>_ Jacob Haap - About

Who is Jacob?

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[Story]

I was born and raised in the United States, in Cincinnati, Ohio. I had a relatively unique educational upbringing during my childhood, attending a Waldorf school in my early years, moving to Montessori education at age 10, and then being in Catholic and Jesuit education from age 12 to 16, before moving to remote-learning to finish High School at 16 & 17 during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that this educational journey, combined with the parenting style utilized by my parents which gave me a lot of personal freedom growing up, encouraging the idea that I should “grow up to become better than them,” and frequent family travel to new places, helped shape me into a naturally curious and self-determined person. Shortly after I turned 18, I moved to San Mateo, California, for the summer of 2021 where I attended Draper University’s Hero Training program. After starting at Draper University, I made the decision to drop out from the degree program I had been enrolled in, and pursue my startup, Anomaly Science, full-time. During the Hero Training program I grew a lot as a person, especially as the youngest in my cohort, learning how to function as an adult being on my own for the first time, learning better how to interact with people in my personal and professional lives, and perhaps most importantly, learning the skills I needed to take an idea on paper and turn it into something real.

Following the initial momentum after placing Third at the school’s Demo Day, and accepting Angel funding for my startup, in the autumn of 2021 I took five weeks to travel across Europe from Dublin, Ireland, to Tallinn, Estonia, putting myself out there to meet new people, share my ideas, and along the way, making the decision to relocate to Berlin, Germany. I moved to Berlin in January of 2021, where I have lived ever since, which being 18 at the time was quite a difficult and scary thing to do. Since living in Berlin, I have continued to grow as a person and made significant progress with my startup. Still, most importantly, I've had the chance to get to know some truly unique people from many different backgrounds, and I feel I have the support I need to make a real impact on the world. One thing that matters most to me in life is to be remembered when I'm gone, and I'm hopeful that my journey so far will make this possible.

[Experience]

Professional Skills & Experience

Overview

I got my start as a developer when I was 11, learning some basic Java programming when I wanted to learn how to create Mods for the game Minecraft. My introduction with Web3 came shortly after, learning about Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology while searching for a means to accept donations for a Minecraft server I was running, while being too young to use any traditional payment processors. While I never implemented this Bitcoin-based donation system, it did leave me with a strong interest in the technology behind it for years to come. In my teen years I participated in Hack Club, running my own chapter as a club leader, also attending and hosting a number of student hackathons. It was at one of these hackathons when I was 15 that I made my first project on the Ethereum blockchain as an ERC-20 token. In the years since I’ve transitioned into the professional role of a Software Architect, in strong connection with my work at my startup, with my specialization being in Web3 and Blockchain Technologies, designing & developing applications primarily with JavaScript, Web3.js and Solidity smart contracts. Through my work as CEO at my startup, I’ve gained experience in entrepreneurship, product development, business planning, and public speaking.

Skills

Top Skills: Software Architecture, Entrepreneurship , Public Speaking.

JavaScript , Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Linux System Administration, Ethereum, Smart Contracts, Node.js, Web3.js, IPFS, Leadership, Product Development, Project Management, Business Planning.

Work Experience

  • Chief Executive Officer: June 2021 - Present, Anomaly Science
  • Software Architect: June 2021 - Present, Anomaly Science

Volunteering Experience

  • Advising & Logistics: September 2019 - December 2021, AngelHacks
  • Club Leader: October 2018 - October 2020, Hack Club

[Education]