Everything You Need to Know About the Team Behind Milei’s Libra Meme Coin – Decrypt

Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, is underneath intense scrutiny this week after selling the controversial Solana-based meme coin LIBRA by way of social media on Friday.

Mere hours later, Milei eliminated his posts from his official X account, claiming he had little to no information in regards to the token—stating as a substitute that he thought it was an organization trying to finance non-public ventures.

Whereas the token has crashed and a lawsuit has been filed, these trying to shirk the blame and level the finger elsewhere are scrambling to deflect accountability.

Because the mud settles, 4 people have surfaced as key figures which can be allegedly behind the launch: Julian Peh, Hayden Davis, Mauricio Novelli, and Manuel Godoy. However who’re they?

Julian Peh, KIP Protocol

KIP Protocol as a company will get many of the blame from Milei. Julian Peh co-founded the corporate and is at the moment performing because the CEO.

Peh studied legislation on the Nationwide College of Singapore, between 2000 and 2004, in response to his LinkedIn, founding two firms within the course of.

Submit-graduation, he labored as a lawyer on the agency Allen & Overy Shook Lin & Bok for 2 years earlier than becoming a member of the Citibank Ultima Card as a marketing consultant for 5 years.

He then went on to discovered an Asian luxurious journal and a set of luxurious retail cellular apps. Throughout this era, he grew to become the proprietor of a luxurious funding firm, a job he nonetheless holds.

In April 2023, he based KIP Protocol, which manufacturers itself as a “technical AI options firm targeted on deploying AI infrastructure.” In February, KIP Protocol closed a strategic funding spherical led by Animoca Ventures, one of many largest traders in crypto tasks and the enterprise funding arm of Web3 recreation writer Animoca Manufacturers.

In an interview with “The GM Present,” Peh defined that he bought into crypto in 2016 after he bought his luxurious cellular app firm. He says he purchased his first Bitcoin by way of LocalBitcoins earlier than getting pulled in by the Ethereum preliminary coin providing or ICO increase. He then dove into the world of NFTs, claiming to nonetheless personal some CryptoKitties as of June 2024.

It seems that Peh met with President Milei in April on the Tech Discussion board Argentina, a convention the place each have been set to talk and KIP Protocol was an official sponsor. The pair and different attendees like Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson have been pictured on the convention.

Then, in October, Peh met with Milei to debate how AI might assist Argentina—with the pair posing for an additional photograph, in response to a KIP Protocol weblog put up.

These encounters led to KIP Protocol being invited to hitch the Blockchain Committee of the Buenos Aires Metropolis Authorities, which the corporate accepted.

In December 2024, KIP Protocol launched its KIP token on Ethereum, launching at a $32 million market cap. Nevertheless, it has since fallen to $8.43 million, in response to CoinMarketCap, though these figures are primarily based on self-reported figures of the circulating token provide.

Hours after the launch of LIBRA on Friday, KIP Protocol mentioned the token would “assist non-public enterprises,” calling it successful. This X put up said that it’s a “non-public enterprise mission,” and that President Milei was not concerned in improvement.

Peh maintains that neither he nor KIP Protocol have been concerned within the token launch, affirming that Davis’ firm, Kelsier, holds all funds. Peh didn’t reply to Decrypt’s request for remark.

Hayden Davis, Kelsier

Davis has been on the forefront of the media storm following the LIBRA launch, being interviewed by investigative journalist Coffeezilla and Barstool Sports activities founder Dave Portnoy.

He studied worldwide enterprise at Christian school Liberty College earlier than founding Luxurious Drip and Leaders Elevate. In response to his LinkedIn, Davis is a “hustling professional” in addition to a “serial entrepreneur.” In October 2020, he joined Kelsier, an organization aiming to offer Web3 go-to-market experience, as Chief Government Officer.

Surprisingly, earlier than this fiasco, Davis had a reasonably small digital footprint. That mentioned, on January 30, President Milei posted on X, posing alongside Davis and claiming that he had an “fascinating” chat wherein he was suggested about blockchain and AI.

In response to the assertion posted by the official President of Argentina X account, Davis pitched the technological infrastructure of the LIBRA mission. The put up claims he was performing on behalf of KIP Protocol, however this truth has been disputed, as Davis is as a substitute the CEO of Kelsier.

In a press release following the LIBRA collapse, Davis claimed that he’s President Milei’s advisor and mentioned that he’s engaged on “a lot greater tokenization and actually cool stuff in Argentina.” Nevertheless, the X assertion by the President of Argentina following the LIBRA launch said that “Mr. Davis had no and doesn’t have any reference to the Argentine authorities.”

Amid the chaos, Davis defended Peh, claiming that his firm is “utterly harmless of any wrongdoing.” He additional claimed that Milei pointing the finger at KIP Protocol was carried out in self-defense.

In a written assertion, Davis outlined his function with LIBRA as being chargeable for “guaranteeing liquidity” and performing because the custodian, not the proprietor, of related funds. He later claimed he’s now in command of $100 million value of funds referring to the mission however insists that it’s not his. When pressed about who owns these funds, he vaguely mentioned, “It is Argentina’s.”

In an interview with Coffeezilla, Davis confirmed that Mauricio Novelli and Manuel Godoy from Tech Discussion board Argentina have been concerned within the LIBRA token launch. That is in step with a press release issued by KIP Protocol, that it was Novelli that got here to Peh pitching the LIBRA token.

In textual content messages seen by each CoinDesk and La Nacion, Davis reportedly claimed that he had affect over Javier Milei, and that by paying the president’s sister—Argentine authorities official Karina Milei—that the pinnacle of state “indicators no matter I say and does what I would like.”

Davis denied the allegations to CoinDesk. Kelsier didn’t reply to Decrypt’s request for remark.

Mauricio Novelli and Manuel Godoy, Tech Discussion board Argentina

The precise function of Novelli and Godoy continues to be unclear however the pair could have been central to the conception of the token. The pair have been a part of the workforce behind Tech Discussion board Argentina, the convention that KIP Protocol sponsored with President Milei and Peh in attendance; Novelli and Godoy additionally look like featured within the aforementioned photograph.

Novelli is knowledgeable dealer, actively competing within the World Cup Buying and selling Championships. He’s at the moment third within the 1st Quarter Futures Day Buying and selling Championship, however in response to Argentine newspaper Ambito, he was topped the “greatest dealer in America” within the third quarter of 2024, and was second worldwide within the futures event.

He studied on the College of Cambridge, Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE), and Università Bocconi, in response to LinkedIn, earlier than becoming a member of Galicia Financial institution as an account govt then shifting to BBVA as a senior account govt.

Novelli then based N&W Skilled Merchants, an organization that gives programs on find out how to commerce successfully, in 2019. In February 2021, the agency acquired an official endorsement from Milei, two years earlier than he grew to become President of Argentina.

“If you wish to make investments just like the professionals do, I like to recommend that you simply get acquainted with the buddies at NW Skilled Merchants,” Milei says on to the digital camera, in response to Google Translate. Within the description of the video, it claims Milei has taken the corporate’s programs.

As soon as he grew to become president in 2023, N&W Skilled Merchants praised Milei, posting two pictures with him and a screenshot of Milei’s Instagram account with the corporate’s hyperlink in his bio.

It seems that the pair maintained a relationship, with Novelli visiting Casa Rosada, the Argentinian authorities workplace, on a number of events, in response to the Director on the Middle for Political Economic system of Argentina, Julia Strada. On one event, they even introduced Godoy and posted a photograph to Instagram.

Novelli didn’t instantly reply to Decrypt’s request for remark.

Manuel “Manu” Godoy, in response to LinkedIn, studied at UADE concurrently Novelli. This can be how the pair met. He then went on to be a mission supervisor at an esports and gaming company earlier than founding 4 separate firms.

In 2016, he posted his first video to YouTube on the cellular recreation Conflict Royale and shortly grew to become a full-time content material creator, ultimately pivoting from gaming to finance movies. Since then, he has racked up almost one million subscribers on YouTube, together with 188,000 on X and 183,000 on Instagram.

On X, Godoy seems to be a vocal supporter of Milei, referring to him as a “dictator voted for by the individuals.” He additionally joked in January a few potential official MILEI token, claiming that it might pay the nation’s debt.

In 2024, in response to a YouTube video, he seems to have launched an NFT assortment referred to as Kmanus88 (the identical identify as his YouTube account), nevertheless it was quickly rebranded to Bipzy. These NFTs have been initially listed by house owners for as a lot as $27,000 value of Ethereum, however now are listed for as little as $785. There hasn’t been an announcement within the Discord since June 2024.

Godoy didn’t reply to Decrypt’s request for remark.

Who’s guilty?

On Sunday, KIP Protocol denied involvement and blamed Mauricio Novelli for originating the LIBRA thought.

In his interview with Coffeezilla, Davis added Godoy to the record of these concerned. In response to KIP Protocol and Davis, KIP’s function was organizing fund allocations to “Argentinian firms.”

Davis, as Kelsier’s CEO, acted as a “launch strategist,” he mentioned, making selections primarily based on the “workforce’s” route. This left Davis in command of over $100 million in LIBRA-related funds. Novelli was allegedly the one who pitched the token to KIP, whereas Godoy, his affiliate, seems to have been concerned from inside Tech Discussion board Argentina.

Exactly who will finally be held accountable stays unsure. Every of those 4 figures allegedly performed a singular function within the chaotic launch. The query now’s: Will any of them take the blame amid growing scrutiny?

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair and Andrew Hayward