Rushi Manche

Rushi Manche co-founded a blockchain technology company that introduced the first modular blockchain network focused on combining performance, liquidity, and composability. In his early twenties, he and his partner decided to leave their internships and drop out of Vanderbilt University to commit fully to this venture. Their early efforts yielded $3.4 million in pre-seed funding from over 25 angel investors, enabling them to scale their team to more than 70 members and initiate the development of a secure and flexible blockchain infrastructure.

In 2023, just one year after launching the company, they closed a $38 million Series A funding round. This funding was backed by prominent venture capital firms, including Hack VC, Placeholder, Archetype, Maven 11, Robot Ventures, Figment Capital, Nomad Capital, Bankless Ventures, OKX Ventures, dao5, and Aptos Labs. His leadership was instrumental in advancing the technical vision and developing a blockchain ecosystem focused on interoperability, speed, and developer accessibility.

Rushi Manche envisioned a blockchain platform that addressed long-standing issues, including fragmentation and security vulnerabilities. His work focused on enabling developers to build applications that could communicate across different blockchains while providing users with a safer and more efficient experience. He viewed blockchain programming as a powerful, modern solution to many challenges present in legacy systems.

The modular design of the platform allowed blockchain functions to be separated into distinct layers, each responsible for a specific task. This structure enhanced scalability, flexibility, and ease of maintenance. A programming language developed by a major tech company was utilized to create an Ethereum layer-2 network, which provided enhanced transaction speed and improved system security. A native cryptocurrency token was also launched to support the platform’s expanding ecosystem.

Before founding the company, he worked as a Software Engineer at Aptos Project, where he contributed to the development of decentralized exchanges and cross-chain financial tools. He also founded Ensemble, an AI-based test preparation platform that partnered with 53 high schools to offer free academic resources to students nationwide.

He gained additional technical experience at UnitedHealth Group, where he migrated APIs to AWS cloud infrastructure, achieving an 84% cost reduction. He also transitioned the system’s tech stack to improve scalability and performance. As a freelance Full Stack Developer, he modernized a cloud platform’s architecture using current frameworks and AWS services.

He earned a Seal of Biliteracy in French and completed numerous certifications through Udemy in blockchain development, machine learning, web technologies, and data science.

His academic and professional accomplishments have been recognized through various honors. In 2021, he was awarded the Ingram Scholarship at Vanderbilt University for his academic achievement and commitment to service. He also received the Burger King McLamore Scholarship and was named a semifinalist for the Elks National Foundation and Coca-Cola Scholarships.

Additional honors include winning the New Jersey State Stock Pitch Competition and receiving the Certified Young Investment Analyst designation through the Young Investors Society. He was a top three percent finisher in the Diamond Challenge Entrepreneurship Competition for presenting an app that reduces food waste. In 2020, he was awarded the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award for his public service.

He and his family have been contributing to healthcare-related charitable efforts in India for over a decade. During high school, he regularly volunteered with UNICEF, the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program, and other community-focused organizations.

Born in Springfield, Illinois, Rushi Manche enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and spending time in nature.