Joseph Lubin
SharplinkAbout Joseph Lubin
Joseph Lubin is Chairman of SharpLink Gaming’s Board, appointed upon the June 2, 2025 financing close. He is Founder & CEO of Consensys (since 2014) and a co‑founder of Ethereum; earlier roles include Director of the New York office at Blacksmith Software Consulting and VP of Technology in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University. He became Chair after the Board expanded to five members in late May 2025 and confirmed his appointment with the offering’s close on June 2, 2025 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldman Sachs (PWM) | Vice President, Technology | Prior to Consensys/Ethereum (dates not specified) | Technology leadership in private wealth management |
| Blacksmith Software Consulting | Director, New York Office | Prior to Consensys/Ethereum (dates not specified) | Led NY office for software consulting |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consensys Software Inc. | Founder & Chief Executive Officer | 2014 | Leading Ethereum software company; Lubin is co‑founder of Ethereum; recognized by CoinDesk as “Most Influential” in blockchain in 2017 |
| SharpLink Gaming, Inc. (SBET) | Chairman of the Board | 2025-06-02 | Elected director and Chair concurrent with $425M private placement close |
Board Governance
- Role and independence: Lubin serves as Chairman. SharpLink identifies three independent directors (Leslie Bernhard, Obie McKenzie, Robert Gutkowski); Lubin is not listed among independent directors in Board disclosures around his appointment period .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee members are Bernhard (Chair, audit committee financial expert), McKenzie, and Gutkowski; Lubin is not listed. Compensation Committee members are McKenzie (Chair), Bernhard, and Gutkowski; Lubin is not listed .
- Board changes: On May 26, 2025, the Board increased from four to five directors and elected Lubin as director and Chairman (effective with offering close) .
Fixed Compensation
| Program/Element | Detail | 2025 Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Base annual director fee | Non‑employee director retainer | $35,000/year, payable monthly |
| Committee Chair fees | Audit or Compensation Committee Chair | $15,000/year (quarterly payments) |
| Committee member fees | Audit or Compensation Committee (non‑Chair) | $10,000/year (quarterly payments) |
| Equity eligibility (non‑employee directors) | RSU eligibility in 2025 | Up to 6,666 RSUs in 2025, subject to stockholder approvals (Proposals 1 & 2) |
| Prior indication (superseded) | Earlier 2025 DEF 14A | Up to 80,000 RSUs (subject to plan share increase); subsequent PRE/DEF 14A set 6,666 RSUs limit |
Notes: The company’s proxies disclose non‑employee director compensation structures; they do not separately disclose a Board Chair retainer or Lubin‑specific director fees. Eligibility for equity in 2025 is subject to shareholder approvals; specific grants to Lubin are not disclosed .
Performance Compensation
- No performance‑based metrics (e.g., revenue/EBITDA/TSR) are disclosed for director pay; equity eligibility for non‑employee directors is RSU‑based as outlined above and not tied to performance metrics .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | Relationship to SBET | Nature of Link | Terms/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consensys Software Inc. | Strategic advisor & investor | Lubin is CEO of Consensys; Consensys invested in SBET and entered a Strategic Advisory Agreement; Consensys received 3,455,019 strategic advisor warrants (various strikes) and purchased common/pre‑funded warrants in 2025 offerings. Footnote states Lubin has no voting or investment control over Consensys‑held SBET securities and disclaims beneficial ownership except for pecuniary interest | |
| Consensys/Linea collaboration | Strategic ecosystem alignment | SharpLink and Consensys announced broader partnership on institutional capital markets primitives; Company disclosure notes Consensys is a strategic advisor and investor in SharpLink |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Blockchain/Ethereum leadership (co‑founder of Ethereum; CEO of Consensys), capital markets/treasury strategy expertise relevant to SBET’s ETH‑centric treasury .
- Prior institutional technology roles (Goldman Sachs PWM, Blacksmith Software) support governance, risk, and technology oversight .
- Audit/Compensation committees remain fully independent; Bernhard designated audit committee financial expert .
Equity Ownership
| As-Of Date | Beneficial Ownership (Instruments) | Amount | % Outstanding | Basis/Footnotes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-20 | Pre‑funded warrants | 6,434,213 | 10.4% | % based on 62,125,336 shares o/s; consists entirely of pre‑funded warrants; Lubin is SBET Chairman and Consensys CEO |
| 2025-08-21 | Pre‑funded warrants | 6,434,213 | 3.6% | % based on 176,447,312 shares o/s; footnote reiterates relationship to Consensys |
| 2025-08-29 | Pre‑funded warrants | 6,434,213 | 3.3% | % based on 194,067,724 shares o/s; footnote cites May 2025 private placement |
Additional ownership context (Consensys): Consensys beneficially owned 9,131,971 shares/warrants as detailed (PIPE shares/warrants, registered offering shares/pre‑funded warrants, and 3,455,019 strategic advisor warrants). Voting/investment control resides with Consensys officers (Matthew Corva and Daniel Odell); Lubin disclaims beneficial ownership except for pecuniary interest .
Related-Party Transactions (2025)
| Date | Counterparty | Instrument/Agreement | Key Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-20 | Consensys Software Inc. | Registered Offering purchase | 34,000 common shares at $2.94/share and pre‑funded warrants for up to 1,496,612 shares |
| 2025-05-30 | Consensys Software Inc. | Strategic Advisory Agreement | Consensys to provide technical/treasury advisory; received 3,455,019 warrants with strikes at $6.15 (1,382,007), $6.765 (691,004), $7.38 (691,004), $7.995 (691,004) |
| Prior PIPE | Consensys Software Inc. | PIPE participation | 180,000 shares and 3,966,340 pre‑funded warrants (part of aggregate Consensys beneficial holdings) |
| Strategic alignment | Consensys | Broader partnership | Company disclosure: Consensys is strategic advisor and investor in SharpLink; collaboration around Linea and DeFi infrastructure |
Footnote disclosures state Lubin, as SBET Chairman and Consensys CEO, does not have voting or investment control over Consensys‑held SBET securities and disclaims beneficial ownership except for pecuniary interest .
Say‑On‑Pay & Shareholder Feedback
| Meeting Date | Item | For | Against | Abstain | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-12-23 | Advisory vote on NEO compensation | 673,884 | 22,507 | 1,802 | Held at reconvened 2024 AGM; quorum achieved (48.78% of outstanding) |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Chairman with deep domain expertise aligned to SBET’s strategic pivot to an ETH‑centric treasury; extensive blockchain and capital‑markets background can expand strategic partnerships and oversight of digital asset risk .
- Audit and Compensation Committees comprised solely of independent directors; Audit Committee chaired by a designated financial expert, supporting financial reporting and related‑party oversight .
- Clear disclosure of Consensys relationships, instruments, and warrant terms; audit committee charter mandates review/approval of related‑party transactions .
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Watch‑items / potential conflicts (flag for investors):
- Consensys is both strategic advisor and a material investor/warrant holder while Lubin serves as SBET Chair and Consensys CEO. Although Lubin disclaims voting/investment control of Consensys‑held SBET securities, the overlapping roles and significant instruments (e.g., 3,455,019 strategic advisor warrants; multiple pre‑funded warrants and shares purchased) warrant robust recusal practices and independent committee oversight for any Consensys‑related decisions. These arrangements are disclosed in detail in SBET’s proxy statements .
- Lubin is not listed among independent directors in filings around his appointment period, reflecting the need for independent committee leadership and processes to mitigate perceived conflicts .
-
Alignment signals:
- Lubin’s personal beneficial ownership of 6,434,213 pre‑funded warrants provides equity alignment; his percentage ownership diluted as the company raised capital and expanded share count (10.4% on 6/20/25 to 3.3% on 8/29/25) .
-
Undisclosed items (no findings in filings):
- Board/committee attendance rates; director stock ownership guidelines; pledging/hedging by Lubin; separate Board Chair retainer; director‑specific equity grants for 2025; any tax gross‑ups or perquisites for directors (beyond standard non‑employee plan terms). Not found in reviewed SBET filings .