IT Entrepreneur/Berlin
Max Sherwood
I love working at the intersection of economics and technology. Since 2013 I’ve followed the growth of blockchain, encouraged by the power that it gives to the individual. Since 2022, as a co-founder of H2O Nodes I support blockchains with IT infrastructure.
Now, I’m exploring how technology can decentralize energy infrastructure, by broadening market participation and enabling investment in renewables and energy storage.
Companies
FlexCorpsFounder·2026 –
Decentralizing energy infrastructure, broadening market participation and enabling investment in renewables and energy storage.
RevTecFounder·2025 –
A Solana staking protocol which isolates Real Economic Value (REV) for stakers.
H2O NodesCo-founder·2022 –
Supporting blockchain networks with decentralized infrastructure, ecosystem building, and strategic investment.
Featured talks
My June 2026 interview at Vienna Blockchain Week.
July 2025
Obol Distributed Validators (DVs)
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March 2024
Solana’s Validator Network, Q1 2024
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Sept 2023
Can Wallets Monetize via PFOF, Fairly?
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More talks
Ethereum Network
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Solana network
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- State of the Solana validator network, Q1 2024March 2024
- State of the Solana validator network, Q1 2023February 2023
Other talks & appearances
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- Why DeFi Is the Future of FinanceSept 2023
- The Route Into a Career in CryptoNov 2022
- Wisdom & Wealth: Are Bitcoin Newcomers Doomed?Featured in CoinDeskFebruary 2020
Featured writing
The Solana REV Report, Q3 2025
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Proof of Stake’s Evolution to a Fixed Income Product
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Why Solana Is More Decentralized Than You Think
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More writing
On Proof of Stake
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- From CeFi to DeFi: how staking is shaping the crypto investment landscapeMay 2023
- A guide to liquid stakingOctober 2022
- Proof of stake blockchains are part of a green futureAugust 2022
- Crypto ETP investors waive a yearly $64.9M in staking rewardsMay 2022
- Without staking, institutional crypto investors cannot escape inflationDecember 2021
- Proof of Stake yield uniquely offers certainty, longevity, and scalabilityNov 2021
- Finoa’s approach to institutional stakingMay 2021
On Ethereum & Solana
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- Pectra: What it means for youDecember 2024
- Ethereum’s correlation risksJune 2024
- Why Ethereum is still the home of DeFiJune 2023
- Solana on its own two legsDecember 2022
- Why Solana is more decentralized than you thinkJuly 2022
On DeFi
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- Wallet wars: who will win, and should they?May 2023
- The role of MEV in DEX arbitrageMarch 2023
- The Future of Finance is DecentralizedSeptember 2022
- Voyager: The danger of indirect crypto exposureJuly 2022
- Celsius in hot waterJune 2022
- The UST fiasco and European stablecoinsMay 2022
- Why DeFi needs a curation layerMay 2022
On institutional investors
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- Crypto adoption among retail and institutional investors in 2022December 2022
- What protocols are crypto funds and VCs investing in?November 2022
- The state of institutional DeFiAugust 2022
- Finoa’s 2022 Family Office ReportApril 2022
- Bitcoin for Corporates: De-risking cash in a negative real-yield environmentSeptember 2021
- Crypto ETPs’ Fees Cost Up to 6 Times More Than Third-Party Custodians’August 2021
- How family offices can achieve yield in 2021July 2021
- How traditional and crypto-native hedge funds invest in digital assetsJune 2021
- The evolution of institutional crypto investingMay 2021
Work experience
Content & Communications Manager
Obol Labs2023 – 2025
Spreading the good word about Obol’s Distributed Validator Technology (DVT).
Growth & Research Manager
Unstoppable Finance2022 – 2023
Helping to grow the presence of the Ultimate DeFi wallet.
Partnerships & Ecosystem Analyst
Finoa2021 – 2022
Leveraged my crypto knowledge and experience in a business development role at Finoa, Europe’s leading digital asset custodian.