Illia Polosukhin, Angel Investor

Illia Polosukhin is a technologist, researcher, and investor known for pioneering advancements in artificial intelligence and blockchain. He is the Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol, a leading open-source platform designed to make decentralized applications scalable and accessible, where he continues to shape the future of Web3 infrastructure. Before NEAR, Polosukhin was an Engineering Manager at Google Research, where he co-authored the seminal paper *“Attention Is All You Need,”* introducing the Transformer architecture that underpins today’s generative AI models. His earlier experience at Salford Systems focused on predictive analytics and machine learning tools for large-scale data applications. As an active angel investor, Polosukhin has invested in more than twenty technology startups at the intersection of AI, cryptography, and decentralized systems. His portfolio includes ventures such as Lens Protocol, Fabric Cryptography, and OpenGradient, each reflecting his commitment to building secure, intelligent, and open technologies for the future of the digital economy.