Di Iorio, 48, has had a security team since 2017, with someone traveling with or meeting him wherever he goes. In coming weeks, he plans to sell Decentral Inc., and refocus on philanthropy and other ventures not related to crypto. The Canadian expects to sever ties in time with other startups he is involved with, and doesn't plan on funding any more blockchain projects.

"It's got a risk profile that I am not too enthused about," said Di Iorio, who declined to disclose his cryptocurrency holdings or net worth. "I don't feel necessarily safe in this space. If I was focused on larger problems, I think I'd be safer."

Back in 2013, Di Iorio co-founded Ethereum, which has become the home of many of the hottest crypto projects, particularly in decentralized finance -- which lets people borrow, lend and trade with each other without intermediaries like banks. Ether, the native token of the network, has a market value of about $225 billion.