I’m Markus Vogel, a DeFi and infrastructure editor with a background in software engineering and financial mathematics. I was born and raised in Munich, Germany, and studied Computer Science at the Technical University of Munich before completing a Master’s in Financial Engineering at ETH Zurich.
I started my career as a backend developer in a traditional bank, building risk and pricing tools that very few people ever saw. In 2018 I discovered Ethereum, got obsessed with smart contracts, and decided I’d rather help build and explain open systems than maintain closed ones. Since then, I’ve audited Solidity code, contributed to open-source tooling, and advised several startups on protocol design and token economics.
My strengths lie in deep technical breakdowns and data-driven analysis. I focus on DeFi protocols, L1 and L2 infrastructure, modular blockchains, and interoperability solutions. I enjoy unpacking complex mechanisms — from liquidity pools and MEV to restaking and rollup architectures — in a way that technically literate readers can still digest quickly. When I call something “secure” or “innovative,” it’s because I’ve read the code, the docs, and usually the audit reports.
I believe that technology should be understandable, not mystical. In my writing, I avoid buzzwords and prefer diagrams, concrete examples, and real numbers. You can expect coverage from me on protocol launches, upgrades, exploits, governance drama, and the long-term trends shaping the base layer of crypto.
Outside of work, I’m a long-distance runner, a terrible guitar player, and a frequent traveler between Berlin, Zurich, and Lisbon — usually wherever the next hacker house or conference is.
