Starknet Foundation CEO Diego Oliva Quits After Less Than Two Years

Starknet Foundation CEO, Diego Oliva, has stepped down after holding the position for less than two years.

Oliva reportedly held the position since March 2023 but a Starknet announcement about his appointment suggests he took the helm in June 2023.

From 2009 to 2015, Oliva served as Facebook's regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He then went on to co-found and lead the IOT firm, Glue Home.

Diego served as Starknet Foundation's first CEO based on the "strength of his experience and character," the foundation said in a statement, adding that he successfully established a strong team and structure at the firm.

"His experience as an entrepreneur who has founded, run, and scaled successful businesses made him the right choice for a burgeoning ecosystem," Starknet said. "His character, vision, integrity, and commitment ensured the Foundation would be built on the right values."

"Under Diego’s leadership, the Foundation itself has executed on the Provisions project, and jump-started multiple ecosystem development projects such as DeFi Spring, Seed Grants and the Catalyst and Propulsion programs," Starknet said.

James Strudwick, who has been at the firm since January 2024, has been announced as the Executive Director. Strudwick had served as the Head of Ecosystem Growth, after working in advancing DeFi, L1, and L2 scaling projects. Diego will remain for the next month to assist with the transition.

Starknet described Strudwick as "an adept and creative leader, an energetic community builder, and a deeply knowledgeable and thoughtful ecosystem expert."