Meet our new hire — Jan Zibelnik, Product Manager
#18 — This is the sixteenth post in our “Meet our new hire” series, where we introduce you to the latest additions to our team here at BlockWallet.
We’d like to welcome our latest team member, Jan Zibelnik! Jan is a talented Product Manager with previous experience in the wallet space. In his last position, he developed a product team from the ground up, and now, he’s bringing his advanced skillset to BlockWallet.
What’s your job position?
I’m the Product Manager here at BlockWallet. That means I’m responsible for identifying customer needs and business objectives. In addition to that, I also need to figure out what products and features will help us fulfill those needs and objectives of our users, and articulate them for everyone in the company to understand.
My day-to-day includes competitor research, user interviews, formulating requirements, and aligning business and development efforts.
How long have you worked as a product manager?
I started working in product in 2018 at my previous company, GateHub. I transitioned from wallet support into product management and we basically had to set up the new department from scratch. After we got the ball rolling, we managed to deliver some neat products to the market. This included a decentralized trading app and an on-chain crypto insurance solution, which from what I know, is the first of its kind and has not been replicated yet.
Which projects have you worked on before?
I previously worked at GateHub, which is an XRPL gateway and wallet. We offered users a custodial wallet with some unique features like web monetization and a non-custodial XRPL wallet for all kinds of on-chain interactions. In parallel, I was also a judge in the XRPL Grants program, where developers can receive grants for building solutions that leverage the XRPL blcokchain.
When did you first get involved in crypto?
I first heard about crypto in 2016. I created my first account and bought my first crypto in September or October that same year. It was a very calm time for about a year, so I had time to learn and realize what it could hold for our future. I’m really glad I’m able to say that I survived some highs and lows during this period.
In late 2017, I switched from my previous career as a football coach to a full-time job in crypto.
What made you interested in BlockWallet?
I learned of BlockWallet when I received a call from Felipe, the Cheif Vibe Officer here at BlockWallet. I was on the lookout for a new challenge after 4+ years at GateHub, and was keen to switch companies to start learning new stuff — joining BlockWallet and transitioning to an EVM + self-custodial wallet was very intriguing to me. On top of that, when I learned about how BlockWallet wanted to position itself in the market, I was convinced.
I’m sure that in the long run, products that care about their users will prosper. A lot of the time it’s harder to be ethical and caring, especially if the competition is not, but my personal and professional tendency is to think about the user first, making this relationship a natural match.
Why do you think privacy matters on blockchains?
Because even if you have nothing to hide, you never know who is looking.
That’s the short answer. The long one though, is a bit more complicated.
The internet does not have a built-in monetization system. The result of this oversight at the very beginning is ads and data mining which online businesses need to do in order to stay afloat. In the years of Web2, data mining has become so sophisticated and widespread that only the most skilled users are able to remain fully anonymous. Most of us are just leaving bits and pieces of our info and behavior scattered all over the internet. The result is, that with a bit of effort, your sensitive info can be tracked and exploited, even if you take great care — but who really has time to think about that?
This is why privacy is so critical to help break our digital footprint. Our phone and laptop, our browser, our wallet, our paid services…they should work for us, not the other way around. They should help use preserve our privacy.
Do you have any predictions on where crypto will be 5 years from now?
5 years ago, we had ICOs and CryptoKitties. We had our share of scams, but I feel it was a more innocent place back then.
In 5 years, we’ll probably see an evolution of everything we know now. DAOs are probably going to become more sophisticated, trustworthy, and effective. NFTs are going to break into the mainstream, but they will evolve into more than overpriced JPEGs. Think tickets to events, proofs of ownership, proofs of participation — stuff we already know, but better. Regulations are going to come into force and evolve too, which should make the space somewhat safer and more reliable.
We are going to have new players that will want to disrupt traditional CEXes where Celsius and FTX failed. So I expect to see new (decentralized and centralized) players in stocks, futures, derivatives, indices etc.
Finally, we can probably expect the next bull run to be fuelled by some hot new tech (gaming, metaverse, something else?), more shills, more FOMO, and more everything.
My approach: stay level-headed, and stay safe ;)
Parting thoughts
I’m thrilled to be a part of BlockWallet. I’ve met the team and already settled in nicely. I love the work we are doing, and I’m loving all the feedback from the community. I’m excited about the stuff we have brewing in the background and can’t wait to share it with everyone.
About BlockWallet
Welcome to Web3’s smoothest self-custodial wallet, where you can swap and bridge crypto right on the spot. Use BlockWallet with all your favorite blockchain apps and feel what it’s like to use a product built with users in mind. Private, secure, and stupidly easy to use.
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