Richard Muirhead has been a driving force behind SVRN’s journey from the very beginning, playing a pivotal role in its addition to the NEAR Protocol ecosystem. We’re pleased to now formally welcome him to the SVRN Board.
An engineer, entrepreneur, and investor, Richard has spent decades building the backbone of the digital economy, from network middleware and cloud infrastructure to decentralised networks. His career spans category-defining companies and institutions, including Fabric Ventures and the NEAR Foundation, where he helped shape foundational infrastructure that underpins today’s internet-scale systems.
Over the years, Richard has contributed to the creation of more than $2B in enterprise value across companies such as Orchestream, Tideway, and Automic, consistently operating at the intersection of deep technology, governance, and global scale. His experience spans high-growth and regulated environments across the US, Europe, and Asia, bringing a rare global perspective to SVRN’s next phase.
As SVRN scales privacy infrastructure critical to the future of AI, Richard’s governance experience and long-term vision will be instrumental.
Reflecting on this next chapter, Richard shared:
“The vision of NEAR has always been that as we navigate AIs, agents, and robots, individuals retain dominion over their reputations, manage the memories machines keep of us, and preserve human sovereignty.
More than six years after playing my part in the Near Foundation Council’s inception, I’m excited to open a new chapter as I join the SVRN Board. Together, we’ll take these essential capabilities of the NEAR technology stack to market, across global, regulated enterprises and breakout startups alike.”
At Fabric, we’re excited to keep building alongside SVRN, with Richard joining the board as they advance privacy-preserving infrastructure for the AI era.