Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation
Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano FoundationFew blockchain projects have maintained the consistent focus on scientific rigor, sustainability, and real-world utility that characterizes Cardano. With over 5.2 million wallets and a robust ecosystem comprising hundreds of decentralized applications, Cardano is a leading proof-of-stake blockchain – ranked 9th globally by market cap at $29.7 billion as of May 2025.
At the helm of the Cardano Foundation, the Swiss-based non-profit that oversees the development of the Cardano protocol, stands Frederik Gregaard, whose background includes leadership roles in traditional finance at PwC and Saxo Bank Switzerland.
As Cardano progresses through its ambitious roadmap (from Byron to Voltaire) the blockchain has evolved from a theoretical concept to a fully decentralized ecosystem supporting smart contracts, decentralized applications, and now, community governance.
Since its launch in 2017, the Cardano Foundation has facilitated partnerships across numerous countries and engaged with various governments and regulatory bodies. Through Project Catalyst, over 1,100 proposals have been funded, with more than $20 million allocated to community-driven initiatives.
In this exclusive interview, Frederik shares insights on Cardano’s journey, its vision for becoming foundational infrastructure for global industries, and how partnerships with entities like SERPRO are bringing blockchain solutions to real-world challenges.
Adaverse: Your path to blockchain leadership is fascinating. Can you share a bit about your journey to becoming CEO of the Cardano Foundation and what initially drew you to the blockchain space?
Frederik: My journey to the Cardano Foundation began with my background in traditional finance at PwC and Saxo Bank Switzerland. When I first encountered blockchain technology, I was immediately struck by its potential to transform trust in digital systems. What started as curiosity evolved into the conviction that blockchain could create more inclusive, accountable systems. This led me to the Cardano Foundation, where I saw an opportunity to help build a platform that serves as public infrastructure rather than just private applications. We work to celebrate, encourage, and assist the Cardano ecosystem – my goal is to onboard the next billion users to blockchain.
Adaverse: Cardano has achieved remarkable technical milestones across its roadmap phases, from Byron to Voltaire. Looking ahead, how do you see Cardano’s mission evolving, particularly in driving mainstream adoption and creating a more inclusive digital future?
Frederik: Cardano’s mission is evolving from building technical infrastructure to driving real-world adoption at scale. Over the next few years, we’re focusing on operational resilience, education, and regulatory engagement to de-risk decentralization while equipping the community with tools to leverage the protocol effectively.
Cardano Foundation’s partnerships with organizations like SERPRO, Petrobras, and Masumi demonstrate our commitment to driving Cardano as the enterprise-grade infrastructure for scalable, sustainable solutions. As a not-for-profit, we prioritize long-term resilience without the pressures of short-term financial goals, creating a true public digital utility that empowers future digital architects.
Adaverse: Recent achievements like the Plomin and Chang Hard Forks introduced decentralized governance, while partnerships with SERPRO and FC Barcelona demonstrate Cardano’s real-world applications. How do these align with your vision of becoming foundational infrastructure for global industries, and what future milestones are you targeting?
Frederik: Our shift to decentralized governance marks a critical step toward becoming foundational infrastructure for global industries. Our strategic partnerships demonstrate our commitment to real-world adoption: with SERPRO advancing blockchain in Brazil’s public sector and Masumi developing a decentralized AI agent network. These achievements are significant, but we’re just getting started.
Our recently launched Veridian identity solutions exemplify our progress in creating tools to manage credentials, private keys, and identifiers. With an alarming 1.7 billion records compromised in the US last year alone, digital identity security has never been more critical. Veridian, our open-source platform, and the Veridian Wallet app offer a strong alternative to inadequate solutions that lead to breaches. With a decentralized approach, users can securely manage their private keys, identifiers, and credentials.
Adaverse: Community involvement is central to Cardano’s ethos. How does your governance model support genuine community-driven decision-making, and what mechanisms ensure that stakeholders actively participate in shaping the platform’s future?
Frederik: Cardano’s governance model is designed to be truly representative. Every ada holder can contribute to the ecosystem’s governance. Checks and balances are also built into this new era of governance. Cardano’s governance has a tricameral system, to include delegate representatives (DReps), stake pool operators (SPOs), and a constitutional committee. This structure ensures that governance actions reflect the collective will of key community stakeholders, are consistent with the Cardano constitution, and protect the mainnet’s integrity. The model creates a system that adapts to new challenges while remaining true to our principles of transparency, accountability, and openness.
Adaverse: How do collaborations with government entities contribute to Cardano’s adoption strategy, and what lessons have been learned from these partnerships?
Frederik: The Cardano Foundation and SERPRO, Brazil’s largest state-owned IT company, have formed a partnership to advance blockchain adoption and digital transformation in Brazil’s public sector, with a focus on technological innovation, infrastructure development, and blockchain education for SERPRO’s 8,000 employees.
Government partnerships such as this highlight how blockchain enhances trust in public institutions through increased transparency, reinforcing our belief that adoption will accelerate through trusted intermediaries before reaching individual end-users at scale.
