Greater Chicago Area
Rory is a seasoned product leader and Navy SEAL veteran with deep expertise in blockchain technology, technical sales, and decentralized finance. Currently a Product Manager at QuickNode, he leads the development of rollup solutions, driving end-to-end product cycles and bridging the gap between engineering and sales. With a strong technical foundation, he makes autonomous product decisions, collaborates with customers, and translates complex crypto infrastructure into scalable solutions. Before QuickNode, Rory co-founded Conveyor Labs, where he developed crypto-native products, first building an automated trading system leveraging on-chain contracts with distributed and trustless execution. Later, he led the development of a gas-efficient DEX aggregator that saved up to 50% on gas fees by optimizing existing routes from 1inch, Paraswap, Kyber, and 0x protocol. This platform facilitated over 180,000 trades and amassed $150 million in trading volume. This hands-on experience in DeFi innovation deepened his understanding of smart contract interactions, gas optimization, and liquidity aggregation. Earlier in his tech career, Rory co-founded Charge Running, a live group fitness app accepted into Y Combinator, where he gained hands-on experience in SQL, data analytics, and user engagement strategies to optimize retention and growth. His ability to derive insights from data and create innovative user experiences laid the groundwork for his transition into product leadership. Prior to entering tech, Rory served 12.5 years as a Navy SEAL, specializing in Reconnaissance and Surveillance with a focus on leveraging technology for mission-critical intelligence. As a Senior Enlisted Leader, he managed cross-functional teams, collaborated with U.S. Embassies and partner forces, and executed high-stakes operations worldwide. This background honed his strategic thinking, leadership, and ability to operate in high-pressure environments—skills that now set him apart in the fast-moving world of product and crypto. Rory is passionate about building the next generation of blockchain infrastructure, driving adoption, and delivering innovative products that push the boundaries of decentralization.
Leading QuickNode's rollup infrastructure initiatives, spearheading the development of automated deployment systems for Layer 2 scaling solutions. Orchestrating the planning and execution of a comprehensive rollup deployment platform that supports both Optimistic and zero-knowledge (ZK) frameworks. Driving technical architecture decisions and product strategy to enable seamless blockchain scalability solutions for enterprise clients and developers.
Conveyor Labs is a decentralized application that acts as a sidecar to your cryptocurrency wallet, allowing you to automate tokens swaps 24/7. It has cross chain compatibility and works with any EVM compatible blockchain, side-chain or Layer 2. We're compatible with any cryptocurrency wallet that uses an Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) to generate public/private key pairs.
Responsible for high-level management of 24 employees geographically located all over the US, customer relations for 1600+ paying members, as well as creating and implementing technical processes to stream live, audio led runs to runners all over the world.
Responsible for the preparedness and professional development of over 150 SEALs at his SEAL team. Acting as the sole liaison for over 30 specialized cross-military training courses offered during his teams 7-month post-deployment cycle.
Responsible for the training of 16 SEALs in tactical proficiency through 10 critical blocks of training. Training included special reconnaissance, live-fire shooting, close range combat, skydiving, diving, and mission planning.
Assisted the Team Leader in mentoring 8 SEALs in various military qualifications to refine professional performance and administrative requirements.