Creating Solutions Through Technological Innovation

A Bit About Me

Hey, I'm Jonathan.

I'm a technologist with over 18 years building products that solve real problems. Outside of work, I perform Shakespeare, do magic, and fly drones.

Right now, I'm fundraising for two fintech products: Equity Earn and Sailor Lend, designed to solve major pain points for tech founders and Bitcoin users.

Most recently, I led communications at Levana Perps as we processed over $4B in trading volume.

In 2017, I was CTO at Craze, where I worked with Kim Kardashian to build Screenshop, a visual shopping app.

Before that, I co-founded Glide in 2012 and served as CTO and COO. We grew to over 20 million installs with millions of active users sending billions of messages.

In 2008, I founded appSTUDIO, one of Israel's first mobile-focused studios. We created more than fifty apps for Android and iOS.

I speak at tech events around the world and mentor founders through accelerators, hackathons, and meetups.

Notable Milestones & Achievments

  • Founded Sailor Lend—supported by the NEAR Foundation, the platform aims to introduce lending services specifically tailored for Bitcoin holders while effectively eliminating the third-party risks commonly associated with existing solutions.

  • Led communications efforts as we successfully scaled operations to efficiently handle over $4 billion in trading volume before being acquired by THORChain, where it continues today as Ruji Perps

  • He joined StarkWare in its early days as one of the first 30 employees, where he founded and led Business Development, onboarding over 300 decentralized application teams and helping grow the company from pre-launch to billions in total value locked.

  • In 2017, Jonathan co-founded LionsChain Capital, a hedge fund that invested early in protocols such as Solana and NEAR, generating substantial returns during the first major DeFi wave.

  • He led product design for the Kardashian family’s AI-powered fashion app, ScreenShop, which transformed social media photos into instant shopping experiences. The app’s success led to its acquisition by Snapchat

  • Founded Israel’s first mobile-focused development studio in 2008, successfully going on to engineer and launch over 50 innovative applications for both iOS and Android platforms. Over four years, he scaled the company to a 12-person team, developed a patent portfolio in mobile video streaming, and ultimately sold the business after raising over $45 million in venture funding.

  • Jonathan is also an advisor to dozens of startups, mentoring founders through every stage of product development — from ideation to scale. His speaking engagements have included WebSummit, Mainnet, AIBC Dubai, and numerous academic events focused on consumer technology, fintech, entrepreneurship and innovation.

MY LORE

Originally from Washington D.C., I’ve lived in Jerusalem for most of my adult life.

I enjoy traveling extensively with my family, always seeking to experience new cultures and stay at the cutting edge of technology. For the past two years, I have been learning Mandarin, as I firmly believe that the future of innovation will emerge from the East.

I also have a deep passion for exotic birds, caring for over 15 birds in my home in Israel, which brings a unique and vibrant energy to my everyday life.

THE FUTURE OF TECH IS RISING IN THE EAST

“The next chapter of technological innovation will be written in the East. China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UAE aren't just competing—they're creating the regulatory frameworks and infrastructure that make rapid innovation possible while the West debates."

  • Jonathan is fiercely passionate about people, technology and also incredibly warm. His willingness to share and to listen left an impression. Given the opportunity to work directly with Jonathan, I would jump on it.”

    Moshe B.

  • Brilliant technologist and innovator! Gave us key advice, connections and guidance at critical points of our growth.

    Matthew A. Mausner

  • Jonathan always maintains an open-door policy, welcoming comments and critique from all of his employees. He doesn't shy away from problems and faces them head on. He is respectful of opinions that differ from his own, and enjoys honest debate. Jonathan is creative, fun, a true pioneer of new technologies, full of curiosity and terrible puns.

    Leah Vogel

  • Jonathan is a visionary who doesn't shy away from the challenge of innovating at the frontier of technology - beyond that, he is deeply supportive and understanding of his team. It's been a pleasure to work alongside him.

    JB Carthy