Brock Pierce
Born into a middle-class home in Minneapolis, Minnesota to a mother who was a minister and a father who was a carpenter, Brock Pierce began his working career as a child actor, starring in movies such as The Mighty Ducks and First Kid.
Working at an extremely young age, Pierce witnessed the impact media and technology have on the world and its importance in bridging connections across borders. Since then, Pierce has co-founded, advised, and funded over 100 companies to support the creation of new jobs and marketplaces through technological innovation.
Pierce is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and father. He has an extensive track record of founding, advising, and investing in innovative businesses and foundations and is recognized as a global thought leader. Based upon his many successes and ability to connect unique groups of talented individuals to solve complex problems, Pierce was nominated to accept the role as the independent candidate for President of the United States in the 2020 election.
During Pierce’s 2020 presidential run, he was notably endorsed by the Independence Party of New York and Florida, Tim Draper, Akon, David Else, and Charles Hoskinson. He became the first presidential candidate in U.S. history to receive a vote through the app, Voatz, using blockchain technology. Pierce participated in various debates with 3rd party candidates such as Howie Hawkins of the Green Party, Brian Carroll of the American Solidarity Party, Don Blankenship of the Constitution Party, and Gloria La Riva of the Party for Socialism & Liberation. Pierce successfully obtained ballot access in 16 different states and received over 45,000 votes nationwide.
As a trailblazing innovator, Pierce created the first major marketplace for virtual goods in online gaming, which is expected to grow to $190B by 2025. As a co-founder of Blockchain Capital, he co-developed Security Token Offering (STO). As a pioneer in blockchain and digital currency, he helped create the first Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) as a new way to launch digital currencies, shortly after creating EOS, Stablecoin & Tether. The latter becoming the world’s most traded cryptocurrency (annual trading volume exceeds $10 Trillion), in which Pierce was responsible for putting the U.S. dollar on the blockchain with Tether in 2014.
Pierce’s contributions to the blockchain and broader technology industry have been integral to the development of countless innovations, resulting in creating new jobs and marketplaces, which have improved the quality of life for millions of Americans. Pierce holds two honorary ambassadorships in South Korea related to his international leadership in technology and philanthropy. He is the Honorary President of Gimcheon Blockchain AI center. Pierce has been a regular lecturer at Singularity University and has spoken at Mobile World Congress, WIRED, INK, Stanford University, USC, and UCLA. He has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, WIRED, and Rolling Stone.
Seeing Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico in 2017, Pierce prioritized philanthropy. Developing the Integro Foundation, Pierce provided philanthropic resources to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. With programs designed to revive areas in critical need, Integro supports individuals and ecosystems to thrive. Providing urgent relief in times of crisis, Integro works with local charities, organizations, and government agencies to deploy resources efficiently and transparently.
As a prolific philanthropist, Pierce is an advocate of due process and the rule of law founded in justice and equality. As the founder of the Brock Pierce Foundation, he supports the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the Center for Individual Rights, the Brennan Center for Human Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the arts, and cutting-edge research in medicine and mental health.