Da Hongfei

Founder of Neo; Chair of Neo Foundation; CEO of NGD

Da Hongfei is the Founder of Neo, one of China's earliest public blockchain platforms, and currently serves as Chair of the Neo Foundation and CEO of Neo Global Development (NGD). Trained in engineering and technology management, Hongfei entered the blockchain space in the early 2010s when he recognized that existing distributed ledger designs lacked the programmability and governance structures needed for mainstream enterprise adoption.

In 2014, Hongfei co-founded Antshares with Erik Zhang, building a smart-contract platform optimized for the digitization of real-world assets. The project rebranded to Neo in 2017, adopting a dual-token model (NEO and GAS), delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT) consensus, and a vision of a "Smart Economy" that connects digital identity, digital assets, and smart contracts.

In 2026, Hongfei continues to lead the Neo Foundation's strategic direction and NGD's operational efforts, overseeing the Neo N3 architecture and the Neo X EVM-compatible sidechain, which extends Neo's interoperability with the broader Ethereum ecosystem.

Founding Story

Hongfei and co-founder Erik Zhang launched Antshares in 2014 as China's first public blockchain project aimed at digitizing real-world assets and enabling smart contracts. The platform's mainnet launched in 2016, and in June 2017, Antshares rebranded to Neo with an updated technical roadmap and the "Smart Economy" positioning. NGD (Neo Global Development) was established as the operational arm supporting ecosystem growth, developer tooling, and global partnerships.

What Neo Does

Neo is a Layer-1 smart contract platform that operates on a dual-token model: NEO, the governance token used for voting on network parameters and generating GAS; and GAS, the utility token used to pay for on-chain computation and transactions. Neo uses dBFT (delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance) consensus, which provides transaction finality with no forks and is operated by consensus node operators elected by NEO holders.

Neo N3, the current mainnet iteration, introduced a redesigned architecture with improved native contracts, an updated storage model, and enhanced interoperability infrastructure. Neo X is an EVM-compatible sidechain launched to enable Neo developers to interact with Ethereum tooling and bring EVM dApps into the Neo ecosystem. The Neo Foundation governs grants, research, and ecosystem development, while NGD drives commercial adoption and partnerships.

Current 2026 Work

As of August 2026, Da Hongfei remains Chair of the Neo Foundation and CEO of NGD. His focus includes overseeing Neo X's development and bridge security, expanding Neo's developer ecosystem, and promoting interoperability between Neo and other major chains. The Neo Foundation continues to fund grants for open-source contributors and research into governance improvements to the dBFT protocol.

Key Contributions

• Co-Founding Neo/Antshares (2014): Launched China's first public smart-contract blockchain with Erik Zhang, pioneering the concept of digitized real-world assets on-chain.
• Smart Economy Vision: Defined the strategic vision of combining digital identity, digital assets, and smart contracts under a "Smart Economy" framework.
• Neo N3 Architecture Leadership: Led the organization that delivered Neo N3, a redesigned smart contract platform with native Oracle, interoperability, and storage improvements.
• Neo X EVM Sidechain: Championed Neo X as a bridge between Neo's ecosystem and Ethereum-compatible tooling, broadening developer accessibility.
• Dual-Token Model Design: Helped establish the NEO/GAS dual-token economy that separates governance from transaction fee utility.
• China Blockchain Ecosystem: Positioned Neo as a leading Chinese blockchain platform during the critical 2016–2019 growth period, drawing significant developer and enterprise attention.

Why This Founder Matters

Da Hongfei represents the first generation of non-Bitcoin/Ethereum blockchain founders who built alternative Layer-1 platforms with distinct governance and economic designs. Neo's dBFT consensus, dual-token model, and early focus on enterprise asset digitization influenced subsequent blockchain designs globally. His sustained leadership of both the Neo Foundation and NGD demonstrates continuity of institutional commitment in a space where founder involvement frequently wanes after initial launches.

Career Timeline

Sources & Verification

• neo.org/contributors
• neo.org/about
• LinkedIn profile (cn.linkedin.com/in/dahongfei)
• X/Twitter @dahongfei

Information last checked: August 2026