Shayne Coplan (born June 14, 1998) is an American entrepreneur and technologist best known for founding Polymarket, a blockchain-based prediction market.
Raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, he taught himself computer programming as a teenager and participated in Ethereum’s initial coin offering in 2014. He attended New York University to study computer science but left during his freshman year to focus on blockchain and prediction markets.
In 2020, at age 22, Coplan founded Polymarket from his Lower East Side apartment. The platform gained traction during the 2020 U.S. presidential election and saw explosive growth ahead of the 2024 election, with over $3 billion wagered on the race.
In October 2025, Coplan became the world’s youngest self‑made billionaire, with an estimated net worth of $1 billion, after Polymarket’s valuation rose to $9 billion on a $2 billion investment from Intercontinental Exchange Inc.
He has faced regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and an FBI raid in 2024 but continues to lead Polymarket as it prepares to launch legally in the U.S.
Career History
| Company | Role | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Polymarket | Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | – present |