Early Boykins III
Early Boykins III is the Chairman of NISSI Holdings and a Web3 Advisor at AI 2030, with over 20 years of experience as an investor, advisor, and board member to various startups and financial institutions worldwide.
His multidisciplinary background specializes in the fields of FinTech, Blockchain, Web3, AI, and emerging technologies. While traveling, living, and networking throughout 40+ countries, he has cultivated unique insights into how the proper use of technology benefits society.
Early currently operates from Accra, Ghana, where he continues to drive innovation in emerging markets and digital transformation initiatives. As Chairman of NISSI Holdings since January 2025, Early leads the organization’s mission to propel societies toward a data-driven future through strategic investments and technology deployment.
The company operates at the intersection of data infrastructure and societal development, focusing on creating sustainable digital ecosystems in emerging markets. His role involves overseeing both NISSI Holdings and the NISSI Foundation, positioning the organization as a catalyst for technological advancement in developing economies.
In his capacity as Web3 Advisor at AI 2030 since January 2024, Early provides strategic guidance on integrating blockchain technologies with artificial intelligence initiatives. This role leverages his extensive experience in distributed ledger technologies and his deep understanding of how somebody can harness emerging technologies for the benefit of society. His advisory work focuses on identifying collaborations between Web3 infrastructure and AI applications, particularly in areas that can drive financial inclusion and technological accessibility.
Early has served as Board Member and Advisor at EdgeConnect since 2020, where he has been instrumental in shaping the company’s vision for edge computing solutions. EdgeConnect is a forward-thinking company that implements edge data solutions for smart cities, AI, VR, IoT, and 5G networks, as well as hashing. Additionally, they provide support for sustainable data usage, grid support, mobile data, telecom, edge networks, enterprise blockchain, dark fiber, and many more. His strategic input has helped position EdgeConnect at the forefront of the 5G revolution and the deployment of edge computing infrastructure.
Since September 2020, Early has been an Advisor at the Startup Societies Foundation, a think tank that studies, promotes, and connects startup societies. They want to create a vibrant, global startup society industry through international conferences, investment summits, digital content, and academic studies. The organization serves as the leading resource provider for information on Special Economic Zones and pragmatic governance frameworks, areas where Early’s expertise in financial technology and blockchain implementation proves invaluable.
At Finhaven since 2018, Early has served as an Advisor to this Canadian company at the forefront of capital markets innovation. Finhaven is building an investment banking platform that supports the issuance and investment of digital securities, as well as provides a marketplace for trading them. His guidance has been crucial in navigating the complex regulatory landscape of digital securities and developing compliant tokenization solutions for traditional financial assets.
Early’s entrepreneurial journey includes cofounding Rouge Reel in 2013, where he served as Executive Director until 2017. Rouge Reel allowed viewers to bid for the chance to have a one-on-one or group session with their favorite Celebrity Beauty Mavens. They also offered a user-friendly way to purchase beauty and cosmetic products showcased in their videos.
The platform pioneered live-streaming e-commerce in the beauty sector, combining influencer marketing with direct sales capabilities. Under his leadership, Rouge Reel was selected as an Official Alpha Startup at Web Summit 2014 and won 3rd place at the Silicon Valley Startup Cup Award in November 2014.
From 2019 to 2025, Early served as Venture Partner at BaseTwo Capital, a compliant and secure digital asset fund for global accredited investors. During this period, he helped shape investment strategies focused on generating consistent capital growth while outperforming bitcoin benchmarks. His role involved identifying promising blockchain projects and advising on portfolio construction in the volatile cryptocurrency markets.
Early studied Social Psychology, Philosophy, Linguistics, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno. During his time at Fresno State, he participated in the Fresno State Leadership Program, the Lyles Center Mentorship Program, FCS (Fellowship of Christian Students), and JSA (Japanese Student Association), developing the multidisciplinary approach that would characterize his professional career.
Throughout his career, Early has held numerous advisory positions, including Strategic Advisor at Lucyd between 2018 and 2022, where he contributed to the development of smart glasses and augmented reality eyewear incorporating blockchain technology. He also served as Cofounder and Head of Strategy at STEM NFT Infrastructure between 2020 and 2022, building decentralized infrastructure for fungible and non-fungible tokens.
His other notable roles include Strategic Advisor at Nuhanse Network (2019–2021), Digital Assets/Market Integrity member at Global Digital Finance (2019–2021), and Strategic Advisor at BRAVO Pay (2018–2021), which was featured on Shark Tank.
Early’s commitment to social impact extends beyond his professional endeavors. He served as Chairman of the Coins4.Cat Foundation from December 2013 to September 2014, Coins4.Cat Foundation helps feral & community cats in need by providing them with care, food, and water. They assist in the protection and humane treatment of cats. Coins4.Cat is the first animal welfare organization to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as donations.
He has been a Lifetime Member of the Bitcoin Foundation since 2013, supporting the organization’s mission to standardize, protect, and promote the use of Bitcoin as a cryptographic currency for the benefit of users worldwide.
His thought leadership contributions include authoring articles for the Lifeboat Foundation News Blog, where he has written about emerging technologies, including quantum computing, blockchain applications, and artificial intelligence.
Watch Interview Early Boykins III – Crans Montana Forum Geneva 2018.
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