StarkWare CEO Uri Kolodny Steps Down for Health Reasons, Continues as Board Member

Uri Kolodny, the CEO and co-founder of StarkWare Industries, has stepped down from his role due to family health issues. However, he will remain a board member of StarkWare and Starknet Foundation.

Announcing his decision on X, Kolodny appointed Eli Ben-Sasson, the president and member of the firm’s founding team, as the new CEO.

Writing this is hard for me.

I am stepping down as @StarkWareLtd’s CEO. Vicious medical challenges at home require my undivided attention. I took a LoA a year ago, but unfortunately that wasn't nearly enough.

I will stay on as a board member of both StarkWare and the @starknet…

— Uri Kolodny (@ukolodny) January 11, 2024

Responding to Kolodny’s announcement, Ben-Sasson expressed gratitude and sadness. He acknowledged the impact of the health challenges on Kolodny and his family and lamented the departure of their brilliant, compassionate, and charismatic CEO.

In a closing statement, the new CEO noted the significant task of filling Uri Kolodny’s large shoes and pledged to uphold the ethos and values of StarkWare.

Dear, close, friend.

Writing this is also hard. My heart and prayers are with you and your family as you confront the challenges ahead.

As a @StarkWareLtd co-founder and board member, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and sadness. Gratitude for what you’ve achieved: taking an…

— Eli Ben-Sasson (@EliBenSasson) January 11, 2024

StarkWare, founded in 2018 by Kolodny and his long-time friend Ben-Sasson, specializes in cryptographic proof systems designed to address scalability issues on the Ethereum blockchain.

Under Kolodny’s leadership, StarkWare has achieved an impressive $8 billion valuation and developed STARK-based technology that supports a thriving blockchain ecosystem.

What is Next?

In a blockchain projection report released on January 8, Ben-Sasson, along with Avihu Levy, the Head of Product, and Liron Hayman, the Head of Business Development, shared their insights on upcoming trends, projections, and developments within StarkWare.

What to expect in 2024?
🆙 Volition and super scaling
☀️ DeFi summer
🎮 Gaming paradise

We’ve gathered three of our superstar(k)s @EliBenSasson, @avihu28, and @HaymanLiron for a talk about what they predict 2024 will look like.https://t.co/q6O6ozrFok🌟 pic.twitter.com/E4hG829UnE

— StarkWare 🐺🐱 (@StarkWareLtd) January 8, 2024

Ben-Sasson expressed anticipation for decentralized governance, proof of humanity, and robust public services to materialize by the end of the year, emphasizing that these objectives align with the ecosystem’s fundamental goals.

Meanwhile, Levy underscored the strength of Starknet, an innovative solution developed by the company to offer limitless scalability while maintaining Ethereum’s decentralization and security.

He foresees an uptick in on-chain gaming and the emergence of user-friendly wallets that simplify the blockchain experience.

On the other hand, Hayman delved deeper into Ethereum, highlighting the transformative impact of tokenizing real-world assets and predicting substantial interest from players in traditional finance.

With Ben-Sasson’s new leadership already in motion, the expectation is for utility-focused development and innovations that will significantly influence the growth trajectory of StarkWare.