Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta are the co-inventors of the early blockchain. At Bell Communications Research (Bellcore), Scott and Stuart co-invented the blockchain technique for ensuring the integrity of digital records, writing a pioneering series of papers and patents which laid the foundation for Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Of the eight citations in the original Bitcoin white paper, three reference their work.
The two then co-founded Surety Technologies, a Bellcore spin-off which offered digital time-stamping services. It was the first commercial deployment of a Blockchain and began in 1994.
Stuart Haber
Principal, Stuart Haber Crypto, LLC
Haber’s work has bridged pure research and practical cybersecurity over the course of a 30-year career spent both at large established companies such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP Labs and Bellcore, as well as at startups such as InterTrust and Surety. Haber served on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) from 2004 through 2011.
Haber received his B.A. from Harvard University and his M.S. from Stanford University, both in mathematics, and his Ph.D. in computer science from Columbia University. He has lectured, published, and received patents on several practical and theoretical aspects of cryptography and computer security, on algorithms, on the theory of computing, and in electrical engineering. In addition to his continued work on blockchain techniques, Haber’s research has included multi-party computation, redactable digital signatures, and CAPTCHA-based authentication techniques. His Erdös number is 2.
Before devoting himself to cryptography, Haber spent a couple of years living in Paris, studying mathematics at the École Normale Supérieure and working as a professional juggler.
W. Scott Stornetta, Ph.D.
Partner, Yugen Partners
After founding Surety, Scott returned to Bellcore where he served as Assistant General Manager of the 125-person Mathematical and Computer Sciences Laboratory.
Dr. Stornetta consulted for many years, evaluating the commercial potential of emerging technologies on behalf of universities, commercial research labs, and venture capital interests. He is currently a partner at Yugen Partners, a blockchain and AI-focused venture capital firm, and serves on various boards. He also consults for governments on blockchain policy, is a frequent lecturer at universities, and serves as a fellow at the Creative Destruction Lab associated with the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto.
Dr. Stornetta received his Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University, after attending MIT, Harvard, and Brigham Young University.