centric and open-source approach. Its core offering involves enabling developers to bring applications to market using blockchain technology, particularly through its CENNZnet Layer 1 blockchain, which supports a marketplace of decentralized applications.
The company was co-founded in 2016 by Aaron McDonald, Jerry Yuan, Mark Povey, and Rob. Aaron McDonald, also serving as CEO, initiated Centrality with the guiding insight of empowering consumers to regain control of their data. This vision led to the establishment of a blockchain venture studio model, designed to cultivate a decentralized peer-to-peer ecosystem.
Centrality's ecosystem serves a diverse array of ventures, partnered businesses, and startups, all collaborating to advance a thriving decentralized future. The company’s mission is centered on constructing an ecosystem that consistently prioritizes users, believing this foundational principle will ultimately drive the widespread adoption of blockchain technology across various industries.
Centrality was founded in 2016 by Jerry Yuan (Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer).
Centrality is a New Zealand-based technology company and venture platform focused on blockchain, AI, IoT, and emerging technologies to build user-centric ecosystems for mass adoption.[1][4] It provides developers with capital, open-source tools, and libraries to bring blockchain-enabled apps to market, serving approximately 1 million active users while partnering with entities like Lightning Lab, Jasmy, McDonald's, and Moonstake.[1][4] The company emphasizes innovation without formal credentials, prioritizing quick learning, collaboration, and real-world impact in a fun, fast-paced environment.[4]
Note: A separate UK-based Centrality, a Microsoft Solutions Partner specializing in M365, Azure, Power Platform, and cybersecurity, was acquired by Intercity after over 25 years of operation; this profile focuses on the New Zealand blockchain entity matching the query's tech company description.[2][5]
Centrality emerged as a New Zealand-headquartered venture platform leveraging blockchain for app development, with Aaron McDonald as CEO.[1][4] The idea stemmed from a mission to prioritize users in blockchain ecosystems, driving mass adoption through tools, capital, and partnerships like the 2025 strategic alliance with Moonstake, where McDonald joined as an advisor to advance CENNZ token implementation.[1][4] Early traction built around an open-source library and developer support, growing to 83 employees and $15.6 million in revenue, with a culture rejecting degrees in favor of innovative thinking and collaboration.[1][4]
Centrality rides the wave of blockchain mass adoption, combining it with AI and IoT to solve scalability and usability barriers in decentralized apps.[1][4] Timing aligns with rising demand for user-friendly Web3 tools amid partnerships like Moonstake's CENNZ push, capitalizing on market forces such as token ecosystems and enterprise blockchain integration (e.g., McDonald's).[1] It influences the ecosystem by democratizing development capital and open-source resources, lowering entry barriers for startups and accelerating everyday blockchain use in New Zealand's tech scene and beyond.[1][4]
Centrality is poised to expand its 1 million-user base through deeper partnerships and CENNZ advancements, targeting broader AI-blockchain fusion amid global Web3 growth.[1][4] Trends like decentralized AI and enterprise tokenization will shape its path, potentially amplifying influence via more strategic alliances and ecosystem tools. As a user-centric pioneer, it stands to drive mass adoption, evolving from developer enabler to a cornerstone of accessible blockchain infrastructure—tying back to its core mission of empowering apps that truly serve people first.[4]
Key people at Centrality.
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2021 | ZenLedger | $6.0M Series A | Kate Mitselmakher | 01 Advisors, 2.12 Angels, 50 Partners, 75 & Sunny, Accelerator Ventures, Craft Ventures, Diaspora Ventures, eFounders, Entrée Capital Ventures, F-Prime Capital Partners, Freestyle Capital, Gumi Cryptos Capital, Kima Ventures, LGF, #SecretFund, Staenberg Venture Partners, The Refiners, Thirty Five Ventures, Y Combinator, Andrew Nutter, Anthony Pompliano, Christian Oestlien, Frederic Montagnon, Logan Paul, Mark Casady, Mark Cuban, Mark Wahlberg, Thibaud Elziere, Darren Lau, Jon Staenberg, Karl Muth, BIGG Digital Assets, Blackwater Capital, Borderless Capital, CoinGecko, Fourth Revolution Capital, G1 Ventures, Migration Capital, Mark Cuban, Vestigo Ventures |
| Jun 2, 2021 | SmartDefi | $1.0M Pre-Seed | Arcuate Capital, Centrality, Future Fund, Genblock Capital | Akin Sawyerr, Alex Svanevik, DeFiTed, Jaynti Kanani, Joe Mahon, Jonny Rhea, Jordan Lyall, Joseph Delong, Marc Weinstein, mariano .eth, Meltem Demirors, Nirbhik Jangid [Hiring Engineers], Ryan Burkin, Sandeep Nailwal, Tyler Reynolds, Tyler Scott Ward |
| May 1, 2021 | Evertas | $6.0M Seed | Centrality, CMT Digital, Fourth Revolution Capital, Chao Deng, Mark Yusko, Plug and Play Ventures, RenGen, Vy Capital, WAVE Equity Partners | Early Light Ventures, Arik Steinberg, James Slazas, Quinn Abrahams, Sandra Ro, Shy Datika, Tyler Scott Ward |