Alexander Ivanov, founder and CEO of the Waves Platform, is an expert in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. He graduated from the Faculty of Theoretical Physics at Moscow State University (MSU), undertaking further postgraduate study at Leipzig University in Germany. 

Ivanov took an early interest in electronic currencies and became involved in programming bots for the international forex markets. He later launched the first instant cryptocurrency exchange service, Coinomat, and several other cryptocurrency ventures. In 2016 he announced Waves, a custom tokens blockchain platform, and went on to crowdfund $16 million in bitcoin investment.