4. Laurynas Jokubaitis
25, co-founder, Monetha
With co-founder Justas Pikelis, Laurynas Jokubaitis developed Monetha, a startup in the global payments market looking to compete directly against major established payment services such as Paypal. The visionary team aims to revolutionize global commerce with a simple, trust-based payment solution that allows consumers to buy products from any country in the world, using any Ethereum-based cryptocurrency. Jokubaitis sees speed and ease as Monetha’s advantages – the service uses the Ethereum blockchain to process transactions up to 1,000 times faster than traditional alternatives, with low fixed fees of 1.5%. The platform converts the buyer’s cryptocurrency of choice into a fiat currency, with a QR code designed to be scanned by crypto-wallets ready for transactions. By contrast, traditional online payment systems involve as many as 16 steps within a single transaction, often carrying large fees.
Monetha’s unique proposition has so far proved to be – well internet gold. An Initial Coin Offering (or ICO) designed to raise financing for a crypto venture rounded up USD 37m in just 18 minutes, signaling strong confidence in the enterprise. Forbes Magazine listed the duo in the finance category of its 2018 “30 under 30” in Europe, a compilation of young movers and shakers shaping global markets in 2018.