Why I Walked Away from Harvard to Build in Web3: A Founder’s Leap into Leadership

Tascha can share the turning point moment when she deferred a place at Harvard Business School-then walked away from it entirely to build her first startup in DeFi. This decision, made during COVID and against the backdrop of a traditionally conservative family, wasn’t about defiance-it was about conviction. On podcasts focused on women in leadership and entrepreneurship, Tascha offers an honest reflection on choosing the road less traveled, navigating imposter syndrome in male-dominated sectors, and why building conviction is sometimes more powerful than any credential.

About Tascha Punyaneramitdee

Tascha Punyaneramitdee, podcast guest

Pioneering the Future of Finance with AI, DeFi, and Human-Centered Design

$3B Peak deposits scaled through Alpha Finance’s DeFi protocol612,000+ On-chain DeFi transactions executed through INFINIT35% increase Improvement in INFINIT user retention using its AI architectureFormer product lead Tencent

Tascha Punyaneramitdee is a pioneering tech founder on a mission to make decentralized finance as intuitive and accessible as everyday banking. She is the Founder and CEO of INFINIT, the DeFi Intelligence Platform—an AI-powered platform simplifying how people discover, understand, and act on blockchain-based financial opportunities. With INFINIT, Tascha is breaking down the barriers that keep everyday users out of crypto and giving them access to personalized, automated tools to grow their wealth securely and intelligently.

A Harvard MBA dropout and former product lead at Tencent, Tascha previously founded Alpha Finance Lab, where she scaled DeFi products to over $3B in usage. But it was her realization that the complexity of DeFi was leaving too many behind that sparked her vision for INFINIT. Her expertise lies at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and user-centric product design—a rare combination that positions her uniquely to comment on the future of finance.

Tascha’s global experience spans investment banking in San Francisco and London, high-growth tech in Asia, and venture-backed startups. As a Thai-born, Silicon Valley–shaped founder, she brings a culturally diverse perspective to topics such as women in Web3, building trust in emerging technologies, and innovating in Southeast Asia’s fast-growing digital economy.

View profile →

Book Tascha Punyaneramitdee for your show

Request an interview →