The 100: Dr. Han, Founder and CEO, Gate Grounded in scientific discipline yet driven by entrepreneurial vision, Dr. Han continues to shape Gate with a singular mission: to build a secure, fair, and efficient crypto ecosystem that accelerates global adoption while staying true to the technology's original promise.
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This article forms part of The 100, Entrepreneur Middle East's annual guide spotlighting the most influential people across the GCC.
Dr. Han is a rare hybrid in the global crypto industry: a rigorously trained scientist who became an entrepreneur through conviction, resilience, and vision. As the founder and CEO of Gate, Dr. Han has spent more than a decade building one of the world's leading cryptocurrency platforms, guided by a deep belief in security, transparency, and long-term technological innovation.
With a Ph.D. in Optics and an academic background that spans computer software engineering, mathematics, and high-performance computing, Dr. Han's professional journey began firmly in science. He earned his bachelor's degree from Shandong University before continuing his advanced studies in Canada, where he completed his doctorate and postdoctoral research in optoelectronics. This scientific foundation continues to shape his leadership style—analytical, systems-oriented, and uncompromising when it comes to technical rigor.
Dr. Han's introduction to cryptocurrency was not planned. In 2012, while conducting high-performance computing research, he observed graphics cards being widely used for Bitcoin mining. Intrigued, he studied Bitcoin's whitepaper and quickly recognized its technical and economic potential. The turning point came in 2013, when an attempt to purchase Bitcoin on an online forum resulted in a financial loss due to fraud. Rather than deterring him, the experience highlighted a fundamental gap in the market and inspired him to create a safer, more trustworthy trading platform.
That same year, Dr. Han founded what would later become the Gate Exchange. In the company's earliest days, he personally wrote much of the platform's core code, overseeing everything from website development to APIs and infrastructure. This hands-on approach laid the groundwork for Gate's reputation as a technically robust and security-first platform. As regulatory landscapes shifted, Gate evolved into a global operation, positioning itself for long-term growth and international compliance.
Under Dr. Han's leadership, Gate has consistently pushed industry standards forward. The platform was among the first to introduce full proof-of-reserves, reinforcing user trust through transparency. Growth has followed innovation: Gate's user base has expanded dramatically, reflecting both market confidence and the platform's expanding ecosystem.
Today, Dr. Han is leading Gate's "All in Web3" strategy, built on a new high performance blockchain infrastructure that supports decentralized trading, perpetuals, and token creation. For Dr. Han, Web3 represents more than a business direction—it is a natural evolution of the decentralized ideals that first drew him to blockchain technology.
Grounded in scientific discipline yet driven by entrepreneurial vision, Dr. Han continues to shape Gate with a singular mission: to build a secure, fair, and efficient crypto ecosystem that accelerates global adoption while staying true to the technology's original promise.
