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Wayne Chang
Co-Founder and CEO of Spruce (YC W21)
Wayne Chang is an accomplished entrepreneur and technology executive who co-founded and currently serves as the CEO of Spruce Systems, Inc., a company focused on enabling users to control their data across the web.12 He started this role in July 2020.2
Prior to Spruce, Chang held several notable positions:
- Director of Product Management for Identity at ConsenSys (January 2020 - April 2020)2
- Head of Product for Web 2.5 at ConsenSys (October 2018 - January 2020)2
- Head of Token Engineering at ConsenSys (November 2017 - October 2018)2
- Founder and Head of Product at Alpine, a business unit within ConsenSys (October 2018 - January 2020)2
Chang's educational background includes attending Y Combinator for the W21 program in 2021.1 He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University, which he attended from 2010 to 2014.1
In his current role at Spruce Systems, Chang is working on developing secure and convenient tools for self-sovereign identity and data access.3 The company's focus is on creating decentralized identity solutions and providing developer tools for sharing authentic data across blockchains.3
Chang is also known for his expertise in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and decentralized identity.3 He serves as a Senior Advisor to the New York City Mayor's Office of the CTO, further demonstrating his influence in the technology sector.3
Highlights
Very exciting: the digital driver’s license is now arriving in Hawaii, including for air travel!
This writeup by KHON also has some interesting commentary about the process of transition and adoption--digital identity does come with new infrastructure demands, and can require learning new behaviors, but in the end, you can wind up with a more convenient and secure system.
Firefox/Mozilla have just rolled out a potentially huge new tool for browsers: “Privacy Preserving Attribution.” It allows ad clicks and interactions to build aggregate user profiles, with greatly reduced risk of tracking individual activity.
This middle ground could allow advertisers to leverage the benefits of digital platforms without violating individual privacy. PPA does this in large part through cryptography--not too different from the way digital credential systems help protect your privacy while allowing you to prove useful information about yourself.
