Robert Thomas Greenfield IV (also known as Robby Greenfield) is an American businessman, activist, philanthropist and former college athlete. He is the founder of the financial technology company Umoja Labs, formerly known as Emerging Impact,[1] and serving as the former Head of Social Impact of ConsenSys, co-founded its philanthropic arm, ConsenSys Social Impact.[2]
Robby Greenfield | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Robert Thomas Greenfield IV |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.S. Industrial Engineering (2015) |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Goizueta Business School (Emory University) |
| Occupation(s) | businessman, activist, philanthropist, cryptoeconomist |
| Years active | 2013 - present |
| Known for | Founder of Umoja Labs. Former Head of Social Impact of ConsenSys, co-founding its philanthropic arm, ConsenSys Social Impact. |
Early life
editGreenfield is from Atlanta, Georgia. He attended a four-year prep school at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA, where he played soccer and participated in track and field.[3] As a soccer player, he won the 2011 GHSA State Championships.[4] In Track & Field, Greenfield participated in the 100 meter, 4x100 meter, and triple jump events, and won a State Championship as a sophomore .[3]
Education
editGreenfield attended the University of Michigan and played on its varsity soccer team.[3] He graduated in 2015 with a degree in industrial engineering.[5] While studying at the University of Michigan, Greenfield was a student activist, serving as the treasurer of the Black Student Union and a leader of the 2013 social media awareness campaign Being Black at Michigan (#BBUM).[5][6]
Greenfield also earned an MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University in 2020.[5]
Career
editGreenfield’s career in the blockchain industry began when he developed an online cryptocurrency trading firm as a junior at the University of Michigan.[7] He went on to co-found the app development company Nomsy, which developed and published a food discovery app with dietary information.[8][9]
After graduating, Greenfield worked at companies such as Cisco, Amazon and Goldman Sachs.[10]
Greenfield was eventually appointed Head of Social Impact at ConsenSys.[11] He co-founded ConsenSys Social Impact, which leveraged blockchain technology and education to address the needs of underprivileged individuals globally.[2][12][13]
As a blockchain community advocate, Greenfield helped launch scholarship programs, including Black Girls CODE’s inaugural blockchain program.[2]
In 2018, Greenfield was appointed as the Chief of Technology for the Blockchain for Social Impact Coalition after ConsenSys helped launch the initiative.[14]
In 2020, Greenfield returned to Emory University to teach at the university’s “Peer to Peer Master Class” sessions.[15]
In 2020, he founded Emerging Impact (now known as Umoja Labs) a fintech company developing blockchain products for areas with limited access through fiat and mobile money.[10] Its first product was Umoja, an open developer banking platform for mobile money.[1][16][17] Emerging Impact has partnered with major NGOs such as Hope for Haiti, Care International, and the Celo Foundation to support digital humanitarian aid programs around the world.[16][18][19] The company was named a winner of Inclusive Fintech 50’s 2022 cohort for their work in digitizing financial services for underserved communities.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b Dorisca, Samantha (2021-12-06). "Emerging Impact Raises $1.5M Round To Demystify Decentralized Finance". AfroTech. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- ^ a b c McLymore, Arriana (2019-10-31). "This Team Lead is Building the Intersection of Blockchain and Social Impact". AfroTech. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- ^ a b c "Wolverines Add Four Student-Athletes for 2011 Season". University of Michigan Athletics. 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 2011-2012 GHSA State Soccer Champions!". ghsa.net. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ a b c "When a student activist goes pro". Michigan Today. 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "With Campus Racism, How Can College Presidents Get It Right?". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "Students and alumni cash in on global bitcoin 'gold-rush'". michigandaily.com. 2014-02-02.
- ^ "Volume 68 Number 6". almanac.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ Tech, Blacks In (2017-01-16). "BIT Startup Of The Week: Nomsy - "Bringing you the food you want and need"". Blacks In Technology. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ a b Obsidi (2022-05-04). "Black Millennials: The New Generation Shaking Up The Tech Industry". Obsidi. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "In Venezuela, Cryptocurrency Is an Oppressor and a Lifeline". PCMAG. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "Blockchain's Next Frontier: Saving the Planet (and Possibly Pandas, Too)". Observer. 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "FEATURE-Scan on exit: can blockchain save Moldova's children from traffickers?". Reuters. 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ Hempel, Jessi. "How Refugees Are Helping Create Blockchain's Brand New World". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "Emory Students Innovating in a Crisis |Innovation Center | Emory University". hatchery.emory.edu. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b "Emerging Impact Is Bringing Decentralized Finance to Mobile Money Networks". 500 Global. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Fintech founder Robert Greenfield shares tips for new entrepreneurs". Mogul Millennial. 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Karr, Larisa (2022-02-11). "150K in digital currency donated to help feed Haitian families, local merchants". The Haitian Times. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "CARE tests cryptocurrency vouchers for aid delivery in Kenya, Ecuador". devex.com. 2021-08-13.
- ^ "2022 Winners". Inclusive Fintech 50. Retrieved 2023-01-23.