Elizabeth Stark is the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, a company developing the Lightning Network, which aims to make Bitcoin transactions faster and more scalable. Stark’s background includes teaching at Stanford and Yale, as well as advising startups and working with technology incubators. The Lightning Network is a layer-two scaling solution that allows for instant, low-cost Bitcoin transactions by creating off-chain payment channels. Stark’s work on the Lightning Network addresses one of Bitcoin’s major limitations: scalability. By enabling millions of transactions per second, the Lightning Network has the potential to transform Bitcoin into a more practical medium of exchange. Stark is also an advocate for open internet protocols and decentralized technologies. Her contributions to blockchain technology and her efforts to promote the Lightning Network have established her as a leading figure in the crypto industry, driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what Bitcoin can achieve.