Shayne Coplan is an American entrepreneur and technologist, best known as the founder of Polymarket. Born in 1998, he was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and attended public schools in Hell's Kitchen.

As a teenager, he participated in the 2014 initial coin offering (ICO) of Ethereum, acquiring tokens when they cost only $0.30 each. He briefly studied computer science at New York University (NYU) but dropped out during his freshman year to pursue his interest in decentralized finance.

• Core Company: Polymarket (Crypto prediction market).
• Founding: Established Polymarket in June 2020 at age 22.
• Age Milestone: Recognized as the world's youngest self-made billionaire in October 2025.

Shayne Coplan’s career is defined by his belief in 'governance by betting markets.' After an initial DeFi project called Union Market, he pivoted during the 2020 pandemic to focus entirely on prediction markets.

He founded Polymarket, an Ethereum-based platform where users bet on real-world outcomes. The platform achieved global fame during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, facilitating over $3.2 billion in bets and often outperforming traditional polling. In October 2025, following a strategic deal with the owners of the NYSE, Coplan officially became a billionaire.

• Role: Founder and CEO of Polymarket.
• Achievement: Built the largest prediction market in history from his Lower East Side apartment.