Nonexistent CEO at Center of Collapsed Hyperverse Crypto Fund Scandal

Recently, it was uncovered that the chief executive officer of the collapsed crypto fund Hyperverse, Steven Reece Lewis, may not actually exist. Lewis, who was introduced with an impressive list of qualifications and achievements, appears to be untraceable. No records of him can be found at the University of Leeds or the University of Cambridge, where he reportedly studied, nor is there any evidence of his employment at Goldman Sachs or Adobe, companies he was said to have worked for.

Hyperverse, which is connected to the earlier scheme HyperFund, was part of the HyperTech group. This group is known for running a range of crypto-based schemes. The introduction of Lewis as CEO was part of a strategy to attract new investors to the HyperVerse fund. Notably, this fund was also promoted by Australian entrepreneur Sam Lee and his business partner, Ryan Xu, founders of the now-collapsed Australian bitcoin company Blockchain Global.

Blockchain Global currently owes creditors a significant sum, and its liquidators have referred Xu and Lee to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for alleged breaches of the Corporations Act. However, the Commission has stated that it does not intend to take action at this time.

The HyperVerse investment scheme drew attention from regulators in various countries, some labeling it a potential “scam” or “suspected pyramid scheme”. Despite this, it managed to operate without significant scrutiny in Australia.

The scheme was launched with much fanfare, including video messages from celebrities, endorsing the venture and its supposed CEO, Steven Reece Lewis. However, Guardian Australia has confirmed the lack of records for Lewis, raising questions about his existence and the legitimacy of the scheme he was purported to head.