Early Life
Shayne Coplan was born in 1998 and raised on the Upper West Side of New York City. He attended public schools in Hell's Kitchen. From a young age, he showed a lot of curiosity for technology and markets. At 15, he participated in the initial coin offering of Ethereum in 2014.
Rise to Success
Coplan founded Polymarket in June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform allows users to wager cryptocurrency on the outcomes of real-world events. Polymarket quickly became the world's largest prediction market, with over $3.6 billion in bets during the 2024 United States presidential election. In October 2025, he became the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
Key Business Strategies
Coplan's key business strategy involved creating a decentralized platform where users could buy and sell contracts tied to real-world outcomes. The platform earns revenue by facilitating trades, not by directly engaging in betting activities. Polymarket focuses on market depth, user growth, and product-driven network effects around its data layer.
Philanthropy
While specific details on philanthropic endeavors are not readily available, the company is focused on providing a platform with transparent information to improve society.