Leadership Team

Founders

Cloris Chen - CEO, Co-Founder

Cloris Chen is the CEO of Cogito Finance, a DeFi platform offering institutional-grade investment products by tokenising fixed-income assets and equities. Cloris combines a banking background with hands-on DeFi experience. She spent 6 years at HSBC and served as treasury director for a unicorn startup. This diverse experience of the CEO helps Cogito to address challenges in DeFi, such as unsustainable yield farming, credit risk, and regulatory uncertainty through tokenisation. As a SingularityNET partner, Cogito harnesses Ben Goertzel's AI expertise for the company’s processes, including portfolio management.

Mario Casiraghi - Co-Founder Mario is an Executive of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI), CFO at SingularityNET, CFO and Co-Founder of SingularityDAO. Mario spearheaded growth of the SingularityNET ecosystem since 2020 by leading the efforts across spin offs as well as at a SingularityNET level, more recently by leading Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI) merger related activities. Mario also led the SingularityDAO product and quants strategy since the inception in 2021. He helped raise $100M+ for blockchain based companies. Formerly covered positions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and RBS. He also completed 50+ Debt Capital Markets transactions for c. $80bn in total financing.

Ben Goertzel - Co-Founder, Chief AI Advisor

Dr. Ben Goertzel is the founder and CEO of SingularityNET, a decentralised artificial intelligence marketplace that allows for the creation, distribution, and monetisation of AI services. He has written numerous scholarly papers and books on artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and philosophy. He has been involved in the platform’s development since its beginning, and he was instrumental in the design and execution of its AI algorithms. Dr. Goertzel is also the co-founder and Chief Scientist Officer of Cogito. His knowledge of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology has been instrumental in the creation of Cogito, and he remains actively involved in the company’s ongoing research and development efforts.

Leadership Team

Raam Baranidharan - CTO

Raam is a technology executive with over 20 years of global experience. He has held leadership posts in several startups and has been part of the SingularityNet ecosystem as well, leading the development of the marketplace. He is a firm believer in continuous learning, recognising its paramount importance in the era of AI. As a passion project he has authored a book series that simplifies technology for children, published by HarperCollins.

Shailendra Sason - CPO Shailendra has over 15 years of experience in startups and the fintech sector, including extensive work in regulated markets within fintech and banking. He previously served as the Crypto Lead at Revolut before co-founding Solvo, a crypto startup. An MBA graduate from the University of Oxford and recognised as an Exceptional Talent in the UK, he holds a patent and co-authored the World Economic Forum's "Future of FinTech" report.

Thomas van der Linde - CMO

Thomas has a distinguished 20-year career in launching and developing award-winning blue-chip technology brands. He excels in high-growth marketing communications and recently led the launch of the world’s first digital assets Index and VC funds. His portfolio includes products for Vodafone and LG Electronics. Thomas holds an Honours degree in Social Sciences, Cum Laude, and has received global PR and advertising awards. He also has a Merit award in Advertising, Blockchain, and analytics.

Kenneth Ng - Head of Business Development

Kenneth is currently the Head of Business Development at Cogito Finance. Prior to Cogito, Kenneth led partnership teams for reputable projects such as Crypto.com and The Open Network (TON) since 2018 where he grew interest in the world of Web3.0

Kenneth’s also has a background in SMB payment sales, which he obtained from working for Payoneer, a Nasdaq-listed FS company.

Edward Racz - Technical Product Manager

Edward is a seasoned Product and Technical Project Manager with over a decade of experience in the tech industry, specializing in Web3, AI, and Web2 applications. Currently serving as the Product Manager at SelfKey, he leads the development of decentralised, privacy-preserving KYC solutions in the digital identity space.

Advisors

Janet Adams - SingularityNET COO

Her leadership role at SingularityNET encompasses a broad range of responsibilities, including technology, operations, marketing, investment, accounting, payments, strategic partnerships, business development, and decentralisation.She is a passionate advocate for AI and blockchain initiatives with vast experience in multiple vertical markets, including robotics, biotech, gaming and metaverse, media, DeFi, music, and arts.Janet is also a co-founder of Cogito Protocol. With her expertise extending beyond the finance industry, Janet excels at strategy and planning, bringing interdisciplinary expertise in AI to the table. Her unique set of skills and experience allow Cogito to tap into entirely new dimensions of problem-solving and planning.

Jon Grove - Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI) Head of Communication Jon Grove has a diverse background, blending his passion for science and technology. He spent a decade in China, earning a Bachelor's in Chinese Language from Zhejiang Gongshang University and teaching there for ten years. His career began in electrical engineering, specializing in bespoke security hardware. Since 2021, Jon has been instrumental in building communications for the Artificial Intelligence Alliance (Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI)) and managing communications for SingularityNet, Sophiaverse, and SingularityDAO, helping to grow their brands in the DeFi and AI sectors.

Amaury Dalleur - SingularityDAO Head of Incubation

Leads Funding Rounds and Manages KOLs & Partnerships. Co-created and developed the largest French speaking web3 community in 2021 (bought by Binance). University blockchain teacher & advisor to 1B$+ valuation company.