Blake Benthall is the former operator of the infamous dark web marketplace Silk Road 2.0. He is now the Founder and CEO of Fathom(x), a blockchain analysis and risk mitigation company based in Houston, Texas.Blake’s journey into Silk Road 2.0 was a result of his lifelong passion for technology and entrepreneurship.He started computer programming at age 7 and, by age 14, he established his inaugural venture: Sys-Techs Hosting, a game hosting company. Throughout his teenage years, he maintained his ardor for technology, freelancing as a software developer for numerous startups.Blake was homeschooled until age 18 before enrolling at Florida College, where he engaged in college theater, served as a keyboardist and vocalist for a promotional touring band, and dedicated extensive hours refining his technological expertise. At age 20, Blake dropped out of college to pursue the Silicon Valley startup dream as a software engineer. He spent the next five years working at various early-stage technology startups.In 2013, while Blake was employed as a flight software engineer at SpaceX, news of the original Silk Road's closure spread across social media. This piqued Blake's interest in the anonymous Tor network and Bitcoin, and it led him to explore the Silk Road community forums, where he was propositioned by a Silk Road member to rebuild the illicit goods marketplace as Silk Road 2.0. Despite having never used drugs, Blake recognized the opportunity to potentially de-risk an industry, contribute to a movement, and use his technical skills to build a platform that would be used by millions.Operating under the pseudonym "Defcon," Blake spent the next year building and expanding Silk Road 2.0 until his arrest by the FBI in November 2014. After time in solitary confinement and eight months in a federal detention center, Blake spent many years cooperating with the FBI’s Cyber Division on high-profile cases.In May 2022, Blake launched Fathom(x) with support from angel investors, including a former FBI agent who initially arrested him. Fathom(x) is a blockchain analysis and risk management company that allows businesses and individuals to see all of their cryptocurrency transactions in one place and to know if they are compliant with U.S. laws.Beyond his role as Founder and CEO, Blake is a father and advocates for online privacy, Bitcoin, and prison reform.