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Illia Polosukhin is the CEO of the Near Foundation, co-founder of the NEAR Protocol, and a General Partner at SID Venture Partners, currently based in Portugal. He previously served as an Engineering Manager at Google Research, where he co-authored the 2017 "Attention Is All You Need" paper that introduced the Transformer architecture and has accumulated over 100,000 citations. After leaving Google, he launched the NEAR Protocol, building the Layer-1 blockchain network into a decentralized platform with a market capitalization exceeding $12 billion. Through SID Venture Partners, he manages early-stage investments from Seed to Series A, backed by a consortium of 13 Ukrainian tech executives. In March 2024, he appeared alongside NVIDIA executives to discuss the future of generative models. His current focus centers on bridging artificial intelligence and Web3 technologies to develop user-owned AI ecosystems.
Illia Polosukhin stands as a prominent figure in the venture capital landscape, serving as a General Partner at SID Venture Partners. His journey into investment is uniquely shaped by a profound career in technology, marked by significant contributions to both established tech giants and groundbreaking decentralized platforms. As a General Partner, Illia plays a crucial role in identifying, evaluating, and supporting early-stage companies poised to disrupt industries with innovative solutions.
At SID Venture Partners, Illia Polosukhin's investment focus areas are deeply rooted in his expertise and vision for the future of technology. He is particularly keen on the Web3 ecosystem, including blockchain infrastructure, decentralized applications, and the broader digital asset space. Beyond Web3, his interests extend to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other frontier technologies that promise to redefine how we live and work. His operational experience provides a distinct advantage, enabling him to offer strategic guidance and mentorship to founders navigating the complex challenges of building and scaling a tech company.
Polosukhin's career background is a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit and technical prowess. Before his venture capital role, he was a key engineer at Google, where he contributed to the development of TensorFlow, a widely adopted open-source machine learning framework. This experience provided him with a deep understanding of AI and large-scale system design. However, it was his co-founding of NEAR Protocol that truly cemented his status as a visionary in the tech world. NEAR Protocol emerged as a leading sharded, proof-of-stake blockchain platform, designed to be developer-friendly and scalable, addressing critical challenges within the blockchain space. His hands-on experience in building and growing NEAR Protocol from conception to a multi-billion dollar ecosystem offers invaluable insights into the intricacies of decentralized technology and community building.
While specific individual investments by Illia Polosukhin as a General Partner are typically part of SID Venture Partners' broader portfolio, his influence is evident in the fund's strategic direction towards high-potential, early-stage technology companies. His background as a founder who successfully navigated the complexities of product development, fundraising, and market adoption makes him an exceptional partner for aspiring entrepreneurs. He understands the nuances of scaling a startup, the importance of robust technology, and the power of a strong team. Through SID Venture Partners, Illia continues to empower the next wave of innovators, leveraging his unique blend of engineering expertise, entrepreneurial success, and strategic investment acumen to foster growth in the most exciting sectors of the global economy.
Illia Polosukhin is a General Partner at SID Venture Partners and a highly respected figure in the technology and venture capital sectors. He is widely recognized as a co-founder of NEAR Protocol, a prominent sharded, proof-of-stake blockchain platform, and previously worked as an engineer at Google on the TensorFlow team.
As a General Partner at SID Venture Partners, Illia Polosukhin primarily invests in early-stage technology companies. His key focus areas include the Web3 ecosystem, blockchain infrastructure, decentralized applications, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other transformative frontier technologies.
Illia Polosukhin works as a General Partner at SID Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. Prior to this, he co-founded NEAR Protocol and worked as an engineer at Google.
