Rushi Manche is the co-founder of a blockchain technology company focused on creating a modular blockchain network that integrates performance, liquidity, and composability. At a young age, he and his partner decided to leave their internships and withdraw from Vanderbilt University to dedicate themselves fully to this endeavor. Their commitment paid off early on when they raised $3.4 million in pre-seed funding from more than 25 angel investors. With that support, they built a team of over 70 people, laying the groundwork for the platform’s growth and impact in the blockchain space.
By 2023, the company had secured a $38 million Series A funding round just a year after its inception. The round received backing from several well-known venture capital firms, including Hack VC, Placeholder, Archetype, Maven 11, Robot Ventures, Figment Capital, Nomad Capital, Bankless Ventures, OKX Ventures, dao5, and Aptos Labs. This level of investor confidence reflected the company's strong direction, execution, and scalability of its vision.
As a member of Generation Z and a digital native, Rushi Manche was driven by the need to create a blockchain ecosystem that could enable safe, fast, and reliable application development across networks. His goal was to design a platform that allows users to manage digital assets without fear of security breaches or compatibility issues. He viewed blockchain as an efficient and secure solution for modern digital challenges, seeing its potential to replace older, less adaptable systems.
The core of the project was its modular structure. This approach allowed each component, or layer, of the blockchain to handle a specific task independently. By organizing functions in this way, developers gained greater flexibility to adapt and scale the system based on different requirements. The platform’s use of a specialized programming language made it easier to build secure and dependable applications. This structure helped developers create tailored blockchain features while ensuring stability and efficiency.
The Inspiration Behind Rushi Manche to His Blockchain Company
While others in the field overlooked the blockchain programming language developed by Meta, he recognized its untapped potential. He believed this technology could form the foundation of a more secure and high-performing blockchain infrastructure. His decision to apply this language to a new platform gave the company a distinctive position in the competitive world of digital finance and decentralized systems.
The team launched an Ethereum layer-2 network using a virtual machine derived from this technology, delivering improved speed and a more secure development environment. Rather than accepting frequent large-scale hacks as unavoidable, the platform was built to challenge that norm with stronger engineering and advanced protections. In addition to this development, he introduced a cryptocurrency token tied to the platform, expanding its utility and integration within the system.
Before founding the blockchain company, Rushi built a strong foundation in software engineering and showed a deep interest in crypto from a young age. These early experiences shaped his technical capabilities and entrepreneurial thinking.
He spent three months at Aptos Project working as a Software Engineer. During that time, he served as a Smart Contract Developer, contributing to a decentralized exchange and a cross-chain index fund. His work focused on developing secure, scalable contracts to support these platforms.
He also founded Ensemble, an artificial intelligence-based tutoring platform that offered free test preparation resources to high school students. Ensemble partnered with 53 high schools nationwide, integrating its tools into lesson plans and curricula—the nationwide project aimed to improve educational access and outcomes through AI-driven learning systems.
His three-month tenure at UnitedHealth Group involved migrating seven APIs from on-premises infrastructure to AWS cloud services. This transition resulted in an 84% reduction in costs and an improvement in system performance. He also upgraded the technical stack from ElasticSearch and OpenShift to AWS S3, OpenSearch, and Elastic Kubernetes Service, enhancing scalability and multiregional support.
As a freelance Full-Stack Developer, he contributed to Stories In the Cloud, a platform that required both frontend and backend upgrades. He redesigned the user and admin portals using React and Bootstrap, modernized backend systems by converting legacy PHP to a Node.js/Express API and handled integration with MySQL. His DevOps responsibilities included managing services on AWS Lambda, RDS, Route 53, and Elastic Beanstalk.
Rushi earned a Seal of Biliteracy in French and completed several online certifications through Udemy. His training included Clustering and Classification with Machine Learning in Python, Data Science: Natural Language Processing in Python, Blockchain Developer Bootcamp with Solidity, Complete Python Bootcamp, and development courses using PHP, JavaScript, and React. These certifications strengthened his capabilities across both backend and frontend development.
Rushi has received numerous honors and awards that reflect his academic excellence, leadership, and community impact. These recognitions span state, national, and international levels.
In 2021, he was awarded the Ingram Scholarship at Vanderbilt University for his academic performance and his dedication to addressing societal issues. He also received the Burger King McLamore Scholarship and was named an Elks National Foundation Semifinalist, securing a $4,000 college scholarship. That same year, he was recognized as a Coca-Cola Scholarship Semifinalist.
His academic success earned him the National AP Scholar designation from the College Board, awarded to students scoring four or higher on eight or more Advanced Placement exams. His achievements in finance earned him the Certified Young Investment Analyst designation, as well as the title of Champion in the New Jersey State Stock Pitch Competition, presented by the Young Investors Society of New Jersey.
He placed in the top 3% of the Diamond Challenge Entrepreneurship Competition for his app proposal, which aimed to reduce food waste. He also reached the top four percent of competitors in the Seton Hall Pirates Pitch Business Plan event, which included participants from over 60 countries. At that event, he presented an app designed to address educational inequality.
In 2020, he received the New Jersey State Governor's Jefferson Award for measurable contributions to community service. This award honors individuals who demonstrate vision, perseverance, and impact without seeking personal recognition. His involvement in service projects and dedication to meaningful work earned him this distinction.
Service has always been a central part of Rushi Manche’s life. Over the last decade, he and his family have supported a range of charitable initiatives in India, with a particular focus on children’s hospitals, heart research, and broader healthcare efforts. During his high school years, he volunteered with UNICEF and the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program, gaining firsthand experience with programs designed to serve vulnerable communities.
Rushi was born in Springfield, Illinois. In his time, he enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and spending time in nature. These activities provide a balance to his work in the fast-paced world of blockchain and software development.
Rushi Manche continues to build on his experience in blockchain, software engineering, and community engagement. His work reflects a potent blend of technical insight, entrepreneurial thinking, and a commitment to creating systems that are both secure and accessible. Through a focus on innovation, education, and public service, he remains dedicated to developing meaningful solutions for today’s digital challenges.