Rushi Manche co-founded a blockchain technology company that introduced the first modular blockchain network designed to merge high performance with liquidity and composability. In his early twenties, he and his partner chose to leave their internships and withdraw from Vanderbilt University to pursue this vision full-time. Their early commitment led to securing $3.4 million in pre-seed funding from over 25 angel investors, which enabled them to form a team of more than 70 people and begin building an infrastructure focused on scalability and security.

In 2023, just one year after its formation, the company successfully closed a $38 million Series A funding round. This funding was supported by significant 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 played a vital role in laying the technical foundation and ensuring the system could support broad developer adoption and cross-chain integration.

Rushi Manche focused on addressing key challenges in blockchain, including interoperability, safety, and developer experience. He believed blockchain programming provided a more secure and efficient solution than outdated systems, especially for handling digital assets and building decentralized applications. His platform enabled developers to create tools that operated seamlessly across various blockchain networks.

The company’s modular architecture divided the blockchain system into distinct layers, with each layer responsible for a specific function. This design made the network easier to scale, manage, and adapt. A programming language developed by a major tech company was utilized to create an Ethereum layer-2 network, enhancing transaction speed and improving system security. To support the ecosystem, a token was also launched within the network.

Before co-founding the company, he worked as a Software Engineer at Aptos Project, contributing to the innovative development of smart contracts for decentralized exchanges and cross-chain index fund platforms. He also founded Ensemble, an AI-powered test prep service that partnered with 53 high schools to provide free academic support to students nationwide.

His experience also includes a role at UnitedHealth Group, where he successfully migrated seven APIs to AWS infrastructure, resulting in an 84% reduction in costs. He also upgraded backend systems for better scalability. As a freelance Full-Stack Developer, he revamped a digital platform by modernizing both the frontend and backend systems and integrating AWS tools and services.

He holds a Seal of Biliteracy in French and has completed multiple online certifications through Udemy in blockchain development, machine learning, data science, and full-stack web development.

His accomplishments have earned him several recognitions. In 2021, he received the Ingram Scholarship at Vanderbilt University for academic achievement and commitment to service. He was also awarded the Burger King McLamore Scholarship and was a semifinalist for both the Elks National Foundation and Coca-Cola Scholarships. He earned the National AP Scholar distinction for his strong performance on AP exams.

He was honored by the Young Investors Society with the Certified Young Investment Analyst designation and won the New Jersey State Stock Pitch Competition. He also finished in the top three percent of the Diamond Challenge Entrepreneurship Competition, where he presented an app focused on reducing food waste. In 2020, he received the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award for public service, and he was selected as a finalist in the Seton Hall Pirates Pitch Business Plan Competition for his project addressing educational inequality.

Alongside his academic and professional path, he and his family have supported charitable healthcare initiatives in India for over a decade. During high school, he regularly volunteered with organizations such as UNICEF and the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program.

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

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