Context & biography
If you need a short summary: I build open, verifiable financial infrastructure — focusing on market structure, risk systems, and protocol design. Much of my historical work is open-source and community-operated; my role is typically as an engineer/architect rather than a custodian of user assets.
What this page is (and isn’t)
- Is: A place to find consistent bios, roles, and project references; plus a neutral appendix for commonly-cited historical events.
- Is not: Investment advice, a marketing page, or a substitute for protocol documentation, audits, or legal guidance.
Approved biography copy
Use these versions to keep LinkedIn, Crunchbase, PitchBook, speaker bios, and press notes consistent. (Each block has a Copy button.)
One‑liner (≈25–35 words)
Andre Cronje is a software developer and systems architect known for contributions to decentralized finance infrastructure, including Yearn Finance (2020) and Keep3r Network (2020). He is the founder of Flying Tulip (2025).
Use for: speaker intros, short panels, directory listings.
Short bio (≈80–120 words)
Andre Cronje is a software developer and systems architect focused on decentralized finance and on‑chain market infrastructure. He founded Yearn Finance in 2020 and created Keep3r Network the same year—two widely used open‑source DeFi primitives. In 2025, he launched Flying Tulip, an on‑chain trading and risk system combining a native stablecoin, money markets, and trading products into a single platform. He advises on technical matters within the Fantom ecosystem (now Sonic Labs) in a non‑executive technical advisor capacity. He studied Law at Stellenbosch University and later completed computer science coursework at CTI Education Group.
Use for: LinkedIn “About”, conference bios, podcast briefs.
Long bio (≈250–400 words)
Andre Cronje is a software developer and systems architect working on open, verifiable financial infrastructure. He is the founder of Flying Tulip (2025), an on‑chain financial marketplace designed around standardized pricing, credit, and risk—combining unified collateral, a native stablecoin, money markets, and trading products into a single system. In 2020, Cronje founded Yearn Finance, a community‑led DeFi protocol suite that automated yield strategies across lending and trading platforms. Yearn’s governance token (YFI) launched via a widely discussed “fair launch” model with no allocation to Cronje or the development team. That same year, he created Keep3r Network, a decentralized coordination protocol connecting “job posters” with independent “keepers” to execute tasks on‑chain. Cronje entered the crypto space in 2018 and has held engineering and advisory roles across crypto‑native organizations. He advises on technical matters within the Fantom ecosystem (now Sonic Labs) in a non‑executive technical advisor capacity. Cronje studied Law at Stellenbosch University and later completed computer science coursework at CTI Education Group. Prior to DeFi, he spent roughly a decade working in technical roles across sectors including telecoms and retail.
Use for: press backgrounders, investor diligence packets, “About” pages.
Timeline
High-level milestones for context. (Not a complete CV.)
| Period | Milestone | References |
|---|---|---|
| Pre‑2018 | Studied Law at Stellenbosch University and later completed computer science coursework at CTI Education Group; worked in technical roles prior to entering crypto. | |
| 2018 | Entered the crypto space and began contributing to DeFi; began advising technically within the Fantom ecosystem (now Sonic Labs) in a non‑executive capacity. | [see note] |
| 2020 | Created Yearn Finance and helped launch YFI governance token distribution; created Keep3r Network. | [1] [2] |
| 2022 | Publicly stepped back from DeFi contributions (reported contemporaneously by media). | [5] |
| 2025 | Flying Tulip announced a private funding round and an on‑chain public sale plan (company press release). | [3] |
Projects and roles
Brief summaries with primary references. For full technical detail, follow the docs links.
Yearn Finance
Yearn is a DeFi protocol suite with vault and strategy primitives. The YFI token is used as a coordination and governance tool for Yearn’s community and contributors.
- YFI supply: 36,666 minted.
- Initial distribution: 30,000 YFI distributed over ~7 days via liquidity provision to specified pools; control of minting moved from a single key to a multisig shortly after launch.
- Later mint: Governance later voted to mint an additional 6,666 YFI (allocation split between contributors and treasury).
Docs: YFI — Yearn DAO Docs
Keep3r Network
Keep3r is a decentralized network for protocols that need off-chain execution (“jobs”) and for independent operators (“keepers”) who can perform those jobs. The network focuses on registry and coordination rather than “managing jobs” itself.
- Jobs: contracts that register work needing execution.
- Keepers: external operators who execute jobs using their own infrastructure and rules.
Docs: Keep3r V2 documentation
Flying Tulip
Flying Tulip is an on-chain financial marketplace / exchange stack intended to unify spot, derivatives, credit, and risk transfer in a cross‑margin system. The company announced a $200m private funding round and a planned on-chain public sale of its $FT token at the same valuation.
- Press release date: Sep 29, 2025.
- Design note: the press release describes an on-chain redemption right (“perpetual put”) for primary-sale participants, and states that the team receives no initial token allocation.
Reference: PRNewswire announcement · Official site · Docs
Other roles (selected)
Selected prior roles and affiliations that are sometimes referenced in third‑party profiles. These are included here to reduce ambiguity; titles and responsibilities can vary across sources.
- Technical advisor and contributor to the Fantom ecosystem (now Sonic Labs) in a non‑executive capacity.
- Former Head of Technology & Innovation at Fusion Foundation.
- Previously held engineering roles across organizations including Vodacom, Shoprite Holdings, and Freedom Life.
FAQ
Do you control Yearn or Keep3r today?
These are open-source ecosystems with community governance and third‑party usage. Individual contributor roles change over time. For governance mechanics and token evolution, use the protocol documentation.
Where can I verify token distribution mechanics for YFI?
See the Yearn DAO documentation for YFI distribution, minting, and governance proposals: docs.yearn.fi → Governance → YFI.
What’s the best way to avoid scams using your name?
Use the official links list on this page; ignore unsolicited DMs; and verify contract addresses only from official project documentation. If in doubt, treat it as malicious.
Why is there an “Appendix” section?
Certain historical events are frequently referenced out of context. The appendix documents the basic timeline and primary references in a neutral way, so readers can reach their own conclusions.
Appendix: commonly cited events & clarifications
Neutral context for events that are often summarized inaccurately or without references.
A. Eminence (2020) — experimental contracts exploited
In late September 2020, users sent funds to smart contracts associated with an experimental project called “Eminence.” Media reporting at the time described approximately $15m being deposited and then drained by an exploit, with roughly $8m later returned by the attacker. Separately, Cronje publicly warned the project was not ready and advised users to avoid depositing in non-announced contracts.
- Key point: deployed contracts are not equivalent to a “public launch.” Users should verify official release channels before sending funds.
- Why it’s here: this event is often referenced without context, and frequently conflated with unrelated projects.
B. 2022 step‑back from DeFi and later explanation
In March 2022, media reported that Andre would stop contributing to DeFi/crypto projects, following a public statement by a colleague. In January 2025, a later article summarized Andre’s own explanation that sustained regulatory scrutiny and recurring inquiries were a major factor in stepping back.
C. Regulatory context references
A publicly posted SEC Crypto Task Force staff memo (meeting notes/document) cited Andre’s “Why did I quit in 2022” post as an example in a broader discussion of how DeFi systems might be characterized under existing frameworks. This is included here only as a pointer for researchers; it is not a finding about any specific project.
See: [9]
Sources
These are the primary references used to ground the factual claims on this page. Where possible, prefer official documentation and first‑party announcements.
- Yearn Docs — YFI governance page. docs.yearn.fi/contributing/governance/yfi
- Keep3r Docs — Introduction (Keep3r V2). docs.keep3r.network
- PRNewswire — “Flying Tulip Raises $200M; Announces $FT Public Sale…” (company press release). prnewswire.com
- Flying Tulip — documentation. docs.flyingtulip.com
- Blockworks — “DeFi Star Developer Andre Cronje Calls it Quits” (Mar 7, 2022). blockworks.co
- Unchained — “Eminence Hack…” (Oct 2, 2020) describing the exploit and partial return. unchainedcrypto.com
- CryptoSlate — “Eminence…” (Sep 30, 2020) summarizing Cronje’s public warning that the project was not ready. cryptoslate.com
- CryptoSlate — “How SEC scrutiny pushed… to quit in 2022” (Jan 29, 2025) summarizing a later explanation. cryptoslate.com
- SEC.gov — Crypto Task Force staff memo (Mar 13, 2025) citing “Why did I quit in 2022”. sec.gov PDF
Corrections & update policy
Requesting a correction
If you believe a statement on this page is inaccurate, email: andre@flyingtulip.com
Please include: (1) the exact claim, (2) the section/anchor, (3) what you believe is correct, (4) primary sources (docs, filings, official posts).
Update policy
- Cadence: update only when there is a material change (new role, major announcement, correction needed).
- Changelog: keep a short dated list of changes below.
- Neutrality: keep wording factual; link sources; avoid arguments.
Changelog
- 2026-01-05: Initial public draft created.