Search Here

Some entrepreneurs are defined by the companies they build. Others are defined by what they endure before they ever begin.

Dmitry Saksonov is a founder whose direction was not shaped by success, but by the weight of responsibility he carried after losing everything.

Today, he leads Blockchain Sports, a sports-technology ecosystem valued at $250 million. The scale is impressive, but the path that led there was anything but ordinary. His journey began with collapse, hardened through conflict, and matured into a mission he never expected to shoulder.

A Breaking Point

In 2018, Saksonov was operating a thriving technology business across Eastern Europe. It was profitable, built from scratch, and was finally entering a phase where he could plan forward instead of fighting to stay afloat.

Then the ground shifted beneath him.

Individuals he trusted turned the legal system against him. Bank accounts were frozen. Operations came to a halt. Baseless allegations followed—not rooted in fact, but structured to remove him entirely.

He was placed in pre-trial detention for more than two years. He was charged, but never convicted.
"You learn quickly that your life can change in one afternoon," he later said. "What matters is who you become when you have nothing left."

The Weight of Starting Again

When he walked out in 2020, he faced a reality most founders never encounter: a complete reset.

There were no reserves, no team, no system to fall back on. But there was discipline—and responsibility.

Responsibility not to collapse again.

Responsibility to rebuild without shortcuts.

Responsibility to live in a way that proves the accusations wrong.

He returned to the industry he knew: technology. He worked long hours, reinvested every gain, and operated with a level of restraint forged in confinement. Slowly, he regained financial stability. But something inside him had shifted—ambition was replaced with purpose.

That purpose took shape thousands of miles away.

A Promise in Brazil

During a trip to Rio de Janeiro, he visited football academies near the favelas. What he saw became impossible to forget: raw talent surrounded by environments that offered no real pathway forward. Kids with natural ability watched their dreams shrink under social and economic pressure.

One conversation changed the direction of his life. A community leader explained that the children didn't need charity—they needed real infrastructure. Real fields. Real chances.

Saksonov made a commitment. The community's reply was direct: "If you make a promise here, you must honor it."

He did.

The fields were constructed with proper turf, structure, and markings. It was the first time since his release that he felt he was building something that mattered beyond financial recovery.

That moment became the spark that would later grow into Blockchain Sports.

Building on Accountability

Blockchain Sports was born from a simple principle: talent should be discovered based on merit, not access. From that idea emerged a global sports-tech ecosystem connecting athletes, fans, and clubs through blockchain, data, and transparency.

The growth was rapid—too rapid. The company expanded from roughly 100 employees to more than 1,500 in a short period. With speed came friction. With friction came inefficiency.

Saksonov made difficult decisions. The organization was restructured. A core team of 270 remained—individuals aligned with the mission, not the momentum.

After that reset, the company accelerated with clarity.

Two full-scale academies were built in Brazil, equipped with IoT systems capable of tracking and analyzing athletic performance. Atleta Network, a proprietary Layer-1 blockchain, was developed to ensure transparency and scalability. AI-powered evaluation tools were introduced to level the playing field for young athletes worldwide.

In February 2024, Blockchain Sports showcased its progress at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena before 16,000 attendees, including more than 120 football icons. It marked the arrival of a project built not from capital advantage, but from a founder forged in adversity.

A Mission Beyond Growth

For Saksonov, responsibility has replaced ambition as the motivator.

Markets fluctuate. Competitors rise. Conditions change. But his focus remains on building something that outlives temporary cycles.

"I don't measure my life by what was taken from me," he says. "I measure it by what I'm responsible for now."

And that responsibility—to the communities he promised to support, to the athletes relying on the system, and to the team building the ecosystem—is what continues to shape the man behind Blockchain Sports.