Jess Houlgrave
Jess Houlgrave is the CEO of Reown, the onchain UX platform and builder of the WalletConnect Network. She leads Reown in enabling users to connect their wallets to dApps securely, facilitating transactions, signing messages, and interacting with blockchain-based services. Jess is a well-known entrepreneur and investor with a multidisciplinary background across payments, art, cryptocurrency, finance and private equity. Prior to Reown and WalletConnect, she was the Chief of Staff and Head of Crypto GTM & Strategy at Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments provider. She was also a Member of the Bank of England CBDC Engagement Forum. Jess is passionate about making fintech and the wider tech ecosystem more accessible to a wider range of people. She is an active angel investor focused on investing in crypto, fintech and under-represented founders.
Jess Houlgrave Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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CEO
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CEO
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CBDC Engagement Forum Member
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Chief of Staff and Head of Crypto GTM & Strategy
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Analyst, UK Investment Banking
Academic History
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M.A., Art Business, Sotheby's Institute of Art
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M.A., Economics and Management
CHECKOUT.COM
Jess was Head of Crypto GTM & Strategy at Checkout.com, responsible for scaling the company’s crypto offering.
She led the company's GTM, enabling Checkout.com to power the world’s largest exchanges, fan token platforms and wallets.
She worked with some of the world’s most innovative companies and established global brands to simplify financial complexities, drive innovation and unlock growth.
EARLY CAREER
Jess was the Founder of Codex Protocol, an Ethereum project to track the provenance of assets using NFTs.
She was a Member of the Bank of England CBDC Engagement Forum and a Member of UK Finance New Digital Money Steering Group, Innovate Finance Fintech Strategy Group and Department for International Trade Fintech Group.
She founded shEOS, a block producer connecting women and girls with technology scholarships and mentors.
Earlier in her career, she was a Portfolio Manager for OPTrust and an Analyst at the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse.
RECOGNITION
2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 - Europe Art & Culture
MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS
Jess has been featured or quoted in various financial media outlets and publications, including Forbes, Bloomberg, CNBC, Cointelegraph, and Real Vision.