Mirko Zhao Appointed as New Head of Cronos (CRO) Labs

Cronos (CRO) Labs has announced the appointment of Mirko Zhao as the new leader of the organization, assuming the role of Head of Product and Engineering. This strategic move, effective March 25, 2025, aims to propel Cronos Labs into a new phase of growth and innovation, according to Cronos.

Leadership Transition

Zhao succeeds Ken Timsit, who recently departed from the role. With a robust background in blockchain and DeFi, Mirko Zhao has been an integral part of Cronos Labs since June 2022, serving as the Head of Product. His leadership in the incubation program has been pivotal in advancing the lab's strategic initiatives.

“At Cronos, I have witnessed the resiliency of the blockchain and the unrelenting dedication of the CRO community over the past four years,” Zhao stated. He emphasized his commitment to leveraging Cronos Labs' foundational strengths to drive the blockchain forward with an ambitious roadmap and enhanced community engagement.

Professional Background

Before joining Cronos Labs, Zhao co-founded Orin, a startup focused on digitizing supply chain data, which received support from Y Combinator and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. His career also includes significant roles at Flexport and PayPal, where he contributed to optimizing global trade and supporting tech teams on merchant and data science projects.

About Cronos

Cronos is a prominent blockchain ecosystem known for its wide adoption by over 500 application developers and partners, reaching more than 80 million users globally. The platform emphasizes Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and gaming, aiming to facilitate self-custody for the next billion crypto users in Web3.

The Cronos ecosystem includes three chains: Cronos (EVM), an Ethereum-compatible blockchain built on the Cosmos SDK; Cronos POS, focusing on payments and NFTs; and Cronos zkEVM, a high-performance layer 2 network. Since its inception in 2021, Cronos has processed over 100 million transactions and secured more than $6 billion in user assets, ranking among the top 15 blockchain ecosystems.

Cronos Labs operates a $100 million startup accelerator dedicated to fostering innovation within the Cronos ecosystem.