Raj Gokal
Raj Gokal is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Solana Labs, the organization behind Solana, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain designed for scalable, low-cost decentralized applications. He is widely recognized for shaping Solana’s long-term vision, ecosystem strategy, and global community growth, playing a pivotal role in establishing Solana as one of the leading blockchain platforms in Web3. Working closely with co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, Gokal helped guide Solana’s rapid adoption by developers and users, driven by the network’s high throughput, low latency, and minimal transaction costs. In addition to his role at Solana Labs, he serves as a Board Member of the Solana Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to the decentralization, security, and long-term sustainability of the Solana network. Before entering the crypto and blockchain industry, Gokal built deep experience in venture capital, product leadership, and technology entrepreneurship. He served as Director of Product at Omada Health, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Rock Health, and Co-Founder of Sano, a minimally invasive glucose sensor company. He also worked as an investor at General Catalyst Partners, where he focused on early-stage technology startups.
Raj Gokal Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Co-Founder and President
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Associate
Academic History
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B.A., Economics, Finance
Raj Gokal is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Solana Labs and a central business leader behind Solana, one of the world’s largest and most influential Web3 and Layer 1 blockchain platforms.
As COO, Gokal oversees Solana’s business operations, including product strategy, ecosystem development, partnerships, and organizational growth.
While co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko focuses primarily on protocol engineering, Gokal brings a strong business and ecosystem lens, helping emerging projects within the Solana ecosystem scale, secure partnerships, and gain global visibility.
His focus on developer adoption, branding, and community-building has been a key driver of Solana’s rapid growth across decentralized finance, NFTs, gaming, and consumer Web3 applications.
He is also a Board Member of the Solana Foundation, the nonprofit organization responsible for supporting the decentralization, security, and long-term sustainability of the Solana network.
EARLY CAREER
Prior to entering the blockchain space, Gokal built a diverse career across venture capital, product leadership, and technology entrepreneurship.
He served as Director of Product at Omada Health, where he helped build digital health programs focused on diabetes and heart disease prevention, and was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Rock Health, advising early-stage digital health startups.
He also co-founded Sano, a consumer health technology company developing minimally invasive glucose monitoring devices.
Earlier in his career, Gokal was an Associate at General Catalyst Partners, investing in consumer internet, enterprise software, and clean energy companies, and began his professional journey in hedge funds, including Meridian Capital Partners.
MEDIA PRESENCE & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Beyond his operational role, Gokal is a prominent thought leader and public voice in the crypto industry, frequently speaking on topics such as blockchain scalability, decentralized network design, founder culture, and the future of Web3.
He has been featured or quoted in major media outlets including Bloomberg, Fortune, and Fox Business, and profiled by leading crypto and technology publications such as CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, Blockworks, TechCrunch, The Block, and Real Vision.