What drives someone to leap from spreadsheets to smart contracts? For Riccardo “Ricky” Esclapon, it was equal parts curiosity, grit, and a fascination with data. With no formal computer science background, Ricky transformed a business analytics foundation into a leading voice in blockchain data and AI-powered automation — proving that self-taught builders can reshape web3.
A non-traditional start
Ricky’s story began far from blockchain. Graduating with a degree in business and information analytics, he first fell in love with data through a college analytics course in 2015. That curiosity led him to teach the same class, then later apply those skills professionally at Vail Resorts, where he sharpened his analytical instincts.
But Bitcoin and Ethereum were brewing in the background. A small Bitcoin buy in 2015 turned into a deep dive by 2017 — and soon, data met decentralization. “As long as I have good data, I can do a lot with that,” Ricky recalls. That mantra would define his next decade.
Into The Graph and on-chain analytics
By 2021, Ricky’s experiments with blockchain data led him to The Graph, the decentralized indexing protocol. A grant application turned into a pivotal conversation with co-founder Brandon Ramirez, who connected him with Craig from Edge & Node. Together, they built data pipelines, automated reports, and tackled governance questions for The Graph ecosystem.
“We wore a lot of different hats,” Ricky says. “I learned how to extract, transform, and analyze on-chain data — and what people actually care about.”
Building tools for the builders
Ricky’s hands-on mindset soon turned him into an indexer, giving him full access to The Graph’s infrastructure. That decision unlocked a wave of tools designed to make life easier for curators and indexers:
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Curation Optimizer – made curation profitable and aligned developer incentives.
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Indexer Allocation Optimizer – streamlined allocation management and boosted efficiency.
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Subgraph Issue Checker – detected sync issues like graft chains before they became costly.
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Query Consistency Checker – improved transparency in subgraph determinism.
These weren’t theoretical builds — they solved real problems Ricky faced. By open-sourcing them, he turned personal solutions into community assets. “Building in public creates more interesting opportunities,” he says.
A demonstration video shows how Ricky uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to query subgraphs, identifying the best opportunities for curation — a glimpse of what comes next.
Pioneering agentic data at Cambrian Network
Now, as Senior Data Agent Architect at Cambrian Network, Ricky is expanding his focus to AI-driven automation. His mission: make blockchain data verifiable, actionable, and autonomous. “Data on The Graph could become gas for agents,” he explains — envisioning a world where AI systems self-optimize subgraphs and workflows.
Working alongside veteran indexer Payne from StakeSquid, he’s currently developing automation tools to accelerate slow queries and improve subgraph reliability.
A builder’s ethos
Despite his technical evolution, Ricky remains grounded in community. He’s a regular speaker at Indexer Office Hours, active in forums, and generous in sharing tutorials through his GitHub and personal site. “It’s a small, technical community,” he admits, “but that’s what makes collaboration so powerful.”
Looking ahead, Ricky’s focus is clear: use automation and AI to make web3 infrastructure smarter, faster, and more open. “I just want to build things that are impactful and interesting,” he says.
And if his trajectory is any sign — from business analytics to blockchain architecture — he’s only getting started.
