Category: The 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders to watch in 2021_profile

“Opportunities avail but wait for ready hands to grab them.”- Sash Jeetun

A leading fintech platform in the Decentralised Financial sector, Spherium Finance is synonymous with a dignified pioneer in unifying the current scattered DeFi landscape by creating a suite of financial services for a global audience. It is the brainchild of Sash Jeetun, who is known to be a highly ambitious, tenacious and solutions-focused individual, striving to build an eccentric platform, spearheading the cause of decentralization and DeFi. 

Mr Sash Jeetun, Co-founder, Spherium Finance is an Anglia Ruskin University Alumni, an industry expert and serial entrepreneur. The leader has been involved in blockchain since 2014 and is a big believer in the power of blockchain technology to solve the current financial imparity. With qualifications in Business Management, International Business and other fields, supported by a vast background in research, advisory, fundraising and assisting bootstrap crypto projects, Mr Sash is already an established entity in the industry. He is an instinctively proactive personality with a positive and innovative approach to challenges. And so far, he has been privileged to lead several entrepreneurial projects in different capacities and roles.  

Offering a Complete Suite of Financial Services

Spherium Finance is a DeFi platform that offers a complete suite of financial services comprising a universal wallet, token swap platform, money markets, and inter-blockchain liquidity transfer. This platform will function as a global decentralized financial service provider, extending fundamental financial services to the unbanked.

At the moment, they have four different products which they are rolling out. These are HyperSwap, Spherium Bridge, HyperLend and Spherium wallet:

HyperSwap: HyperSwap is a fully decentralized interoperable platform for swapping tokens using cutting-edge Automated Market Maker (AMM) algorithms that allow liquidity providers to capture profits by reducing the price skew (for an asset in a pool) and bringing the asset price back to the market price. This infrastructure, built on the Ethereum Blockchain and Binance Smart Chain, creates different liquidity pools and will incentivise liquidity miners. Users can add liquidity for any asset pair on HyperSwap liquidity protocols. Additionally, liquidity providers can earn $SPHRI tokens for approved asset pairs. As another advantage, liquidity providers will earn the pool’s trading fees paid by HyperSwap users for swapping tokens. When liquidity is supplied to the pool, the provider will receive special LP tokens which will be proportional to the liquidity they add to the pool. HyperSwap, as a solution, aims to solve four major issues in DeFi. These challenges include impermanent loss, interoperability, high transaction fees and complex user interfaces.

Spherium Bridge: The Spherium Bridge is a dynamic multi-chain bridge addressing the real bottlenecks between different chains and their ecosystems. Currently their bridge resides between the Ethereum blockchain and the Binance Smart Chain such that ERC-20 tokens and BEP20 tokens can be easily transferred across either chain. Moving ahead, the bridge will also integrate Polygon and Avalanche to create more multi-chain indulgence and will eventually transform the really fragmented DeFi space as a whole. 

HyperLend: HyperLend is a decentralized lending protocol built to connect lenders and borrowers. The HyperLend money market is a pool of particular assets that algorithmically derive interest rates based on the supply and demand for the asset. Lenders and Borrowers of the asset will interact with the protocol directly in order to earn and pay, respectively, a floating interest rate, without having to negotiate any kind of terms such as maturity, interest rate, or collateral.

Spherium wallet: Spherium Wallet is a non-custodial, secure mobile-first wallet for ERC20 tokens, which will enable our customers to use all the services provided by the Spherium ecosystem at all times from their mobile device. The Spherium team will ensure the safety and security of users’ assets by adopting best practices in the cybersecurity space. Initially, the wallet will be launched on Android devices and later, on IOS devices. The wallet will also have integrations with payment gateways and crypto-to-fiat payment offboarding facilities.

For their outstanding solutions, Spherium Finance has been recognized by many publications. Recently, they were mentioned by beststartup.asia as one of the “31 Top Singapore Financial Exchange Companies and Startups”.

Spherium has an extended use-case and massive DeFi prospects for the future financial solutions. In less than a year, Spherium’s native token, $SPHRI, got listed on several exchanges and coin trackers including Gate.io Uniswap, CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko and several others. They have also introduced their native Incubation and Grant Program to build the biggest cross-chain community out there. Several projects have already been announced and more are to follow with the onset of their cross-chain DEX HyperSwap Mainnet. 

Clientele & the Corporate Ethos

The clientele cut across different sectors of the global economy, especially finance and other companies that render blockchain-backed services.

Clients are very vital for the viability of every business. For this reason, they are keen on developing products and solutions that align with customer values. In recent years, the DeFi space has grown invariably and there still exists a lot of complications in terms of sustained interoperability, complex user interface and high transaction fees. Spherium being largely customer-centric, their solutions are built to solve each of these problems strategically and skillfully. 

Major Hurdle & The Driving Force 

Sash’s primary challenge was bringing growth to a highly competitive industry where everyone is trying to build the next big thing. In the blockchain space, innovations happen really quick and if you miss an opportunity, you might find yourself far behind.

“Getting to the point where I am today taking a lot of hard work and determination. My family was my greatest support when I felt like throwing in the towel. I also drew inspiration from Elon Musk and a few others, especially those who failed and never gave up”, shared the visionary. 

Creating a more Balanced and Equal Industry

To contribute to a more balanced industry, The leader advises companies to stay on top of their game and always brainstorm on innovations. This is because the blockchain and DeFi ecosystem is fast-paced. It’s also necessary to hire the best team.

Sash Jeetun’s Daily Routine & Hobbies

Sash Jeetun’s daily schedule is usually very tight. He wakes up at 6:30 am daily, meditates and gets engaged in a series of business meetings. He also finds time to study, he reads lots of books and catches-up on podcasts while executing the day’s work. Coming from a varied field of roles, Sash also manages to touch base with the Developer, Marketing and BD team in Spherium, taking charge of day-to-day activities. At last, he ends his day with a quick call with the founding partners to discuss the progress, vision and the next action plans in the pipeline.  The visionary also enjoys watching Formula 1, Badminton, and playing golf in his leisure time.          

Words of Wisdom for Female Entrepreneurs

Female entrepreneurs shouldn’t let issues of gender imbalance common in many nations, especially developing countries get to them. They should learn to be decisive and diligent in accomplishing set goals, as well as remember that the sky is wide enough for everyone.

Favourite Book & Quote 

One of Sash’s favourite books is “The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time” and “The Big Short”. He loves these books because they give an insight into how the biggest business names, they know of today made decisions that made them prominent.

In support of companies seeking to enhance their cybersecurity, an eminent transformation strategist and technopreneur, Matt White, laid the bedrock foundation of XaaS Ltd to provide excellence and innovation in the protection of digital data and empower everyone on their cyber transformation journey.

The driven, rock climbing author, and father of 2 girls began his career fixing computers and giving businesses support when he was in his early teens. From then he moved to development in the dot com boom, covering infrastructure, resilience, and leading into consultancy.

The Life-Changing Incident

When Matt was 12, he injured his wrist and when 13 was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, Complex Regional Pain syndrome (CRPS).  CRPS is a poorly understood condition where a person experiences persistent severe and debilitating pain.  As a result Matt gets little sleep and is fueled by adrenaline.

Matt now sees his condition as both a gift and a curse, having learnt over time to reframe it as a superpower.  The pain fuels him, giving him the ability to push himself harder and further, whilst driving him to keep fighting.  He is inspirational living proof that any hardship and problem can be turned into advantage, with willpower and a positive attitude.

More about the Venture  

XaaS helps companies improve their cybersecurity, removing the ‘witchcraft’ and subjectivity by helping define and then guiding them through their transformation journey.  XaaS has two products, ‘Advance’, the enterprise product designed for companies who want to undertake a full transformation, and ‘Evolve’ the cutdown solution aimed at helping improve the cybersecurity of small businesses by guiding them through a much more simplified journey to be secure, in line with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and CyberEssentials.

Matt explained further, “Our platform allows you to assess yourself against our baseline model, mapped to the industry standard control frameworks such as NIST and ISO 27001, taking into account your constraints (time, budget, resource and risk appetite) and then delivers you a step by step dynamic roadmap, tracking progress and offering reporting.  Using an analogy, we offer turn by turn navigation like modern day SatNavs, rather than the traditional, static line drawn on a map route.”

The Inspiration of Becoming an Author

Matt has been fortunate enough to meet a lot of different characters along the way.  In particular, he has met many people at the top of their field, and they all had one thing in common… they were giving back.  They mentored, they helped their colleagues and acquaintances, not out of expectation, but because they felt it was the right thing to do.  The help and guidance he was given made Matt want to pay it forward.  When the opportunity with NY Times Bestselling Author Neil Strauss came up, it felt like a book was a way to support even more people than he can in person, hopefully preventing them from making some of his mistakes.

Clients & the Unbreakable Faith

The clientele of XaaS includes businesses of any size.  Whether a global enterprise going through a planned transformation or a sole trader, the team helps make cybersecurity easier.

Matt ensures the unbreakable faith of his clients by being pragmatic, open, and honest.  If he does not know or cannot do something he is upfront about it, then where possible he puts them in touch with the people that can.

Challenges & Learnings on the Way

Jim McKelvey defines the Innovation Stack as “a series of inventions that differentiates a company and allows it to completely dominate a market”.

Initially, Matt and his team did not understand that was what they were building with XaaS, they just had a proven idea and methodology.  As they realised the extent of what they were doing, it quickly became a question of, “How do you find the time to build not just a product, but an entire innovation stack of solutions, whilst getting to market quickly?”

The team knew the big things that needed to be done, everyone has those large milestones in their start-up plan, but the journey so far has taught Matt that those big things aren’t the important ones, it’s the hundreds of ‘micro-challenges’ that each needed solving and how they drove XaaS down the path as the team built what had become not a single innovation, but a combination of innovations all working together symbiotically, their own XaaS Innovation Stack.

Who Helped Matt in the Journey?

Matt’s dad was the single most influential person in who he is today.  Matt’s gift for innovation is in great part from his perception of how to handle challenges in the world.  Through Saturday nights watching MacGyver and weekends repairing items around the house, his father taught him a couple of key lessons that have served him well…  that anything can be fixed with enough duct tape and superglue and that no problem is unsolvable.

Daily Routine

Matt shared his daily routine, “I tend to get up between 06:00 and 07:00 depending on whether I’m travelling to London.  My breakfast is usually a protein shake and a bulletproof coffee, with my first call between 07:30 and 08:00.  Then I answer emails and do my ‘admin tasks’ until 09:00. Next is 15-30 minutes for me to do that day’s Power MBA session.” 

“09:30 – 18:30 is the core of my day with our team or our clients.  My time is spent doing anything from administrative paperwork needed as you build a business, to product workshops, client meetings, strategy sessions, or interviews. During 3 of the days I slot in a couple of hours to climb at my local bouldering gym”  

“Assuming I’m at home, at 18:30(ish) I spend some time with my daughters and put them to bed at 20:00. Then, I take my meal and spend some time with my wife. At about 22:00 I’m back out in my office working or writing.  If I haven’t wound down, I’ll read for an hour before going to bed at about 02:00.”

Favourite Book

‘Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle”

Future Roadmap

When asked about his future plans, Matt said, “Whilst at the moment we might be focusing on cyber security, the methodology we developed for transformational journeys at XaaS can be applied to many challenges in the industry and in our personal lives.  This means that we are able to expand XaaS to multiple transformation themes, both in industry and for personal use.

We’re particularly excited to be working with Team GB Climbing coach, Belinda Fuller,  looking at applying our platform to improve fitness, ability and maturity for anyone who wants to climb.  As we see it sky’s the limit…”  

A Piece of Advice

Now more than ever there is a place for entrepreneurs.  Regardlesss of gender, race, ethnicity, or belief system, if you have a vision then go for it.  Don’t let ANYONE tell you it can’t be done or you can’t do it, but remember to make it true to yourself.

Just be awar that you’re going to get setbacks and you’re going to get blockers.  You WILL fall before you fly, but that is a part of the game. It’s those falls that teach you the best lessons.

Fitness enthusiast David Lyons, Founder, MS Bodybuilding Challenge and Co-founder, MS Fitness Challenge (MSFC), is globally renowned for his work in both the entertainment and fitness industries. The owner of the OPTIMALBODY fitness brand and President of Lyons Entertainment, David with his wife Kendra, has dedicated his life to helping people with MS understand and be educated on the importance of fitness in their lives. Besides, he is a sought-after motivational speaker and a faith-based author dedicated to helping others by sharing the lessons gained from his life experience.

The Inspiring Journey from a Survivor to a Successful Entrepreneur

In 2006, David Lyons was hospitalized and diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 47. David was a bodybuilder and health club owner, who exercised regularly and lived a healthy lifestyle. He was devastated by the diagnosis and frustrated by the physical limitations of his condition. His initial MS attack left him with partial paralysis, tightness, pain, and numbness in his extremities and back. These common symptoms of MS come and go without warning. The multiple lesions in David’s spinal cord made it difficult for him to coordinate movements and they affected his balance. The lesions in his brain caused cognitive problems affecting his concentration. And the lesion by his optic nerve, at times, caused vision impairment and blackness when seeing out of his left eye. David also lives in a constant state of fatigue caused by this disease attacking his nervous system. While in the hospital the doctors told David he would most likely leave in a wheelchair and would not return to his normal workout routine. They also warned him that MS is a disease that most often progressively worsens and to prepare for his limitations as he ages. So, what does David do?

At the age of 50 David Lyons decided to compete in the NPC Bodybuilding Competition! David’s doctors all told him that his pursuit of competing in a bodybuilding contest was sheer madness, especially at 50 years old…but if anyone could do it – he could. On august 22, 2009, David competed in the Florida State Bodybuilding Championship Where he was awarded an impressive trophy for the most inspirational bodybuilder! And, the victorious journey begins…

More about the Brands

MS Fitness Challenge aims to provide guidance and support to people with MS and fitness professionals worldwide in an effort to educate and train them in the benefits of exercise, nutrition, and mindset in winning the battle against Multiple Sclerosis. MSFC pays for these programs through the donations of its supporters. Here, the main focus is on fitness programs.

OptimalBody is a fitness brand that caters to the market of those “challenged in fitness”. Whether you have a chronic condition such as Multiple Sclerosis or you are over 40 and seeking to get in the best shape of your life, OptimalBody has a program that will fit your needs and goals.

Clients & the Unbreakable Faith

“My clients range from those battling MS to people over 40 wanting to exercise properly. The many awards such as Most Dedicated MS Fitness Expert the past 3 years and being voted as one of the Top 100 Healthcare Leaders in the world, coupled with my lifelong commitment in the fitness industry and my induction into the National Fitness Hall of Fame gives my clients the foundation of faith. And with thousands of success stories over the years and many testimonials, trust in me is never an issue”, asserted David.

From the Founder’s Desk

I believe my faith in God has enabled me to achieve all the success and acknowledgment I have received in the fitness industry, the MS community, and life’s entire journey.  It is by His strength, guidance, and grace I am where I am today. Aside from my faith, the support of my family and especially my wife Kendra over the years has kept me grounded, motivated and focused.

The biggest challenge I faced was inexperience with social media and the internet. I’m a dinosaur at 63 years old and the digital world has grown tremendously throughout my career in fitness.  Fortunately, my son, Deric, is my partner in my fitness endeavours and internet, social media, and marketing genius!

A Day in David Lyons’s Life

When asked about his daily routine, David shared, “I am up at 6 am (most days) and head to my home gym for my own workout. After that, it’s time to review the emails and messages that came in overnight and reply. Then I start my day of training private online exercise students, mostly those with MS.  After the 6-8 hours spent on the one-on-one students, it’s now onto reviewing social media and posting/responding to requests for both my MS Fitness Challenge charity and OptimalBody fitness company.”

He continued, “When there is time between students and management of the companies, I then shoot educational, instructional, and training videos for OptimalBody and do whatever writing I need to for blogs, books, and interviews. Most often that is left to Saturday when I keep my private student workouts to a short schedule.”

Favourite Book

The Reset Plan by Shanna Ferrigno

Future Roadmap

MS Fitness Challenge will continue to bring the most educational and worthwhile no-cost fitness programs to the MS community through its non-profit cause. OptimalBody will continue to develop and release the most comprehensive fitness and exercise programs available to the “challenged” market of chronic conditions and over 40’s fitness enthusiasts.

Accomplishments & Achievements

In 2013 David received the Health Advocate of the Year Award with Lou Ferrigno. And in 2015, at almost 57 years old, he was the only person with MS to receive the Health Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award from Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as the Lifetime Fitness Inspiration Award in Feb 2016, next to bodybuilding legend Mike Quinn at the Global Bodybuilding Organization’s International Fitness Expo.

In January 2017 David received the Special Recognition Award from the National Fitness Hall of Fame and later in the year he was honored as a Founding Partner of the organization’s Institute for learning. David is considered the face of MS and fitness worldwide and his fitness book, Everyday Health & Fitness with Multiple Sclerosis was a #1 New Release on Amazon while his MS Fitness Training Specialist certifications partnered with the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT) and MedFit Education Foundation educate trainers internationally on how to work with MS clients. David is the Creator and Director of the OptimalBody Training Program for MS and is the Vice President of Adaptive Sports for the United Intercontinental Bodybuilding Fitness Federation (UIBFF). David Lyons is a 2019 inductee in the National Fitness Hall of Fame for his work as a fitness educator. He has appeared on Good Morning LA, FOX News Orlando, and other TV and radio show nationwide as well as in print media.

A Piece of Advice for Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs

Female entrepreneurs should see themselves as equals despite the discrimination they sometimes face in the business world.  If they set their sights on the many very successful females in business who have far surpassed men in accomplishments and use those examples as their role models, there is nothing they cannot accomplish.

Favourite Quote 

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Muhammad Ali