On December 23, 2019, a fast-rising cryptocurrency educator discovered that his entire YouTube channel had gone offline. He had no prior warning. His community of thousands began questioning what had happened, and the channel’s absence triggered alarm in the broader crypto sphere. Known publicly as “Ivan on Tech,” Swedish programmer Ivan Liljeqvist soon learned that his removal was part of a larger content purge affecting crypto YouTubers.
For days, no official explanation came from the platform. Instead, viewers circulated rumors on social media. Liljeqvist saw it as more than a glitch: his open access to an audience of technology enthusiasts had abruptly evaporated.
That suspension ended as suddenly as it began. Under mounting pressure from those who rely on channels like his to track market swings and blockchain developments, YouTube reinstated Ivan on Tech. Supporters cheered the decision, crediting a targeted social media campaign, while Liljeqvist wasted no time pivoting.
He directed his subscribers to an email list. He urged them to explore his online courses. And he built a case for diversifying platforms, telling his viewers that relying on a single centralized outlet placed too much trust in unknown forces. That effort—reshaping an entire approach to digital outreach—illustrates a core facet of Ivan on Tech’s strategy: adapt quickly, then deliver new avenues to the people looking for his expertise.
Early Fascination and Formal Education
Ivan Liljeqvist was born on August 12, 1996, in Belarus. By age nine, he had moved to Jönköping, Sweden, where he began experimenting with programming. A self-proclaimed enthusiast of HTML and JavaScript, he discovered coding after his mother, a mathematician, gave him a book on how to make websites. He initially aimed to build video games. “I was a bit disappointed when I finished it, because I could only do some simple things in HTML,” he said in one interview cited by Forbes. That frustration steered him toward other programming languages.
Liljeqvist’s interest in computing extended through his adolescence. He spent his high school years balancing coursework, swimming practices, and late-night programming sessions. He credits time in the pool with instilling discipline. “In swimming, they put you with people that are basically as good as you are,” he once observed, explaining how competition sharpened his mindset. He avoided typical teenage distractions by focusing on sports and coding, often citing the fact that he rarely had free time to stray into trouble.
He later enrolled at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Between 2014 and 2019, he pursued a computer science degree while juggling side projects in software development. During that period, Liljeqvist learned machine learning and contributed to iOS and watchOS development at Ericsson, including a collaboration involving self-driving cars. He worked independently, too, creating apps such as Zpotdrop, the dating platform Maybe Meetings, and the back-end for an application known as SOON. By 2017, he was already a professional programmer but felt drawn to a new frontier: the emerging field of decentralized finance.
Discovery of Bitcoin and the Pivot to Blockchain
Liljeqvist heard about Bitcoin in 2013 when its price soared from $30 to $1,000. That spike convinced him to buy. He then experienced the subsequent collapse, witnessing Bitcoin’s fall to $200. While the coin’s volatility worried some, he found the foundational technology more intriguing than its price. From 2014 to 2017, he studied blockchain’s internal mechanisms. When Ethereum arrived in 2015, he explored its smart contracts and realized he could build applications using Solidity, a programming language similar to JavaScript.
In January 2017, while still employed at Ericsson, he launched his YouTube channel, Ivan on Tech. At first, his videos covered a general spread of technology topics, from coding tutorials to industry commentary. One day, he uploaded a segment on Ethereum. It immediately drew higher viewership than any of his other content. “That day, when I created the Ethereum video, I didn’t know what else to create,” he recalled. “So I thought, let me do a video on Ethereum just to get a video out today. Good thing I did that, because it completely exploded.” The attention made it clear that cryptocurrency content had an active audience, and he pivoted to focus on blockchain. Over time, he published hundreds of videos dissecting major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, EOS, and Iota.
As Liljeqvist’s channel grew, so did demand for more structured education. He recognized an appetite for blockchain tutorials, but also realized in-depth lessons often struggled to gain traction on YouTube’s algorithm. By late 2017, he identified a more comprehensive approach. Together with fellow entrepreneur Filip Martinsson, he launched Ivan on Tech Academy. The Academy offered detailed coursework on crypto finance and smart contract programming. It accepted paying students, who gained access to video lectures, quizzes, and private support channels. Liljeqvist later explained that adding tuition ensured learner commitment: “If people pay for the courses, they are more likely to dedicate themselves to the learning.”
Building and Rebranding the Educational Platform
Ivan on Tech Academy quickly garnered attention from major crypto publications. It expanded its library to include courses on Ethereum, Bitcoin, EOS, and eventually the Bitcoin Lightning Network. According to statements in public interviews, the Academy has served over 60,000 students. Those learners accessed a structured curriculum designed to give them a direct path into blockchain development and business roles.
Liljeqvist has stated that the platform’s core mission is to equip everyday users with the skills they need to thrive in a decentralized economy. It became a recognized route for developers seeking hands-on tutorials. As interest grew, he and Martinsson decided to broaden their focus beyond the “Ivan on Tech” brand. They introduced Moralis, a separate venture launched in 2021 as a Web3 development platform. Moralis provides tools to simplify blockchain infrastructure so developers can integrate crypto elements into their software. Its services aim to reduce the complexity of building dApps.
In October 2021, Ivan on Tech Academy became Moralis Academy. The team said that the name change reflects a comprehensive alignment with Moralis. Their priority is to supply everything from developer libraries to real-time tutorials on how to build in Web3. Figures published by various crypto outlets estimate that thousands of students have used Moralis Academy to find job opportunities in blockchain. Meanwhile, Liljeqvist’s YouTube popularity continued to climb. Different sources point to well over 500,000 YouTube subscribers on his main channel and at least 410,000 followers on Twitter (X).
Public Recognition and Milestones
The surge in awareness came with several accolades. BTCX declared Liljeqvist “Blocktech Person of the Year” in 2018. Consid, an IT solutions company, awarded him the “Digital Educator of the Year” distinction in 2019. Beyond awards, he delivered talks at major conferences like the World Blockchain Forum and Blockchain Expo Global 2021. He has also given workshops to banks and government agencies, discussing how these entities could integrate blockchain.
Media coverage in Cointelegraph and Decrypt noted his influence on the crypto community. Forbes interviewed him about his rise as a crypto educator, while BitBoy Crypto, Altcoin Daily, and other influencers invited him for discussions on their own channels. In one segment, Liljeqvist described being taken aback by how quickly he rose from a smaller audience to a major voice in crypto commentary, emphasizing that he simply posted daily content without initial concern for production polish.
Another frequent topic in coverage is his net worth. Some sources estimate it at $2.5 million. Others place the figure between $5 million and $15 million. Regardless of the actual number, the consensus holds that it largely stems from business ventures, investments in digital assets, and revenue from the Academy. In some outlets, he is credited with a philanthropic streak, including a $10,000 donation to Bitcoin Core in 2020 and $1,000 to Binance Charity Foundation, though those details have been covered primarily by the crypto press.
Critical Moments and Controversies
Not all feedback on Liljeqvist’s work has been positive. Critics have noted moments when he promoted smaller cryptocurrency projects, sometimes referred to as “altcoins,” which later declined in value. Disgruntled investors have accused him of overselling tokens to his large online audience. In other cases, detractors questioned the sustainability of Moralis’s free-tier offerings, especially when faced with scaling challenges. Some also raised concerns about the company’s pricing structure for advanced features.
Beyond that, there is mention in certain biographies of a dispute with Forbes. What is documented is his involvement in a number of collaborations—some beneficial, some contested—across the crypto industry. Skeptics argue that heavy cross-promotional activity can create potential conflicts of interest, though the overall reputation remains that he is a dedicated teacher who brought thousands of viewers into the cryptocurrency world.
The 2019 YouTube suspension was a separate flashpoint that highlighted the potential risks for content creators in crypto. Liljeqvist, along with other major YouTubers, lost access to their channels, videos, and daily streams without advance notice.
They mobilized on Twitter, garnered support from fellow influencers, and forced the platform to reverse the strikes. “We had a group on Telegram, where we organize ourselves, and we could get as much noise out on Twitter as possible, so that YouTube finally responded,” he said in a conversation reported on multiple crypto news sites. Although the reinstatement was swift, the experience rattled many who rely heavily on centralized platforms. Liljeqvist saw it as a warning sign. He promptly encouraged his viewers to sign up for newsletters so he could reach them if similar takedowns happened again.
Broader Influence on Crypto Education
A common thread in Liljeqvist’s narrative is the push to demystify blockchain fundamentals. From the beginning, he insisted that production quality would always come second to delivering concise, meaningful information. He frequently repeated a principle of “quantity leads to quality,” arguing that daily practice refines a content creator’s craft. Once he committed to focusing on Ethereum, he uploaded content almost every day, explaining code examples, analyzing price swings, and spotlighting new decentralized applications.
By 2017, Liljeqvist saw blockchain as more than a handful of digital currencies. Instead of a single coin’s success, he zeroed in on usage scenarios for dApps that might transform how data is stored or how financial services operate. Moralis Academy’s array of courses, which included Smart Contract Programming, Bitcoin Programming, and specialized blockchain business classes, signaled a desire to build deeper knowledge across a global audience. At multiple conferences, he used speaking engagements to emphasize the industry’s need for more developers. He cited the widespread excitement over new tokens, but urged participants to recognize that real adoption demanded skilled programmers. That push to train and certify professionals brought him mainstream recognition.
Shaping Tomorrow’s Developers
Moralis, founded in 2021, emerged as Liljeqvist’s response to high barriers in building blockchain applications. He offered an out-of-the-box backend for decentralized projects, including games and non-fungible tokens. For developers, it meant skipping over complicated server setups and focusing on front-end logic. As the platform grew, it folded in tools to manage user authentication, handle cross-chain integrations, and store data off-chain in a streamlined way. That synergy between Moralis and Moralis Academy turned into a self-reinforcing ecosystem: prospective developers could learn from scratch, and then apply their skills to a ready-made infrastructure.
Public statements indicate Liljeqvist envisions bridging the gap between blockchain novices and advanced dApp developers. He has spoken at events like Crypto Asia Summit to demonstrate how these platforms reduce complexity. His online presence and daily YouTube streams gave him an avenue to walk audiences through updates in real-time. Supporters see him as a linchpin for growth in decentralized technology. Critics say he sometimes oversimplifies code aspects or overhypes emerging tokens. Regardless, his network of viewers and students continues expanding.
Enduring Momentum in a Volatile Industry
Liljeqvist’s growing visibility attracted commentary from crypto influencers such as BitBoy Crypto and Chris MMCrypto. He has been interviewed by Decrypt, Cointelegraph, and other outlets that track ongoing waves of digital currency innovation. In addition, he frequently appears at developer gatherings, emphasizing real-world applications of Web3, including supply chain tracking and business solutions.
Despite past controversies, Liljeqvist’s educational approach has shown staying power. Over the course of a few years, he transitioned from a single YouTube channel to a robust suite of services, business ventures, and conference appearances. He remains active on Twitter (X), Instagram, and LinkedIn, where he fields questions about the latest developments. Multiple biographies place his main residency in Cyprus, although his exact itinerary can change with travel to events worldwide. Some highlight philanthropic gestures, including reported donations totaling $11,000 to crypto-focused initiatives.
Forging the Future Ahead
Liljeqvist’s channels continue to produce technical guides, market analyses, and interviews with crypto personalities. Reports from sources like Coinweb expect him to collaborate more with well-known figures, such as Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin, to tackle regulatory questions. Others anticipate further expansion of Moralis services aimed at lowering the complexity of launching decentralized projects. With more than 900,000 followers across his combined social accounts, the audience for such endeavors grows steadily.
As blockchains progress and new tokens enter the market, Liljeqvist repeatedly stresses the value of direct instruction and transparent discourse. Many see his approach to daily streaming and constant refinement of educational materials as an important driver in crypto’s shift from niche hobby to broader adoption.
