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Established in 2023, Mask Network Academy is the non-profit arm of Mask Network, providing funding, donations, and technological collaboration to leading universities and journalism programs worldwide, with the goal of promoting Web3 research and storytelling.
Suji Yan is the Founder and CEO of Mask Network and the Bonfire Union fund. He studied computer engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and left university at the age of 20 to launch the Mask Network protocol in 2017. Since then, it has become a key player in the decentralized social ecosystem. A strong advocate for community empowerment and Web3 education, Suji has made substantial contributions to leading universities and institutions — including UIUC, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, UC Berkeley, and Yale-China — in support of Web3 research and journalism.
Nancy Wu leads the non-profit Academy at Mask Network. She is a veteran journalist who has worked at leading international media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and South China Morning Post, with a focus on the tech industry. In 2016, she transitioned into media entrepreneurship and co-founded two startups covering prominent tech unicorns and emerging entrepreneurs. Nancy is an alumna of UC Berkeley and Harvard University.
April 2024, donation to HKUST Crypto Fintech Lab
November 2023, donation to the non-profit Mastodon
