Uri Kolodny Steps Away from StarkWare CEO Position for Personal Reasons

DeFiGrayling · 2026-02-26T07:12:57+00:00

Uri Kolodny steps down as StarkWare's CEO to focus on family health, transitioning to the board. Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and inventor of STARK technology, takes over, continuing the company's growth in Ethereum scaling solutions.

DeFiGrayling

2026-02-26 07:12:57

Abstract generation in progress

Uri Kolodny, who has led StarkWare through its expansion as a major Ethereum scaling and privacy solution provider, is departing his role as CEO to address family health priorities. The company announced that Eli Ben-Sasson, StarkWare’s president and co-founder, will assume the CEO position while Kolodny transitions to the board of directors.

Eli Ben-Sasson Takes the Helm of StarkWare

Eli Ben-Sasson, who co-invented the STARK cryptographic breakthrough that underlies the company’s core technology, will lead StarkWare moving forward. Since their collaboration began in 2008, the two founders transformed academic cryptography into practical blockchain infrastructure. With Ben-Sasson now at the top, the company continues to expand its technical team, which now exceeds 150 experienced developers and researchers working on layer 2 scaling solutions.

Building on a Powerful Foundation

Under Uri Kolodny’s tenure, StarkWare achieved an $8 billion valuation and constructed a comprehensive STARK-based technology stack that powers an expanding ecosystem of blockchain applications. Kolodny remarked on his departure, emphasizing his belief in the project’s direction: he remains deeply committed to STARK technology and its potential, but family circumstances necessitated this leadership transition. He expressed confidence that the company and its technological innovations have reached levels of sophistication that exceed his initial expectations.

The Role of Starknet Foundation

Beyond his CEO position, Kolodny will maintain his seat on StarkWare’s board, where he serves alongside Ben-Sasson, Harish Devarajan, and Matt Huang. He will also continue representing the company on the Starknet Foundation board. The Foundation serves as the not-for-profit organization driving Starknet’s mission: establishing a decentralized, permissionless Ethereum Layer 2 network based on validity rollup technology. As the scaling landscape becomes increasingly competitive, strong governance and technical vision remain critical for projects like StarkWare to maintain their edge in the market.

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