Latest news with #KevinLi
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
CIBC making senior executive changes ahead of CEO change in November
The new CIBC logo displayed the lobby of its headquarters in Toronto on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler TORONTO — CIBC is making changes to its senior executive ranks ahead of Harry Culham's move into the role of president and chief executive later this year. The bank says Christian Exshaw will be appointed senior executive vice-president and group head, capital markets, while Kevin Li will be appointed senior executive vice-president and group head, U.S. region, as well as president and CEO, CIBC Bank USA. CIBC also says Christina Kramer will be appointed senior executive vice--president and chief administrative officer. Hratch Panossian, senior executive vice-president and group head, personal and business banking, will add contact centres and client marketing to his mandate, while Susan Rimmer, senior executive vice-president and group head, commercial banking and wealth management, will add oversight of CIBC Caribbean. Amy South will be appointed executive vice-president, office of the CEO and chief of staff, and Stephen Scholtz will be appointed global chief legal officer. Culham, who had led CIBC's capital markets business, was appointed chief operating officer earlier this year ahead of his move to the CEO suite on Nov. 1 to succeed Victor Dodig in the top job. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
HackQuest Secures $4.1 Million in Funding Led by Animoca Brands and Open Campus to Tackle Web3's Critical Developer Shortage
HackQuest has raised $4.1 million in Pre-A funding, led by Animoca Brands and Open Campus, to expand its developer platform. The platform, which tackles Web3's talent gap through education, on-chain credentials, and ecosystem support, has already onboarded 90,000 developers across 30+ countries. Singapore, August 9, 2025 -- HackQuest, a pioneering one-stop developer ecosystem for Web3, today announced the successful closure of a $4.1 million Pre-A funding round. The round was led by esteemed industry leaders Animoca Brands and Open Campus, with participation from a consortium of other strategic investors, including Gate Ventures, HashKey Capital, Hash Global, Find Satoshi Labs(StepN), Outlier Ventures, Bytetrade Labs, and angels like Scott Moore of Public Goods, and YY of Signum Capital, among others. This round of fundraising will be used to scale HackQuest's platform, which is designed to solve one of the most pressing challenges in the blockchain industry: the immense gap between the supply of skilled developers and the burgeoning demand from Web3 ecosystems. The company aims to build the foundational infrastructure necessary to onboard, educate, and retain the next generation of blockchain talent, moving beyond flawed, short-term incentive models. Photo Courtesy of HackQuest The disparity in developer talent between the established Web2 world and the emerging Web3 space is staggering. While an estimated 28.7 million developers build for the traditional web, the number of full-time developers in Web3 hovers at just 7,673, according to the Electric Capital 2024 Developer Report. This 4,000-fold gap presents a significant bottleneck to innovation and value creation within the decentralized economy. For years, blockchain networks have attempted to address this by pouring millions into grant programs, yet these efforts have yielded limited long-term success. Many developers participate for the duration of the funding and then depart, failing to create the "stickiness" required for a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem. HackQuest was founded to address this systemic issue by creating a clear, comprehensive, and sustainable pathway for developers to enter and thrive in Web3. Kevin Li, CEO of HackQuest, elaborated on the core issue, stating, 'We know that developers are the leading indicator of value creation. If you look at Web 2, ecosystems thrive because developers stay and build. In Web3, we see the opposite—blockchain networks pour money into incentives, but they struggle to retain developers.' Cameron Wang, co-founder of HackQuest, added, 'Meanwhile, developers who want to break into Web3 often hit dead ends because there's no clear hiring pipeline. Web3 doesn't have an interesting problem; it has an onboarding problem.' HackQuest's solution is an integrated platform that connects every stage of a developer's journey. The process begins with structured educational courses co-authored directly with leading blockchain networks such as Mantle, Solana, Arbitrum, Linea, and BNB Chain. This ensures the curriculum is practical, relevant, and aligned with real-world industry needs. From there, developers can immediately apply their knowledge by participating in hackathons, workshops, and in-person community events. A key innovation of the platform is its on-chain credentialing system. Every milestone a developer achieves, from completing a course to building a project or competing in an event, is recorded on-chain as a verifiable credential. This creates a transparent and immutable portfolio that serves as definitive proof of a developer's experience and capabilities. 'This bridges the gap between talent and opportunity,' said Harry Zhang, co-founder of HackQuest. 'If you're a blockchain ecosystem, a startup, or an investor, you no longer have to guess whether a developer is qualified—you can see their verified journey. We're building an entire journey for Web3 developers and founders.' For those aspiring to launch their own ventures, the platform also provides direct access to startup funding, accelerator programs, and ecosystem grants, creating a complete pathway from learning to building and scaling. Since its launch in 2024, HackQuest has demonstrated remarkable traction and market validation. The company has already generated $2 million in revenue, onboarded over 90,000 developers, and sustained an impressive 30% month-over-month growth rate. It has successfully hosted 219 in-person events and 112 hackathons, distributing over $1,450,000 in prizes to participants. The platform's global reach is expanding rapidly, with a presence in more than 30 countries and strong communities in India, the United States, Greater China, Nigeria, and Singapore. Further expansion is underway in key emerging markets, including Indonesia, Turkey, Kenya, Brazil, Argentina, and Vietnam, through strategic local partnerships. HackQuest is a one-stop, self-guided developer education platform. HackQuest offers expert-curated learning paths with on-chain certificates co-issued by leading Web3 ecosystems including Solana, Mantle Network, and Arbitrum. Community builders are supported beyond through co-learning camps, meet-ups, hackathons, and launchpad services. For more information, please visit Disclaimer: This press release is for informational purposes only. Information verification has been done to the best of our ability. 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