Iannis, the founder of Noders, describes himself as a lifelong learner, driven by an insatiable curiosity for technology and innovation. He recounts a varied entrepreneurial journey across five countries, including four years in Bali, undertaking numerous projects with budgets from zero to half a million dollars, experiencing both successes and failures. His entry into Web3 began around 2017 when he invested in Bitcoin on a friend's recommendation, which quickly yielded significant returns. While initially drawn by the financial prospects, he quickly realized that the underlying blockchain technology was "just amazing," capable of solving "fundamental problems of societies," which ultimately compelled him to stay in the space. After navigating the volatile markets of 2017 and 2018, Iannis recommitted to crypto in 2020, actively exploring DeFi, gaming, DAOs, and NFTs. Lacking a technical background in coding, he sought an entrepreneurial angle and discovered staking in 2021. He immediately recognized its potential, stating that "staking as a product, basically what it does is that it either increases the profits and the amount of money that investors earn or it just decreases the amount of money they lose. So it's really an echo project in my mind in crypto." He also believed validators were crucial for promoting blockchain technology and making it accessible globally, reinforcing his conviction that "blockchain can really solve problems of societies that at least before this technology has not been solved or at least has not been solved so efficiently." Realizing "there is no such profession as node runners," Iannis began by hiring someone to teach him how to run nodes. He quickly understood the ongoing commitment required beyond initial setup, necessitating a trustworthy team due to security concerns with wallets. To address this, he launched a school to train and subsequently hire IT professionals he could trust, forming the core of Noders. The project has since navigated bear markets, sanctions, and war, growing from testnet runners to a venture crypto studio. Noders currently operates 37 blockchains, participates in 46 testnets, and manages approximately $100 million in total value staked. Their focus is exclusively on Layer 1 and Layer 0 blockchains, offering a range of services from tech development and reliable infrastructure to funding and marketing activities. Iannis noted that about "90% of my attention goes, you know to validation." In addition to Noders, he also founded a crypto gaming guild, believing that gaming will be a key driver for billions to enter crypto, as "Blockchain as technology again solves like a really fundamental important problems in gaming." Regarding specific technologies, Iannis expresses a clear preference for projects that offer substantial value and "proper technologies that really solve, you know, some problems." He cites Celestia as a "super promising" project that Noders supports due to its clear value proposition. His opinion on Bitcoin, however, is less favorable. He openly admits, "I don't hold any BTC anymore," explaining that while it might offer 2-10x returns, newer, "superior technologies" can yield 100-1000x. He views Bitcoin as "the first technology" and "the king" that shaped the industry, but believes it has become "some sort of a religion in a way," and technologically, it is "not so appealing to me." He contends that since Bitcoin's inception, an "incredible amount of extremely beautiful and genius technologies have been introduced" that are superior. While acknowledging all investments are "selling hope," Iannis prefers to invest in and support technologically advanced solutions rather than what he perceives as a more limited technology that has become a belief system. Iannis’s overarching goal is to build a "cool product, cool project, cool company that's going to bring lots of value to the world in general," and to the blockchain industry specifically. Having achieved financial success years ago, he states that "earning the money we earn is just a plus... for the work we've done." His primary motivation is to promote decentralization and blockchain technology, which he believes can "bring a bit more power back to people" and make life "a bit more democratized." He views the current state of blockchain as a "space of experiments" where brilliant minds are finding market fit for a technology that fundamentally solves the problem of trust. He sees the "fireworks with skyrocketing tokens" as necessary to "drive attention to the technology," acknowledging that most people aren't willing to study complex concepts without visible rewards. He firmly believes that "education is the key to everything, education and culture." Noders contributes by building and supporting projects, organizing free courses, and conducting educational campaigns to increase awareness about crypto, how it works, its security, and its societal impact. He aims to "promote the real kind of value behind the stuff," emphasizing that it's about "supporting cool projects and doing something that is really going to be valuable at the same time." He envisions that the concepts introduced by blockchain – RWA, DeFi, gaming, DAOs, NFTs – are already sufficient and the next phase will involve their proper implementation and widespread use by billions of people within the next three to five years. Iannis’s personal motivation stems from his profound curiosity about life and a relentless "never give up" attitude, which he credits as "the only secret of success in my life." His ultimate inspiration is Leonardo da Vinci, whom he admires for his boundless curiosity, experimentation, and harmonious genius across diverse fields, untethered by financial motives. Iannis concludes with a powerful piece of advice: "Just keep on studying. Just keep on educating yourself. Life is changing so rapidly... The only people who are gonna be successful in the years to come are the people who can really study and learn and adopt fast."