- Data completeness
- 100%
- Confidence
- 93%
- Sources
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 7 Jun 2025
The take
What to know
Varun Srinivasan is a co-founder of Farcaster, the decentralized social protocol built by Merkle, who earlier helped build and scale Coinbase in its early days. After Neynar acquired Farcaster in early 2026, he joined Tempo with the Merkle team in February 2026 to help build infrastructure for global payments.
Best for
- +Understanding Tempo's founding-team pedigree
- +Mapping the Farcaster/Merkle-to-Tempo talent move
- +Context on Tempo's payments-infrastructure leadership
Watch out
- His move to Tempo marks a shift from social protocols (Farcaster) to payments infrastructure.
- Tempo has no native token and no airdrop; none should be inferred from his involvement.
The record
Key facts
- Joined Tempo
- Joined Tempo in February 2026 as part of the Merkle team.· 97%
- Farcaster / Merkle co-founder
- Co-founder of the decentralized social protocol Farcaster, built by Merkle (Merkle Manufactory).· 97%
- Prior work at Coinbase
- Helped build and scale Coinbase in its early days, before founding Farcaster.· 88%
- Focus at Tempo
- Joined with the Merkle team to help build infrastructure for the next generation of global (stablecoin) payments.· 92%
- Farcaster acquired by Neynar
- Farcaster was acquired by Neynar in early 2026, after which the Merkle team moved to Tempo.· 92%
The timeline
History
2020-01
Co-founded Farcaster
Co-founded the decentralized social protocol Farcaster, developed through Merkle (Merkle Manufactory).
2026-01
Neynar acquires Farcaster
Neynar announced it was acquiring Farcaster from Merkle and would maintain the protocol and clients.
2026-02
Joined Tempo with the Merkle team
Tempo announced it was welcoming the Merkle team, including Varun Srinivasan, to help build payments infrastructure.
Questions
FAQ
- Who is Varun Srinivasan?
- A co-founder of Farcaster (built by Merkle) who earlier helped build and scale Coinbase in its early days, and who joined Tempo with the Merkle team in February 2026.
- When and why did he join Tempo?
- He joined in February 2026 with the Merkle team to help build infrastructure for global payments, following Neynar's acquisition of Farcaster.
- What did he work on before Tempo?
- He co-founded the Farcaster social protocol through Merkle and previously helped build and scale Coinbase early on.
- Does his involvement imply a Tempo token?
- No. Tempo has no native token and no airdrop, and none should be inferred from his role.
The graph