We've just announced IQ AI.
Ty Schenk is the founder and CEO of Keeta, a company developing financial solutions and a payment network focused on cross-border transactions. He has a background in technology leadership and co-founded a cryptocurrency payments platform prior to establishing Keeta.
Schenk began his professional trajectory in 2014 with an internship at Scadata Scientific, where he worked on the development of a real-time monitoring companion application for the company’s software suite. He later assumed a full-time software engineering role at the same company, contributing to the implementation of a client subscription module and user management features, which served as a basis for later work with blockchain technology.
Between 2016 and 2018, Schenk operated independently as a software developer. During this period, he worked across multiple technology stacks, focusing on backend systems, mobile development, and networked applications.
In 2018, Schenk co-founded BrainBlocks, a project aimed at enabling low-latency, fee-free cryptocurrency payments. The platform supported real-time transactions for merchants and included a custom-built processing engine. The initiative scaled from an individual experiment to a small engineering team, with integrations across various payment scenarios before ceasing active development.
From 2020 to 2021, Schenk was employed as a software engineer at Turo, a peer-to-peer vehicle sharing platform. His responsibilities involved building and maintaining software for customer-facing applications.
In 2022, Schenk founded Keeta, based in Santa Monica, California. The company is focused on the development of a Layer 1 blockchain network for cross-border payments. Keeta reports that its infrastructure incorporates a proprietary ledger designed to accommodate high volumes of transactions. In 2023, the company announced a funding round totaling $17 million, with reported participation from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
In 2025, Keeta introduced its native token, KTA, on the Base network. According to the company, the platform is structured to provide low-cost and low-latency alternatives to conventional payment systems used in international transfers.
As CEO of Keeta, Schenk oversees the development of the company’s technical architecture and operational planning. Public statements from Schenk have indicated that the company’s goal is to simplify international money transfers and align the user experience with that of existing peer-to-peer applications. Keeta’s stated focus includes the creation of real-time settlement mechanisms and globally connected payment infrastructure. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
In an interview given to The Nanocast on August 24, 2018, Ty Schenk discussed his involvement with BrainBlocks, a payments platform built on the Nano cryptocurrency. Schenk stated that he began exploring cryptocurrencies between 2013 and 2014, initially with Bitcoin, before shifting his focus to Nano in 2017.
According to Schenk, BrainBlocks was founded with the intention of creating an integrated system combining wallet functionality, payment processing, and fiat currency conversion. The goal was to streamline cryptocurrency transactions for both merchants and users.
During the interview, Schenk explained the company’s internal structure at the time, including his transition to the role of CEO following changes in the immigration status of Daniel, co-founder and lead developer. This organizational shift allowed Schenk to concentrate on business development and investor relations.
The discussion covered several active initiatives, including the development of a web-based point-of-sale interface, the acquisition of the NanoWallet.io domain, and efforts to implement crypto-to-fiat conversion tools. Schenk also mentioned potential support for additional cryptocurrencies through partnerships with exchanges.
Other topics included the adoption of mobile-based payment methods using NFC and Bluetooth technologies, and the relevance of developing practical solutions for regions with limited access to traditional banking infrastructure.
The interview outlined Schenk’s perspective on the digital payments landscape and described BrainBlocks’ approach at the time as focused on creating lightweight, low-cost tools for everyday use of digital assets. [7]