Polymarket Founder Shayne Coplan: Blockchain Let Me Build a Global Platform From My Bedroom
Miami Beach — Shayne Coplan started Polymarket with no team and almost no funding—just a laptop and the power of blockchain.
“I’m a solo founder. I literally started with next to no money,” Coplan said at Cantor Fitzgerald’s crypto, AI, and blockchain conference on Wednesday. “Blockchain allows anyone to experiment and innovate—from a bedroom, office, or even a bathroom.”
Blockchain’s open structure enabled Coplan to build a global market without traditional financial infrastructure. “In conventional finance, entry barriers are too high for young creators with limited capital and time,” he explained.
A Market for Real-World Outcomes
Launched in 2020, Polymarket lets users trade on real-world events—from elections and Fed decisions to pop culture—based on market-determined probabilities rather than polls or expert predictions. “Markets provide a price backed by conviction and risk,” Coplan said. Each trade is peer-to-peer, with the midpoint of bids and asks reflecting the probability of an outcome paying out $1.
Beyond Politics: Decision-Making and Risk
Coplan sees prediction markets as tools for better decision-making and risk management. “You can model scenarios, like what happens if a candidate drops out, and markets can help guide decisions,” he said. Polymarket also offers fairness compared with traditional sportsbooks, where the house controls pricing and can penalize profitable users.
Future Potential: AI and Niche Markets
AI agents could enhance efficiency by tracking news, gauging sentiment, and correcting mispricings. “Even with low liquidity, agents will compete to provide the most accurate pricing,” Coplan noted. He also emphasized the long tail of niche markets, which may not generate massive volume but unlock new ways to measure uncertainty.
As Polymarket expands in the U.S. and rolls out a beta exchange, Coplan remains focused on delivering a platform that stays true to blockchain’s promise.
“Our goal is simple: build the best product, one people love to use, where your opinion actually matters,” he said.
