Key Takeaways
- Dmitry Zhelezov is the CEO and co-founder of SQD, enabling Web3 developers to access and manage blockchain data easily.
- He began his career as a backend Java developer, building web and pharma apps that shaped his technical foundation.
- He entered the blockchain industry in 2016, connecting his technical background with finance through roles in development and trading.
Dmitry Zhelezov is the CEO and Co-Founder of SQD, where he develops tools to help Web3 developers access and manage blockchain data more efficiently. His work focuses on enhancing how decentralized apps collect and process data. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from Chalmers University of Technology, a Master’s in Financial Mathematics from Halmstad University, and degrees in Physics, Math, and Computer Science from Saint Petersburg State University.
Early Software Development Career
Dmitry Zhelezov began his professional career as a software developer, specializing in backend systems. From 2007 to 2008, he worked as a Java Developer at DataArt. From 2008 to 2011, he served as a Senior Java Developer at GGA Software Services. During this time, he gained experience building complex web and pharmaceutical applications, which laid the groundwork for his future work in high-performance systems and infrastructure.
Studies and Work in Mathematics
In 2011, Zhelezov transitioned to academic work, getting a PhD in Mathematics from Chalmers University of Technology. His research during this time focused on challenging areas, such as number theory and combinatorics. After finishing his PhD in 2016, he continued working in the academic field as a Wallenberg Research Fellow at the Renyi Institute of Mathematics from 2017 to 2019. There, he studied topics such as arithmetic, combinatorics, and graph theory, which further enhanced his ability to apply mathematical concepts to solve real-world problems.
Blockchain and Financial Technology
Zhelezov began working in the blockchain field in 2016 when he took a job as a Full Stack Developer at Purple Scout. In the same year, he also worked for a short time as a Trading Analyst at Kapital Trading, where he gained insight into how financial systems and markets operate. These experiences helped connect his technical skills with new developments in blockchain and decentralized finance.
Building Decentralized Systems at Helix
From 2018 to 2020, Zhelezov worked as Chief Scientist at Helix Cognitive Computing GmbH. While at Helix, he led the planning and building of a system for sending messages across a network without a central point. This was his first big project in creating tools for decentralized systems. During this time, he became more involved in the development of blockchain systems and grew more focused on creating open systems that do not require permission to use.
Blockchain Indexing at Jsgenesis
From 2020 to 2021, Zhelezov worked as a Hydra Core Developer at Jsgenesis. In this role, he worked on developing a system to help gather and search data from blockchains built using Substrate. This work helped him improve his skills in finding, organizing, and accessing blockchain data in real-time, essential components of making decentralized apps work well as they grow.
Founding and Leading SQD
In May 2021, Zhelezov helped start SQD (formerly known as Subsquid), initially serving as the title “Philosopher” and later becoming the CEO. At SQD, he guides the planning and building of decentralized tools for Web3 data. The company works on replacing centralized RPC (Remote Procedure Call) systems—which let apps request data or services from a server—with open and scalable options.
Some of its key tools include a decentralized data lake and the SQD Portal, which allows users to stream, read, and combine blockchain data. By leveraging both his academic knowledge and technical skills, Zhelezov is transforming how developers utilize blockchain networks.
Indexing for Scalable DeFi
In Parachains’ YouTube channel, the video “Why Data Indexing Matters in DeFi” features Dmitry Zhelezov, co-founder of Subsquid (now SQD), speaking at the Polka DeFiance 2023 online event. Zhelezov talks about why indexing blockchain data is so important for building better and faster DeFi apps on Polkadot.
He explains how traditional ways of getting blockchain data, like using RPC, are limited and often slow. Instead, he introduces a more open and efficient way to access data through decentralized indexing. With the amount of blockchain data growing quickly, he shows how tools like Subsquid help developers get the information they need more easily, making it simpler to build powerful Web3 apps.
Dmitry’s Vision for Better Web3 Data
Dmitry Zhelezov wants to make it easier for developers to build fast and reliable Web3 apps by fixing how blockchain data is accessed. At SQD, he works on replacing slow, centralized systems like RPC with open, decentralized tools that let developers find and use blockchain data more quickly.
With a strong background in math, software, and blockchain, Dmitry focuses on solving one of the biggest problems in Web3—getting the right data when it’s needed. His goal is to help create a Web3 world where apps run better, scale easier, and stay true to the idea of decentralization.
Final Thoughts
Dmitry Zhelezov has built a career around solving one big problem in Web3—making blockchain data easier to use. With experience in software, advanced math, and blockchain systems, he brings both deep knowledge and practical skills to the table. At SQD, he helps developers move away from slow, centralized tools and instead use faster, open systems to power their applications. His work makes it easier to build scalable, reliable, and truly decentralized applications. Through SQD, Dmitry is playing a key role in shaping the future of Web3 and DeFi.
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