Gabriel Žanko
CEO — LIFE3 · Urano Kapital · FENIX Protocol
I build capital infrastructure for technologies that matter — from Bitcoin-native tokenisation platforms to deep tech investment research. Twenty years in, the throughline is the same: connect serious capital with serious builders.
My foundation was old-school finance. Born and raised in Caracas, I trained in assurance at PwC, auditing NYSE-listed CANTV and Pernod Ricard, then spent years in international tax at Nokia across Canada and Chile. Eleven years of institutional discipline — SOX controls, financial statements, cross-border complexity — with professionals who became lifelong friends.
Then Bitcoin found me in 2013, and the corporate chapter ended.
🔹 LIFE3 (est. 2017) — my independent investment banking firm. We've structured and raised $30M+ across international ventures, with mandates including The NAGA Group's $50M+ raise alongside its Frankfurt IPO.
The work took me from New York and San Francisco to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Zurich, and Davos — and deep into AI, quantum computing, and green hydrogen along the way.
🔹 Urano Kapital (est. 2018) — my deep tech research and investment platform. Eight years of thesis work alongside research scientists, across advanced materials, energy, and space systems.
Its first product, Mercury Funds — a Solana protocol for digital investment products — is architecture-complete and heading to mainnet. Early conversations with partners and allocators are open.
🔹 FENIX Protocol (2026) — a Bitcoin-native platform helping cities unlock capital from real-world assets. Five smart contracts live on mainnet, starting with a tokenised fund for Zagreb. Built, shipped, verifiable on-chain.
I've spoken at Davos (WEF), LEAP Riyadh, Hong Kong Blockchain Week, and Talent Land Mexico. And for the last nine years, mentorship has been a constant thread: advisor at Techstars for the LatAm region, global competition judge at Startup.Network, and judge at Founders Games in Bulgaria — dozens of projects mentored across fintech, blockchain, and deep tech, from first pitch deck to first raise.
Beyond the work: I'm a musician — singing, keys, bass, Latin percussion — and I genuinely believe the artistic side helps solve the abstract problems technology throws at you.
Seneca and Epictetus, martial arts, meditation, and constant travel round out the rest.
If our visions align, let's build something extraordinary ⚡
Experience: 11 years
Yearly salary: $0
Hourly rate: $500
Nationality: 🇭🇷 Croatia
Residency: 🇭🇷 Croatia
Experience
CEO & Founder
Fenix protocol 2026 - 2026
FENIX Protocol is a Bitcoin-native infrastructure platform helping cities, regions, and institutional partners unlock capital from underutilized real-world assets and reinvest it into local economic development. Our mission is to transform underutilized public assets into productive capital through transparent, programmable, and auditable infrastructure finance secured by Bitcoin. FENIX combines tokenized real-world assets, EUR-backed settlement infrastructure, regional investment funds, and on-chain governance into a unified operating system for civic and regional finance. The platform enables municipalities, development agencies, infrastructure operators, and investors to finance energy, housing, AI, and strategic infrastructure projects through a new generation of digital treasury systems. Core infrastructure: • FENIX — Governance and treasury coordination • FENIXT — EUR-backed, MiCA-aligned settlement asset • RWA Engine — Asset tokenization and collateral infrastructure • City Funds — Tokenized regional funds with milestone-based governance and transparent treasury management • FENIX Liquidity Layer — Bitcoin-native settlement infrastructure. All core contracts are deployed and verifiable on Bitcoin. Market Opportunity: • $94T projected global infrastructure funding gap by 2040 • $16T projected tokenized real-world asset market by 2030 • €2.1T European urban infrastructure investment requirement Despite these needs, infrastructure finance remains fragmented, opaque, and largely inaccessible to local stakeholders. FENIX sits at the intersection of Bitcoin, tokenized real-world assets, and civic finance. Our roadmap begins with Zagreb and expands toward Belgrade, Budapest, and a broader network of European cities, each operating transparent, council-governed regional funds anchored to Bitcoin infrastructure. Cities represent one of the world's largest underutilized balance sheets. FENIX makes them investable.
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Cheelee 2022 - 2024
Led strategic initiatives, including go-to-market strategies and capital raising. Worked at board level to provide guidance on business operations and corporate direction. Successfully contributed to market positioning and growth of the company.
University Lecturer - Fintech & Decentralized Networks (Blockchain - DeFi)
UCAB - Universidad Católica Andrés Bello 2022 - 2023
Lecturer for the Fintech & Blockchain program at UCAB, covering key topics in decentralized networks, blockchain, AI, and the future of finance in the Web 3.0 ecosystem. Led discussions on DeFi, AI’s role in finance, and technical chart analysis for blockchain assets.
Investor - Advisor & Mentor
ExoAlpha, Bitcoin and others 2019 - 2026
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO ExoAlpha — Bitcoin hedge fund, Paris. Investor, 2019–2021. Automated quantitative trading infrastructure built by portfolio and risk managers active in digital assets since 2012. Additional angel and early-stage positions across fintech, blockchain, and digital infrastructure. Bitcoin investor and researcher since 2013. ADVISORY, MENTORSHIP & ACADEMIC Startup Mentor & Global Advisor — Techstars (Jan 2023–Jan 2025) Global Advisor & Competition Judge — Startup.Network (Oct 2021–Sep 2024) Mentor & Judge — Founders Games (2024–2025) University Lecturer, FinTech & Decentralised Networks — Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas (Sep 2022–Aug 2023). Lecturer and professor of UCAB's new FinTech programme. SPEAKING World Economic Forum (Davos) · LEAP Riyadh · Hong Kong Blockchain Week · Tokyo · New York · San Francisco Panels and lectures on investment strategy, hedge fund models, capital markets, decentralised finance, and frontier technology.
Mentor
Techstars & Founder Games 2018 - 2024
ADVISORY, MENTORSHIP & ACADEMIC Startup Mentor & Global Advisor — Techstars (Jan 2023–Jan 2025) Global Advisor & Competition Judge — Startup.Network (Oct 2021–Sep 2024) Mentor & Judge — Founders Games (2024–2025) University Lecturer, FinTech & Decentralised Networks — Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas (Sep
General Partner - GP
Urano Kapital 2018 - 2026
Deep-tech research and investment platform: energy transition, AI, advanced materials, space and resource systems, decentralised infrastructure. urano.io Eight years developing investment thesis and deal-flow methodology in direct collaboration with research scientists and innovation centres. Scientific and technical due diligence advisory for founders and capital allocators across deep-tech sectors. Designed and built Mercury Funds, a Solana protocol for digital investment products — architecture complete, pre-mainnet. Structured multi-stage capital frameworks across equity, debt, green finance, and hybrid instruments. Research collaborator with AIBC World (Malta), publishing analysis on deep tech, decentralisation, and blockchain. 2020–2021.
Founder & CEO
MobileyourLife (LIFE3) 2017 - 2026
LIFE3 (formerly MobileyourLife) Sep 2017–Present · 9 years Independent investment banking and capital advisory firm: capital formation, digital asset markets, and deep technology. mobileyourlife.com Structured and raised $30M+ for international ventures across equity, debt, tokenised, and hybrid instruments. Built and ran institutional OTC digital asset trading, market making, and secondary liquidity operations. Advised founders, corporates, and governments on capital structuring and cross-border market entry across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Selected Mandates The NAGA Group AG (Frankfurt-listed) — fundraising strategy and investor outreach for a $50M+ raise with 63,000 participants, concurrent with the company's Frankfurt Stock Exchange IPO. 2017. Crypterium / Choise.ai — B2B Web3 strategy for exchange, DEX, and Mastercard/Visa card products; licensing and white-label framework across 170+ countries; partnerships with Kraken, KuCoin, and BitGo. 2017–2018. DreamTeam — institutional capital raise and Tier-1 exchange listing strategy for esports payment infrastructure. 2017–2018. Cheelee (Dubai) — Chief Strategy Officer on contract; board-level growth, go-to-market, and international expansion. Dec 2022–Mar 2024.
Finance & Audit Consultant
PwC, Nokia Siemens 2008 - 2015
Specialized in finance strategy, audits, and telecom solutions development for leading global firms. Provided advisory services in areas such as corporate governance, risk management, and financial compliance.
Skills
cfo
cmo
finance
fintech
strategy
trader
vc
english
italian
portuguese
spanish