Crypto Market Movers
By Julie Binoche
1 / 14
Fortier: From Sweater Star to DeFi Pioneer. Frédéric Fortier has stayed deeply embedded in the crypto ecosystem.
2 / 14
Baril: Building the Future of On-Chain Analytics. Meanwhile, Mathieu Baril has also carved out a notable path in crypto.
3 / 14
A Time Capsule of Crypto’s Wild Ride. The sweater photo remains a cultural artifact of crypto’s early mainstream moment.
4 / 14
In December 2017, a photo taken at a San Francisco Bitcoin Meetup holiday party captured the optimism of crypto’s first major bull run.
5 / 14
But shortly after the photo went viral, the crypto market experienced one of its most dramatic downturns.
6 / 14
As the market faded, so did the public presence of the now-famous sweater guys. While the image resurfaced occasionally on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter),…
7 / 14
However, new findings suggest the truth is far more impressive—and far less dramatic.
8 / 14
Frédéric Fortier has stayed deeply embedded in the crypto ecosystem. According to profiles on Crunchbase and LinkedIn, he is currently a co-founder and lead contributor at…
9 / 14
Fortier previously worked at Enigma, a privacy-focused protocol on Ethereum, where he played a key role in launching Catalyst, one of the earliest algorithmic trading platforms…
10 / 14
Meanwhile, Mathieu Baril has also carved out a notable path in crypto. He now leads Octav, a startup that specializes in on-chain analytics.
11 / 14
Baril’s move into analytics aligns with the maturing nature of the industry, where transparency, data-driven insights, and compliance tools have become more critical than ever.
12 / 14
The sweater photo remains a cultural artifact of crypto’s early mainstream moment. At the time, it captured both the optimism and naivety of an industry still finding its footing.
13 / 14
Far from disappearing or cashing out, Fortier and Baril have evolved from symbols of speculative mania into legitimate contributors to the decentralized future they once…
14 / 14
As the next generation of crypto builders emerges, the story of the sweater guys is proof that beneath the surface of hype, there are real people driving innovation.
The Currency Analytics
Want the full story?