Alex sits down with Denelle Dixon, the CEO of Stellar Development Foundation, to discuss her career journey, the mission of Stellar, and the future of blockchain technology. Denelle shares how she got her start as a trial lawyer and how that led her to leadership roles at Yahoo and Mozilla. She also explains how her career journey informed her approach to driving innovation and fostering financial inclusion through the Stellar Development Foundation. Alex and Denelle explore Stellar’s role in building the internet for payments, the importance of partnerships like MoneyGram and UNHCR, and the potential of tokenized assets. Denelle also reflects on engaging with policymakers, the impact of the Meridian conference, and her predictions for the blockchain industry in 2025.
Denelle Dixon is the CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting changemakers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. She leads the teams that help maintain the Stellar network's codebase, support the communities around Stellar, and advocate on behalf of the network with international stakeholders — work that makes SDF's mission of promoting financial access possible. Before joining Stellar, Dixon served as COO of Mozilla, one of the most successful mission-driven open-source organizations. A lawyer by trade, Denelle previously served as a general counsel and legal advisor in private equity and technology. Throughout her career, Denelle has been a vocal advocate for net neutrality, encryption, the disclosure of vulnerabilities by governments, and greater user choice and control. She was named to the Forbes 50 over 50 list in 2023.
Episode Overview
- Denelle's journey from trial lawyer to leadership roles at Yahoo, private equity, Mozilla, and now Stellar Development Foundation
- Insights into her transition to the blockchain space and her mission to build equitable access to the global financial system through Stellar
- Lessons learned from working in global markets like China and Europe and their impact on her approach to local development and partnerships
- Stellar’s mission to create an internet for payments and the strategic steps needed to achieve global financial inclusion
- The importance of partnerships, including highlights of collaborations with MoneyGram and UNHCR, and their role in Stellar’s ecosystem
- A look at the partnership with Idris Elba and how it aligns with Stellar’s mission to foster financial inclusion globally
- Reflections on Stellar’s 10th anniversary and the impact of the Meridian event on community engagement, developer growth, and showcasing innovations
- Key metrics such as developer engagement, transaction volume, and TVL on Soroban as indicators of Stellar’s growth and success
- Experiences in engaging with policymakers and regulators, including testifying before Congress and advocating for blockchain technology
- Denelle's High Stakes Hot Take for 2025
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