Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, the founder of Binance, said that personal conviction attracts like-minded, mission-driven talent. He made this statement on X while discussing recent charitable donations to biotech and other causes.
"The best way to attract mission-driven talent is having conviction yourself," said Zhao. "Likeminded people naturally come together. I personally donated $10m (in BNB) to Vitalik a couple of months back to his "open-source" biotech efforts. I also donated privately to a couple of other charities recently, with some good results."
Open-source initiatives in biotechnology have recently seen significant contributions from the cryptocurrency sector. According to BeInCrypto, in 2024, Zhao donated $10 million in cryptocurrency to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's biotech projects. This reflects a broader movement where blockchain transparency is accelerating funding for biomedical research. Efforts such as Blockchain For Impact, which has allocated $90 million toward healthcare and research, further emphasize this trend.
According to NonProfitPRO, global cryptocurrency donations surpassed $1 billion in 2024, marking the highest amount recorded for the sector. The Giving Block’s 2025 annual report found that over 70% of major U.S. charities now accept cryptocurrency donations, with health and medicine accounting for 14% of total crypto gifts. This data demonstrates a rapidly growing engagement between the crypto sector and biotech-related charitable causes.
Zhao is a Chinese-Canadian entrepreneur best known as the founder of Binance, reportedly the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. With a background in computer science from McGill University, he has been recognized for revolutionizing global access to digital assets and advancing blockchain technology. Zhao is also noted for his philanthropy, including significant donations to open-source and biotech projects.