Pascal Leblanc is the founder and CEO of Mantle Network, an Ethereum scaling solution that prioritizes compatibility with existing Ethereum contracts and tools. He is also the co-founder of YAAMP (Yet Another Anonymous Mining Pool). ^[1]

Education

Leblanc attended Cégep de Ste-Foy, receiving a Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in Computer Science in 2014. He later attended the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières from 2014 to 2017, earning a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. ^[1]

Career

Leblanc began his career in May 2011 as a software programmer at Les Bois Ynovak. During this time, he focused on developing internal software tailored for inventory management, estimates, and invoices. In August 2013, he co-founded YAAMP (Yet Another Anonymous Mining Pool), an auto-switching cryptocurrency mining pool with Bitcoin payouts. ^[2]

From October 2016 to February 2019, he was a blockchain strategist at Ernst and Young, a professional services company. In February 2015, he co-founded SafeCex, an altcoin exchange that gained recognition for user-driven campaigns determining cryptocurrency listings. SafeCex was later acquired by Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange platform. ^[2]

From October 2017 to June 2018, Leblanc worked as a blockchain architect at RentalMiles, conceptualizing and implementing solutions to long-term real estate rental and loyalty programs. From February 2018 to October 2020, he was a blockchain strategic advisor at Globalive Technology, a software and venture company. Later, he joined the gaming industry and became the Head of NFT at Gamelancer from May 2021 to March 2022, where he explored the applications of blockchain technology in NFTs and their impact on the gaming landscape. ^[2]

In June 2017, Leblanc founded and became CEO of the Mantle Network. He leads the work to fix problems in the cybersecurity field, focusing on disruptive technologies such as ransomware protection, data sovereignty, and digital identity. ^[2]

Panels

NFT Summit

At an NFT Summit hosted by GDA Capital, Leblanc participated in a discussion about the intersection of NFTs and gaming. Panelists explored various aspects of this intersection, including the impact of NFTs on gaming, integration challenges and opportunities for gaming studios, suitable game genres for NFT adoption, and the future outlook of blockchain-based gaming. Leblanc's contribution to the discussion primarily focused on the potential for community governance in blockchain-based gaming. He discussed the concept of DAOs and how they could empower gamers to have a say in the development and direction of games. He also touched upon the possibility of game forks, where a community might split off to create a new version of a game based on different principles or decisions made by the developers. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of capturing true gamers' interest beyond the initial hype surrounding blockchain and NFTs, emphasizing the need for quality-focused gaming experiences. ^[3]