Fred Schebesta is one of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs and a crypto visionary, globally recognised as the founder and executive chair of the Finder Group.
His entrepreneurial journey began in the 1990s during his studies of a Bachelor of Finance degree at Macquarie University, when he developed websites for family and friends. This evolved into launching a digital marketing agency, Freestyle Media, which was sold in 2007.
In 2006, Fred introduced Finder as a blog focusing on credit card comparisons, born out of his personal struggle to easily evaluate suitable credit card options. Over time, Finder expanded to include thousands of products worldwide, becoming a trusted resource to compare products for millions of people.
In 2015, Fred took on the role of leading Finder’s global expansion, and opened its first international office in New York City in 2016. After discovering a passion for Bitcoin and its emerging technology in 2017, Fred gained recognition as an international keynote speaker in the crypto industry, following the establishment of Finder’s innovation arm, Finder Ventures, to launch a crypto brokerage in 2018 and the Finder app in 2020.
In 2021, Fred's journey into crypto and NFTs deepened when he co-founded the groundbreaking blockchain infrastructure venture Balthazar DAO, which unveiled a decentralised, self-custodial crypto wallet in August 2023.
Fred's accolades include being featured in the 2023 docuseries Founder, named LinkedIn Top Voices of Australia in 2020, Entrepreneur of the Year at the Blockchain Australia Industry Awards in 2019, Blockchain Australia Fellow 2019, and securing three prestigious EY awards in 2017, including Entrepreneur of the Year and Australian National Winner in the Services Category. He received the ADMA Australian Young Direct Marketer of the Year award in 2006 and was honoured in Australian Anthill's 30 under 30 list at the young age of 23. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being an Amazon #1 Bestseller with his book Go Live! 10 Principles to Launch a Global Empire which he launched with an online course titled Go Live! How to Develop Your Business Idea.
One of Fred’s proudest initiatives was launching Laptop Launchpad, partnering with Good360 Australia with the aim of sourcing one million used laptops and $10 million donated by 2025 to help close the digital divide.
Learn more at fredschebesta.com.
Expertise
- Cryptocurrency and NFTs
- Business and scaling
- Startups
- Fintech
Experience
- Built and scaled several digital businesses since 2001
- Amazon #1 Bestselling author of "Go Live! 10 Principles to Launch a Global Empire"
- Course instructor for "Go Live! How to Develop Your Business Idea"
- International keynote speaker
Education
- Bachelor of Finance | Macquarie University | 1999-2002
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