Blockchain technology is finally crossing the threshold from speculative promise to practical implementation, and Will Martino is at the forefront of this transformation. As President and Co-Founder of Kadena, Will brings unique credentials to the blockchain space—having built JP Morgan’s first blockchain payment system before leaving to solve the fundamental limitations preventing enterprise-grade adoption.
The blockchain industry has struggled with a persistent trilemma: how to achieve security, decentralization, and scalability simultaneously. Kadena‘s breakthrough comes through its innovative ChainWeb architecture, which horizontally scales proof-of-work consensus without corresponding increases in energy consumption. “Right now we have 20 chains that are all in a single network, braided together using proof of work,” Will explains. “When we go from 20 to 40, we actually increase our efficiency by 2x for basically no cost.”
This technical achievement arrives at a pivotal moment. Financial institutions that once insisted on private blockchains are now actively exploring public blockchain integration following BlackRock’s successful SEC-approved protocol launch. This shift has created unprecedented opportunity for proof-of-work blockchains like Kadena that offer stronger security guarantees than proof-of-stake alternatives.
Beyond the technical architecture, Will’s team is addressing critical user experience challenges through SpireKey—a decentralized authentication system inspired by Sweden’s Bank ID that transforms smartphones into hardware wallets. Having lived through the early, sometimes painful days of blockchain development (including lost wallet keys worth thousands), Will is committed to making the technology accessible to everyone.
Check out kadena.io to explore how this next-generation blockchain is building the infrastructure for crypto’s inevitable mainstream adoption.
