Israeli-American entrepreneur.
Alex Mashinsky is a Ukrainian-born Israeli-American entrepreneur and business executive. He is a co-founder and former CEO of Celsius Network, a bankrupt cryptocurrency lending platform.
In the early 1990s, Mashinsky founded VoiceSmart, one of the first firms to offer telecommunications switches to handle ordinary voice as well as Voice over IP call routing. Mashinsky founded GroundLink in 2004 as a service to book an on-demand limousine and car services from a computer or smartphone. He was also the founder of Q-Wireless, which later became part of Transit Wireless. From 2014 to 2015, Mashinsky served as CEO of Novatel.
Mashinsky is the defendant in a civil lawsuit brought in January 2023 by the Attorney General of New York, who accuses him of committing securities fraud during his time as Celsius CEO. On July 13, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a criminal complaint against Mashinsky and Celsius. Mashinsky was arrested on the same day.
Celsius Nework
Oct 5th, 1965
American, Israeli
Tel Aviv University, Bachelor of Science - BS, Economics, 1987-1989
The Open University of Israel, Bachelor of Engineering, 1980-1982
Celsius Network, Founder & CEO (2017-2022)
Governing Dynamics, Founder & Managing Partner (2004-2022)
Transit Wireless, Founder & Chairman (2003-2016)
Inseego Corp., CEO & Board Member (2014-2015)
Celsius said it will initiate a controlled wind-down of operations by February 28, 2024. The crypto lender will discontinue its mobile and web applications.
The court filing contends that the government’s handling of cryptocurrencies creates an inconsistency and contradiction between the second count of commodities fraud and the first count of securities fraud.
Blockchain analytics firm Nansen reports that almost a third of the ETH in the pending withdrawal queue belongs to Celsius, totaling 206,300 ETH valued at approximately $468.5 million at current prices.
Celsius also advised customers to make use of its mobile app for the withdrawal, stating the app would only be available for a limited time.
As part of the agreement, Voyager will be “permanently restrained and enjoined” from marketing or providing products or services related to digital assets.