Juan Benet is the forward-thinking computer scientist and entrepreneur who is hailed for developing the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and founding Filecoin as CEO of Protocol Labs.
Juan Benet Background
Born on March 16, 1988, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Lopez graduated with a Bachelor’s (2010) and a Master’s (2012) degrees both in Computer Science from Stanford University.
Early Life & Education
Benet grew up in Mexico before relocating to San Diego as a teen. He was an artist and a techie from an early age, involved in his school’s theatre program and a voracious reader that even included Lord of the Rings.
There he immersed himself in distributed systems and data management, where he became a teaching assistant and also a researcher — an academic path that would inform his groundbreaking work down the line.
Entrepreneurial Journey
In 2010, Benet co-founded Loki Studios, a mobile gaming startup later acquired by Yahoo. He later worked as an Entrepreneur in Residence at StartX. In 2014, he founded Protocol Labs, which was backed by Y Combinator and would build open-source tech for Web3.
Creator of IPFS and Filecoin
Benet is the creator of IPFS, a protocol for decentralizing file storage and delivery. Recognizing that a token layer was needed, he created Filecoin, which introduced a new model for decentralized cloud storage. The 2017 Filecoin ICO saw more than $200 million pledged within 30 minutes, demonstrating strong faith in the technology.
Leadership & Innovations
Under Benet, Protocol Labs grew to administer organizations beyond IPFS and Filecoin, such as libp2p, IPLD, Multiformats and the Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM). He is a continuing advocate for improving decentralized network’s infrastructure.
He’s also an angel investor in tech companies, including CoinTracker, Anjuna, Iron Fish and others.
Impact on Web3 and Beyond
Benet’s aim is nothing short of re-decentralizing the web—making it faster, more secure, and more open. He’s emphasized how Filecoin powers Web 3.0-native applications for things like video streaming, social networking, and verifying digital authenticity.
Recognition & Personal Life
Recognized for leadership in Web3 innovation, Benet was featured as one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40” in 2018. He is estimated to be worth about $400 million, much of it from IPFS and Filecoin.
He maintains a low personal profile, but enjoys science fiction, philosophy, and performance arts—interests that have informed his fanciful approach on innovation and technology.
Final Thoughts
Juan Benet is a legendary figure in decentralised tech. Through IPFS and Filecoin, his ventures value open-source, incentive alignment, and practical usability.
His ongoing contribution by working in Protocol Labs is probably going to stay in the front line, since the decentralized eco-system is still growing. Curious what he’s building next? Watch the ecosystem—Benet is not finished yet making the future of the internet.