Founder's First with Jack Liu: The World’s First ETH MicroStrategy
Off-Chain Games, On-Chain Players
It was through a fortuitous encounter in 2014 that I met Jack. Throughout the last 10 years, I have seen Jack launch numerous blockchain projects, and I have always been one of his first 100 users.
I have always thought of him as an idealistic early mover, from being in Bitcoin in 2012, launching OK-link — first exchange on-off ramp solution — launching the first pre-trading product at Poloneix, to launching the first ordinal swap.. the list goes on…
His latest endeavor is the world’s first ETH oriented MicroStrategy, a listed company trading on the Canadian Stock Exchange that plans to continuously issue bonds to purchase ETH.
This is the first time he is dipping his toes into the ETH ecosystem, and it is the most off-chain, and most trad-fi anchored play I have ever seen.
What is the thinking behind this radically counter-cyclical move? I grabbed him for a chat over tea to find out.
“I started in traditional finance at Barclays Capital in Hong Kong. I was young enough—and maybe foolish enough—to think that finance could change without even knowing about Bitcoin.”
“That belief led me to Silicon Valley, where I tried to build a crowdfunding startup. I'm a non-developer, so that was challenging at the time in Silicon Valley. But what was really lucky was a couple of months after relocating there in 2013, I heard about Bitcoin”
“Bitcoin hit me like a freight train. It felt like the future. I joined Kraken and OKX in their early days — when Kraken had fewer than 30 employees — and immersed myself in crypto.”
“Over the next decade, I worked with exchanges, built products, and even dove into Bitcoin Ordinals before launching Moss.”
So, what made you decide to build Moss?
“It’s about timing.”
“Crypto is finally institutionalizing. You’ve got BlackRock ETFs, MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin strategy, and increasing regulatory clarity. But what’s missing is a MicroStrategy for Ethereum—that’s where Moss comes in.”
“Ethereum has yield-generating potential and a huge ecosystem, but it’s been underperforming relative to Bitcoin. I see that as an opportunity. Moss gives investors exposure to ETH, but with the added benefit of being an active player in the ecosystem — not just a passive holder like an ETF.”
“Ethereum is more than just an asset. It’s a builder network — a platform for DeFi, NFTs, and programmable money.”
“Bitcoin has MicroStrategy, and it’s been successful. But Ethereum is different. It can generate yield, integrate with staking, and support adjacent products.
“There should be many public companies around the world that hold ETH as a treasury strategy. Then, we can get into the more advanced parts of what ETH can do for a corporate balance sheet in the form of yield-adjacent products.
What challenges come with being a publicly listed crypto company?
“In Canada, we’re required to mark down crypto assets to their lowest value each quarter, even if they’ve recovered. That can make earnings look worse than they are.”
“But I see it as an opportunity rather than a challenge. We’re here to educate the market and show investors how crypto can fit into traditional finance.”
“I've noticed, even not in public markets, but in crypto generally, there's a bit of a gun shyness about launching something. People like to be overly prepared, tend to overthink, and try to have everything at once. They do that because that's better for the stock.”
“So, I think we are more in touch with that reality, and we understand that not all businesses are large enough to do everything. We just care about the number of ETH on your balance sheet.”
I had pitched a public company CEO before, asking ‘why don't you hold crypto as well?’ Their response was that they were concerned about the accounting — having to mark the crypto at the lowest point — this will make their earnings per share look really bad.”
If everything goes right, what does Moss look like in 10 years?
“In 10 years, I see public companies operating directly on blockchain — no middlemen, no delays. Moss is a bridge to that future.”
“In the short term, we’re focused on ETH accumulation. But long term, we’ll explore staking, yield-generating products, and deeper integration with Ethereum.”
“We’re building the foundation for now.”
What’s your advice for builders in crypto?
“Take risks. Stay nimble. Embrace feedback. Crypto moves fast, and you have to move with it. Don’t overthink it — just ship and iterate.”
“I actually have two book recommendations for new Web3 builders:
The Sovereign Individual — It’s about how technology reshapes freedom and governance. Essential reading for understanding blockchain.”
The Dictator’s Handbook — This one’s about power dynamics. It helps you think strategically about ecosystems, both centralized and decentralized.”
To finish, give us an overview of why this all matters.
“Crypto isn’t just an asset class. It’s a new economy.”
“With Moss, we’re giving investors a way to participate in Ethereum’s growth without the complexity of wallets and keys. At the same time, we’re helping Ethereum integrate with traditional finance.”
“This isn’t just about ETH — it’s about building bridges between the TradFi and crypto worlds.”
Follow Moss Genomics: https://thecse.com/listings/moss-genomics-inc/
Follow Jack on Twitter: @liujackc