Monday 28 November 2022 08:11 PM Curse of the crypto whizz kids: Missing millions, mysterious deaths and wild ... trends now
Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Tiantian Kullander is the second industry leader to die unexpectedly in a matter of weeks.
His death 'in his sleep' came after fellow crypto millionaire Nikolai Mushegian, 29, died on October 28 - hours after a paranoid Twitter post expressing fears the CIA and Mossad were going to murder him.
The deaths mean at least four cryptocurrency tycoons have died unexpectedly since 2018, at times triggering wild and unfounded conspiracy theories.
The two others, Gerald Cotten and Matthew Mellon, died without sharing the keys to crypto wallets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, leaving the funds inaccessible.
Cotten's demise was so mysterious and controversial that it prompted a Netflix documentary into whether the whole thing was faked.
Meanwhile Mellon - the ex-husband of Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon - suffered a heart attack while preparing to check into a drug rehab clinic in Mexico.
Tiantian Kullander
Tiantian Kullander was credited with 'co-founding Amber and building it into a multi-billion fintech unicorn'. He died unexpectedly on November 23.
Tiantian Kullander, 30, was the co-founder of Amber Group, a cryptocurrency trading platform which was recently valued at $3 billion.
Kullander died 'unexpectedly in his sleep' on November 23, the company announced in a statement on Friday.
He is survived by his wife and their beloved son, a statement from Amber Group said.
The company, which is based in Singapore, didn't say where Kullander passed away. A cause of death had also not been revealed on Monday.
Amber Group said: 'Tiantian (or 'TT', as he was lovingly known) was instrumental to the founding of Amber and a pillar of our success. He put his heart and soul into the company, in every stage of its growth.
'He led by example with his intellect, generosity, humility, diligence and creativity.
'TT was a respected thought leader and widely recognized as a pioneer for the industry.
'His depth of knowledge, his willingness to collaborate and his desire to always help others benefited countless start-ups and individuals. His insights and creativity inspired many projects, people and communities.'
The father-of-one, named in the Forbes prestigious 30-under-30 list in 2019, died 'unexpectedly' on November 23. No further details were provided surrounding the cause of his death
Kullander was credited with 'co-founding Amber and building it into a multi-billion fintech unicorn'.
He was also on the board of Fnatic, an esports organization.
Kullander and several of his Amber Group colleagues were featured together in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2019.
Amber Group is based in Singapore and its website says it has a 'presence in Athens, Geneva, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Taipei, Tokyo, Vancouver, and Zurich'.
Kullander, a former Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs trader, founded the Amber Group in 2017. The company was valued at $3billion in recent months.
Nikolai Mushegian
Nikolai Mushegian, 29, died on October 28, hours after tweeting that he feared the CIA and Mossad were going to murder him. His death triggered unfounded conspiracy theories and his family have said they don't believe there was any foul play.
Nikolai Mushegian, 29, died on October 28, hours after tweeting that he feared the CIA and Mossad were going to murder him.
The troubled young millionaire had a history of mental health problems and his family do not believe there was any foul play.
But some of his associates have bought into the idea that his death was suspicious - claims which are unfounded.
In a tweet hours before he died, Mushegian said: 'CIA and Mossad and pedo elite are running some kind of sex trafficking entrapment blackmail ring out of Puerto Rico and Caribbean islands.
'They are going to frame me with a laptop planted by my ex [girlfriend] who was a spy. They will torture me to death.'
A surfer spotted Nikolai's body floating in the water near Ashford Avenue in Condado on October 28
Mushegian was found in the water by a surfer in Puerto Rico, hours after posting this unhinged tweet
He was discovered by a surfer in the water at Ashford Beach on October 29, fully clothed and carrying his wallet.
Brock Pierce, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur who is well known in the community, told The New York Post that he was satisfied Nikolai's death was not suspicious after speaking to his family in Florida.
'His mother clarified that his death had nothing to do with his [conspiracy] tweets.
'He was a beautiful man and a child at heart. He was also an incredible visionary, I don't call people brilliant very often but Nikolai was brilliant.
'And brilliant people sometimes walk the edge of insanity,' he said.
Nikolai's family had become so concerned for his welfare that his father had gone to stay with him in Condado, Puerto Rico, where he is said to have lived in a $6million house.
Gerald Cotten
Gerald Cotten died without sharing keys needed to access cryptocurrencies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Some of the funds belonged to his bankrupt cryptocurrency firm QuadrigaCX. Some think he faked his own death and pocketed the cash - claims which formed the basis of the Netflix documentary Trust No One.
Gerald Cotten's death in 2018 prompted so much intrigue and controversy that it was investigated in the Netflix documentary Trust No One.
The 30-year-old founder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency firm QuadrigaCX died while honeymooning in India with his wife on December 9, 2018.
He was the only person with knowledge of keys needed to access crypto assets worth hundreds of million of dollars.
