Mert Mumtaz
Mert Mumtaz is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Helius, a vertically integrated blockchain infrastructure and developer platform that provides high-performance tools and APIs for building applications on the Solana network. He is a well-known figure in the cryptocurrency industry, recognized for his deep technical expertise, clear and candid market commentary, and vocal advocacy for Solana’s developer ecosystem. Prior to founding Helius, Mumtaz was a Software Engineer at Coinbase, where he worked on core crypto infrastructure supporting decentralized finance transactions, account balances, and blockchain data systems. Earlier in his career, he held engineering roles at Shutterstock and BlackBerry, building large-scale, production-grade systems that shaped his approach to reliable, high-performance infrastructure.
Mert Mumtaz Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
-
Co-Founder and CEO
-
Software Engineer
Academic History
-
M.S., Computer Science
-
B.A.Sc., Applied Mathematics & Computing and Communications Engineering
Under Mert Mumtaz’s leadership, Helius has pioneered new approaches to retrieving, indexing, and analyzing historical on-chain data on Solana, addressing long-standing challenges related to performance, reliability, and developer productivity.
The company has become a core infrastructure provider within the Solana ecosystem by improving how applications access blockchain data at scale.
Helius raised $9.5 million in Series A funding, led by Foundation Capital, with participation from notable investors including Solana co-founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal.
The platform offers a comprehensive suite of developer tools, including high-performance RPCs, webhooks, and data indexing services, enabling applications to communicate efficiently with Solana nodes and interact with on-chain data in real time.
SOLANA ADVOCACY
Mumtaz is highly active in industry discussions around crypto development trends, blockchain scalability, ecosystem economics, and infrastructure design.
He is widely regarded as one of the most visible and vocal advocates for Solana development, frequently sharing insights on the network’s technology, developer experience, and long-term growth through social media, interviews, and public commentary.
His contributions help educate both developers and investors on Solana’s role in the broader Web3 ecosystem.
MEDIA PRESENCE
In addition to his work at Helius, Mumtaz served as Co-Host of the Lightspeed podcast at Blockworks, where he explored topics related to blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance, and crypto market structure.
He has been quoted and featured in leading industry publications including The Block, CoinDesk, and Real Vision, further establishing his voice in the crypto and blockchain infrastructure space.