Rishi Ramchandani, the former head of bankrupt crypto-lender BlockFi, has taken his LinkedIn profile to a new role as head of APAC Web3 at Google Cloud. The move comes a few months after Google Cloud assembled its Web3 team to take advantage of the fast-growing industry.
An ex-BlockFi executive is now in charge of Google Cloud Web3 projects in Asia Pacific.
Former BlockFi VP Asia Rishi Ramchandani is joining Google Cloud as VP of Web3 for Asia Pacific (APAC), according to a LinkedIn post. Ramchandan’s new role was also announced by Google CEO Mitesh Agarwal, who will focus on cloud customers, partner planning, and the Web3 initiative.
Google Cloud is the technology giant’s cloud service unit that aims to grow the Web3 ecosystem, which includes companies that develop innovative solutions using blockchain technology. According to a company spokesperson, Google Cloud will make it easier for these companies to develop, store, and deploy new offerings.
Google’s cloud unit works with some of the world’s largest crypto and Web3 companies, including Coinbase Global, Sky Mavis, Nansen, Dapper Labs, and Hedera. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, was one of the largest blockchain investors in 2022.
Google Cloud Web3 Push and Blockchain
Google Cloud assembled its Web3 team in May to take advantage of the rapidly growing crypto and blockchain industries. Google wants to provide back-end services to developers who want to build their own Web apps as the tech giant ramps up its efforts to increase its share of the cloud infrastructure market.
Ramchandani joins Google Cloud’s APAC team after spending more than two years at struggling crypto lender BlockFi. BlockFi filed for bankruptcy last month after the collapse of FTX, which sent shockwaves through the crypto industry.
Just months after the creation of the Web3 group, Google Cloud launched the Blockchain Node Engine, “a fully managed node server for web3 development.” The solution provides a way to handle node creation, allowing developers to focus entirely on developing their Web3 software. According to the official blog, the Blockchain Node Engine minimizes the need for node operations.
