# Charles Hoskinson

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American cryptocurrency entrepreneur

Charles Hoskinson Hoskinson in February 2026 Born (1987-11-05)5 November 1987 Maui, Hawaii, U.S. Education Metropolitan State University of Denver (attended) University of Colorado Boulder (attended) Known for Founder of Cardano, co-founder of Ethereum Scientific career Fields Digital contracts, digital currencies Website iohk.io

**Charles Hoskinson** (born 5 November 1987[1] on [Maui](/source/Maui),[2] [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii)) is an [American](/source/Americans) [entrepreneur](/source/Businessperson) who is a co-founder of the [blockchain](/source/Blockchain) engineering company IOHK, and the [Cardano](/source/Cardano_(blockchain_platform)) blockchain platform,[3] and was a co-founder of the [Ethereum](/source/Ethereum) blockchain platform.[4][5]

## Early life and education

Hoskinson attended [Metropolitan State University of Denver](/source/Metropolitan_State_University_of_Denver) and the [University of Colorado Boulder](/source/University_of_Colorado_Boulder) to study mathematics.[6]

## Career

In 2013, Hoskinson quit a [consulting](/source/Consulting) job to begin a project called the Bitcoin Education Project. According to Hoskinson, the limited supply makes [Bitcoin](/source/Bitcoin) like a digital form of [gold](/source/Gold_as_an_investment).[7][8]

 The logo of Cardano, a cryptocurrency developed by Hoskinson's company, IOHK.

Hoskinson in Mongolia in 2018

He joined the Ethereum team as one of five original founders with [Vitalik Buterin](/source/Vitalik_Buterin) in late 2013[4][9] and held the position of [chief executive](/source/Chief_executive). Buterin and the Ethereum team removed Hoskinson in 2014 after a dispute over whether the project should be commercial (Hoskinson's view) or a [nonprofit](/source/Nonprofit) (Buterin's view).[4][9]

In late 2014, Hoskinson and former Ethereum colleague Jeremy Wood formed IOHK (Input Output Hong Kong), an engineering and research company, to build [cryptocurrencies](/source/Cryptocurrencies) and blockchains.[7] IOHK's key project is [Cardano](/source/Cardano_(cryptocurrency_platform)), a public blockchain and [smart contract](/source/Smart_contract) platform that hosts the ADA cryptocurrency.[7][10] Hoskinson did not pursue [venture capital](/source/Venture_capital) for Cardano, saying that it ran counter to the blockchain's principles.[11] Hoskinson has also said that venture capital involvement might lead to an outsized control of a project.[12]

IOHK has sponsored research focused on blockchain technology at the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh), [Tokyo Institute of Technology](/source/Tokyo_Institute_of_Technology), [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University), and the [University of Wyoming](/source/University_of_Wyoming).[13][14][15]

*Forbes* magazine estimated Hoskinson's wealth as $500m–$600m in 2018.[16]

## Philanthropy

Location of the ocean deep water expedition and the [Galileo Project](/source/The_Galileo_Project)

In September 2021, Hoskinson donated $20 million to [Carnegie Mellon University](/source/Carnegie_Mellon_University)'s philosophy department to establish and run the Hoskinson Center for Formal Mathematics with the goal of studying [formal logical systems](/source/Mathematical_logic#Formal_logical_systems).[17][18]

Hoskinson contributed $1.5 million to fund a 2023 [Galileo Project](/source/The_Galileo_Project) expedition led by astronomer and "alien hunter" [Avi Loeb](/source/Avi_Loeb) to explore debris from the meteorite [CNEOS 2014-01-08](/source/CNEOS_2014-01-08) (also called IM1) that crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2014.[19][20][21] Loeb argued that this object could have been created by alien life, an idea that lacked widespread support from the scientific community.[22][20][21] The expedition reported finding tiny metallic spheres from the object on the ocean floor. Loeb claimed his team's analysis of these spherules did not match any known alloy, though it was unclear whether they were artificial or natural in origin.[23][24] However, a paper published by the [American Astronomical Society](/source/American_Astronomical_Society) In October showed that the chemical compositions provided by Loeb's analysis most closely matched human-produced coal ash.[25]

## Personal life

As of 2022, Hoskinson purchased an 11,000-acre buffalo ranch near [Wheatland, Wyoming](/source/Wheatland%2C_Wyoming), donated equipment to the Platte County Sheriff's Office, and purchased a restaurant in Wheatland.[26][27] He also has a farm in [Boulder, Colorado](/source/Boulder%2C_Colorado).[27]

In 2023 Hoskinson, along with his father and brother, who are both physicians, opened the Hoskinson Health and Wellness Clinic in [Gillette, Wyoming](/source/Gillette%2C_Wyoming). The clinic focuses on anti-ageing and regenerative medicine. The director of the clinic said it had cost $18 million. Hoskinson said cryptocurrency would be accepted in the future.[28]

Hoskinson was criticised after his private jet was ranked among the top 15 biggest polluters in the US on the Climate Jets website. Commentators contrasted the "green" reputation of Cardano with Hoskinson's personal travel. He defended his jet use, saying the plane had been used for charters for the band [Metallica](/source/Metallica) and film industry workers.[29]

## Political views

In 2007, Hoskinson, "an anti-war Republican college student with an interest in monetary policy", worked as a fundraiser for the Republican presidential campaign of the Texas congressman [Ron Paul](/source/Ron_Paul). However, he grew disillusioned with the prospects for anti-government activism. "Libertarianism has always had a [bank] check it can't cash," he said, "Just because we distrust the government doesn't mean we don't need a governing structure." He then discovered bitcoin and began exploring cryptocurrency.[30]

In May 2024, *Slate* magazine reported that Hoskinson was one of the technology and finance "disrupters" who were backing [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign](/source/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr._2024_presidential_campaign).[31]

Hoskinson announced a new [political action committee](/source/Political_action_committee) called "Wyoming Integrity" in February 2025, followed by a meeting with Wyoming state lawmakers. He intended to challenge the way the state had excluded Cardano from plans for a state [stablecoin](/source/Stablecoin).[32][33]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** @IOHK_Charles (November 5, 2022). ["Today (Nov 5th) is my birthday. I'm 35"](https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1588683836522582016) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))) – via [Twitter](/source/Twitter).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** @IOHK_Charles (March 14, 2025). ["Time for a few days in Maui, my birthplace"](https://x.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1900669420181279065) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))) – via [X (formerly Twitter)](/source/X_(formerly_Twitter)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_3-0)** Duffy, Jim (June 3, 2020). ["Will Cardano shake finance to its foundations? Jim Duffy comment"](https://www.scotsman.com/business/will-cardano-shake-finance-its-foundations-jim-duffy-comment-2872553). *The Scotsman*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200603063548/https://www.scotsman.com/business/will-cardano-shake-finance-its-foundations-jim-duffy-comment-2872553) from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bloomberg_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bloomberg_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Bloomberg_4-2) Russo, Camila (July 18, 2017). ["Ethereum Co-Founder Says Crypto Coin Market Is a Time-Bomb"](https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-18/ethereum-co-founder-says-crypto-coin-market-is-ticking-time-bomb). *Bloomberg*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200612040457/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-18/ethereum-co-founder-says-crypto-coin-market-is-ticking-time-bomb) from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-crisis_5-0)** Hackett, Robert (April 8, 2019). ["Ethereum Cofounder Says Blockchain Presents 'Governance Crisis'"](https://fortune.com/2019/04/08/ethereum-cofounder-governance-charles-hoskinson/). *Fortune*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190409120627/https://fortune.com/2019/04/08/ethereum-cofounder-governance-charles-hoskinson/) from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["IOHK | Leadership - Charles Hoskinson"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180310165358/https://iohk.io/team/charles-hoskinson/). Archived from [the original](https://iohk.io/team/charles-hoskinson/) on March 10, 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Forbes_Story_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Forbes_Story_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Forbes_Story_7-2) Angel Au-Yeung (February 7, 2018). ["A Fight Over Ethereum Led A Cofounder To Even Greater Crypto Wealth"](https://forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2018/02/07/charles-hoskinson-ethereum-iohk-blockchain-crypto-cryptocurrency/). *Forbes Magazine*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180207113952/https://forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2018/02/07/charles-hoskinson-ethereum-iohk-blockchain-crypto-cryptocurrency/) from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2020. IOHK's key project: Cardano, a public blockchain and smart-contract platform which hosts the Ada cryptocurrency.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:1_8-0)** Gustke, Constance (July 3, 2013). ["Does digital currency have staying power?"](https://bbc.com/worklife/article/20130702-should-you-invest-in-bitcoins). *BBC*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201112030641/https://bbc.com/worklife/article/20130702-should-you-invest-in-bitcoins) from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-paumgarten_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-paumgarten_9-1) Paumgarten, Nick (October 15, 2018). ["The Prophets of Cryptocurrency Survey the Boom and Bust"](https://newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/22/the-prophets-of-cryptocurrency-survey-the-boom-and-bust). *The New Yorker*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200109123640/https://newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/22/the-prophets-of-cryptocurrency-survey-the-boom-and-bust) from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Sugiura, Eri (July 2, 2018). ["Startups push blockchain beyond cryptocurrency"](https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cryptocurrencies/Startups-push-blockchain-beyond-cryptocurrency). *Nikkei Asian Review*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200612090024/https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cryptocurrencies/Startups-push-blockchain-beyond-cryptocurrency) from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Livni, Ephrat (December 1, 2021). ["Venture Capital Funding for Crypto Companies Is Surging"](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/business/dealbook/crypto-venture-capital.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211206173132/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/business/dealbook/crypto-venture-capital.html) from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Livni, Ephrat (December 22, 2021). ["Jack Dorsey and venture capitalists clash over the future of cryptocurrency"](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/business/jack-dorsey-bitcoin-web3-vc.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211222164155/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/business/jack-dorsey-bitcoin-web3-vc.html) from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Williams-Grut, Oscar (February 24, 2017). ["The University of Edinburgh is launching a blockchain research lab with one of the cofounders of Ethereum"](https://www.businessinsider.com/iohk-sponsors-blockchain-research-lab-at-the-university-of-edinburgh-tokyo-tech-2017-2). *Business Insider Australia*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200328114704/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/iohk-sponsors-blockchain-research-lab-at-the-university-of-edinburgh-tokyo-tech-2017-2) from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Stanford IOG Research Hub"](https://tselab.stanford.edu/iorh/). *tselab.stanford.edu*. Retrieved April 20, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Hamilton, Eve (February 14, 2020). ["University of Wyoming Receives $500,000 Cryptocurrency Donation"](https://kgab.com/university-of-wyoming-receives-500000-donation-in-cryptocurrency/). *KGAB AM650*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200612051335/https://kgab.com/university-of-wyoming-receives-500000-donation-in-cryptocurrency/) from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Au-Yeung, Angel (February 7, 2018). ["A Fight Over Ethereum Led A Cofounder To Even Greater Crypto Wealth"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2018/02/07/charles-hoskinson-ethereum-iohk-blockchain-crypto-cryptocurrency/). *Forbes*. Retrieved February 12, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Carnegie Mellon Receives $20 Million to Establish Hoskinson Center for Formal Mathematics in Dietrich College"](http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2021/september/hoskinson-center-for-formal-mathematics.html). *Carnegie Mellon University* (Press release). September 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Hronec, Jordyn (September 22, 2021). ["Blockchain entrepreneur gifts $20 million to Carnegie Mellon University to establish mathematics center"](https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2021/09/22/blockchain-entrepreneur-gifts-20-mil-to-cmu.html). *Pittsburgh Business Times*. www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Fletcher, Seth (August 24, 2023). ["How a Harvard Professor Became the World's Leading Alien Hunter"](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/24/magazine/avi-loeb-alien-hunter.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0362-4331](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved August 14, 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NYT-20230724_20-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NYT-20230724_20-1) Miller, Katrina (July 24, 2023). ["Scientist's Deep Dive for Alien Life Leaves His Peers Dubious - Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, says that material recovered from the seafloor could be from an extraterrestrial spacecraft. His peers are skeptical. + comment"](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/24/science/avi-loeb-extraterrestrial-life.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230906032738/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/24/science/avi-loeb-extraterrestrial-life.html#permid=126537672) from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Kloor_21-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Kloor_21-1) Kloor, Keith (August 25, 2023). ["How Wealthy UFO Fans Helped Fuel Fringe Beliefs"](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wealthy-ufo-fans-helped-fuel-fringe-beliefs/). *Scientific American*. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Tenorio, Rich (July 27, 2023). ["Avi Loeb's claims of finding possible alien technology are polarizing scientists"](https://www.timesofisrael.com/avi-loebs-claims-of-finding-possible-alien-technology-are-polarizing-scientists/). *Times of Israel*. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Ferreira, Becky (June 21, 2023). ["Scientists Are Hunting for Alien Objects in the Ocean, And They've Just Found Something"](https://www.vice.com/en/article/scientists-are-hunting-for-alien-objects-in-the-ocean-and-theyve-just-found-something/). *Vice*. Retrieved August 29, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Why a Harvard professor thinks he may have found fragments of an alien spacecraft"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/avi-loeb-interstellar-object-aliens-b2369534.html). *The Independent*. July 5, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["No, Those Weird Spherules Weren't Alien Tech"](https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a45839996/those-spherules-were-not-alien-tech/). *Popular Mechanics*. November 14, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["New Wheatland resident comes bearing gifts"](https://pcrecordtimes.com/article/new-wheatland-resident-comes-bearing-gifts). *PC Record Times*. Retrieved July 29, 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-eagle1_27-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-eagle1_27-1) Eagle, Noah Zahn Wyoming Tribune (February 1, 2025). ["Wyoming crypto billionaire to get involved in politics, announcing new PAC"](https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/state/wyoming-crypto-billionaire-to-get-involved-in-politics-announcing-new-pac/article_4ad1951b-37eb-5c43-ae44-affeb1a7bddd.html). *Wyoming News Now*. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** ["A new clinic in Gillette is seeking to change the healthcare scene in Campbell County and beyond"](https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/health/2022-09-29/a-new-clinic-in-gillette-is-seeking-to-change-the-healthcare-scene-in-campbell-county-and-beyond). *Wyoming Public Media*. September 29, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** ["Climate Concern Outs Crypto Founder for Modest Bizjet Usage | Aero-News Network"](https://www.aero-news.net/ANNTicker.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=fa32d82a-4670-4293-8385-df2f538bfb34). *www.aero-news.net*. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** Schreckinger, Ben (May 4, 2022). ["Ron Paul's Revenge"](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/04/05/ron-paul-crypto-00022354). *Politico*. Retrieved May 30, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** Pahwa, Nitish (May 15, 2024). ["RFK Jr.'s Long-Shot Bid Is Shockingly Alive. Thank His Brain Worm Coalition"](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/05/robert-kennedy-jr-brain-worm-ackman-musk-dorsey.html). *Slate*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1091-2339](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1091-2339). Retrieved May 30, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** ["Wyoming Could Still Meet Deadline To Issue Digital Stable Token By End Of Year"](https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/10/24/wyoming-could-still-meet-deadline-to-issue-digital-stable-token-by-end-of-year/). *Cowboy State Daily*. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** Eagle, Noah Zahn Wyoming Tribune (February 1, 2025). ["Wyoming crypto billionaire to get involved in politics, announcing new PAC"](https://www.easternprogress.com/wyoming-crypto-billionaire-to-get-involved-in-politics-announcing-new-pac/article_dccc0f30-fbae-545a-aea2-a49a8d1d704b.html). *Eastern Progress*. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

## External links

- [Input Output Global](https://iog.io/)

- [Hoskinson Center for Formal Mathematics](https://www.cmu.edu/hoskinson/)

- [IOHK page](https://iohk.io/en/team/charles-hoskinson)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Charles Hoskinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Hoskinson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Hoskinson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.