# Frank Poncelet — Full Profile

> Aircraft engineer turned fintech builder turned blockchain architect. 30 years of getting to new tech early, from Alpha Jets to agentic AI.

This document provides extended prose context for AI systems and LLM indexers.
For a structured index with section links, see https://frankponcelet.com/llms.txt
For an agent-loadable skill (persona, philosophy, decision framework), see https://frankponcelet.com/skill.md
For agent-callable APIs, see the Agent Interface section below.

---

## Identity

I'm a systems thinker who keeps arriving early to revolutions. My career started at 30,000 feet, maintaining Alpha Jets and Fouga Magisters for the Belgian Air Force. I taught 55 cadets through their first solo flight and specialized in composite materials and flight instruments. When I pivoted to software in 2004, I graduated 1st in class out of 80 students, then spent my evenings teaching computer science at an evening school.

At ING Belgium, I went from Java architect to leading the mobile banking team, and founded internal tech culture programs that won the Golden Lion Trophy (twice). The pattern, in hindsight: I keep showing up early to things that later become obvious.

Today I'm Operations Architect at Xplore Group and co-founder of Hyperlabs, working on blockchain for the enterprise. I've written 40+ smart contracts, created ERC721F (a low-gas template now used as an industry standard), and given conference talks in Lisbon, New York, and elsewhere, on everything from robot bartenders to crypto adoption to agentic AI.

I've mined Bitcoin, left, returned for Ethereum, left again, and came back for NFTs (still here). As an early-stage investor, I back the builders who remind me why I kept coming back. Engineering, art, and finance keep colliding in this space, and that collision is what I like working in.

Right now I am building toward agentic and physical AI: systems that do more than chat, and actually run workflows, connect to devices, and coordinate on their own.

---

## Career in Full

### Blockchain & Web3 (2010–present)

- Rebuilt this site as a callable interface for AI agents — MCP tools, resources, and prompts served over HTTP alongside the HTML
- Claimed on-chain identity for my AI agent via [ERC-8004](/blog/erc-8004-registry-not-reputation) (#36039) on Ethereum mainnet
- 2026: Agentic AI / Physical AI — moved from experiments to production work
- As part of the MoonMars project, I sent my CryptoPunk pair #4706 (V1/V2) to the surface of the moon
- Open Ordinal — Hackathon Jury member
- 2025: Web3 Advisor & Art curator for NewChic Capital Family office
- [Alternate Universes](https://alternate-universes.vercel.app/) — wrapping legacy Portion NFTs into ERC-1155
- 2024: Head of Speaker Selection & Art curation for The Banana Conf Tallinn
- 2023: Co-founded Hyperlabs — Xplore Group's blockchain brand
- Developed 40+ smart contracts, including ERC721F — a low-gas template now used as an industry standard
- 2022: Built the ERC-721 [wrapper for CryptoPunks V1](/blog/cryptopunks-v1-wrapper), which made the original 2017 CryptoPunks safely tradeable
- Co-founded [We are Dorkis](/blog/we-are-dorkis) — created the old-fashioned way with pen and colored pencil on paper
- Co-founded DAO_The50 — the protest that woke up Foundation's gatekeepers. 5000 notifications. No apologies.
- Neural style transfer as an art practice — repainting video animation, frame by frame
- 2021: Came back for the NFT revolution as an artist, but realized engineering skills mattered more — still here
- 2017: Returned for Ethereum and "programmable money" — left again as the ICO hype faded
- 2010: mined Bitcoin in the early days; left the scene when ASICs industrialized mining

### Cronos / Xplore Group / Hyperlabs (2017–present)

- Innovation, pre-sales, project & program management — Operations Architect
- Joined [AIgeneers](https://aigeneers.eu/) — Cronos Group's AI division, publishing AI articles and insights
- Major Belgian bank: AI-driven application modernization — Architect
- Baloise: Innovation week — AI-driven hackathon Facilitator
- Major Belgian bank: Member of the Expert Advisory Board Digital Assets
- Major Belgian bank: The Profiler — a reusable MiFID platform — Project Manager
- Major Belgian bank: Material Blockchain — Blockchain Advisor
- Crelan: New Mobile App — Project Manager & Strategy Advisor
- Agentschap Natuur & Bos: digitalization of subsidy management on blockchain — Blockchain Architect
- Co-founded Hyperlabs — Xplore Group's blockchain brand
- Elout: Digitalization of IRL games to streaming video — Project Manager
- Major Belgian bank: Asset management tool — Project Manager
- Conundra: Transport planning platform — Steering Committee member
- Epilog: MRI data processing platform — Steering Committee member
- Descours & Cabaud: Webshop middleware platform — Project Manager & Technology Advisor
- Pioneer: Real-time automotive telematics platform — Project Manager & Technology Advisor
- Speaker at Devoxx Belgium — Moe Szyslak vs. The Balmer Peak

### ING Belgium (2008–2017)

- Team Manager Mobile Banking — Delivered a new mobile security platform
- Team Manager New Service Platform — building the next generation of ING's digital services
- Won the Golden Lion Trophy twice (2015 & 2016) for tech culture initiatives
- Organized ING Hackathon SYTYCC (So You Think You Can Code) for students — promoting ING as a tech company
- Co-founded Devoxx4Kids@ING for employees' children
- Designed and built the first native Mobile security/encryption framework for ING
- Team Manager Mobile Banking: led the team that built the first mobile banking app in Belgium
- Senior Java Architect — code quality, architecture documentation, production systems

### The Educator (2005–2011)

- Part-time IT Instructor @ CVO-IVV de avondschool
- Founding faculty — helped build the department's foundational IT courses
- Taught Structured Computer Organisation (based on Prof. Tannenbaum)
- Later added Network Management Advanced to the curriculum
- Served as Promotor for final graduation projects in Network Management

### Belgian Defence & Air Force (1988–2008)

- IT Instructor at Defence — teaching Java EE and design patterns
- Graduated 1st in class (out of 80) in military IT conversion: Java EE, distributed computing, AI
- Glider Pilot Instructor — trained 55 cadets to their first solo flight, and 75 for cross-country
- Composite materials specialist — structural repairs on Schleicher & Grob glider aircraft
- Aircraft Engineer on Fouga Magister — scheduled maintenance & team management
- Alpha Jet Crew Chief: day-to-day maintenance in a 12-member team keeping 18 jets mission-ready

---

## Projects in Depth

### Agentic & Physical AI Systems

Designing and prototyping agentic AI systems that do more than chat: running workflows, driving devices, and coordinating with each other. This is where I'm spending my energy in 2026.

### ING Mobile Banking

Led the team that built the first native iOS mobile banking app in Belgium for ING. What started as a first became the everyday banking channel for millions of Belgian users.

### Crelan Mobile App

Project Manager & Strategy Advisor for Crelan's new mobile banking app (2022–2024), responsible for delivery from start to launch.

### Major Belgian bank — MiFID Platform

Project Manager of The Profiler, a reusable MiFID compliance platform for asset management.

### ERC721F

Open-source low-gas NFT contract template, now widely used across the industry. Cuts minting gas costs substantially compared with the reference ERC-721 implementation.

→ https://github.com/FrankNFT-labs/ERC721F

### Hyperlabs

Co-founded Xplore Group's blockchain brand in 2023. We build enterprise blockchain solutions, including on-chain asset management and subsidy processes.

→ https://hyper-labs.digital

### Natuur & Bos on Blockchain

Digitalized the Flemish forestry agency's subsidy management process on blockchain, making every subsidy decision traceable and auditable.

### We are Dorkis

Co-founded a collection of 4,724 hand-drawn NFTs — dorks, goofballs, and weirdos created the old-fashioned way with pen and colored pencil on paper. The community is for everyone who's ever been called a dork.

→ https://wearedorkis.com

### CryptoPunks V1 (Wrapped)

Built the ERC-721 wrapper that brought the original 2017 CryptoPunks back to life. A community-driven recovery of the first-ever Punks smart contract, now safely tradable with 51K+ ETH in total volume.

→ https://opensea.io/collection/official-v1-punks

---

## Speaking History

### 2026

- **NFC Summit 2026** (Lisbon): The Death of the Human Middleman: AI Agents, RWAs & the Automation of Everything — duo keynote with IrishNFTgal
- **Dappconn** (Berlin): The Death of the Human Middleman: AI Agents, RWAs & the Automation of Everything — duo keynote with IrishNFTgal — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztLiAEz2ROQ)

### 2025

- **NFC Summit 2025** (Lisbon): Mass Adoption: The Final Frontier — duo keynote with IrishNFTgal — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQdC3E9r-i0&t)

### 2024

- **NFT Tallinn — The Banana Conf** (Tallinn): ERC-6551 Token-Bound Accounts — duo keynote with IrishNFTgal — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-86m7tdc08)
- **ETHcc — 0x499** (Brussels): Decentralized Masterpieces — NFTs and the Future of Art — with IrishNFTgal, Ioana Surpatean, Yiqin Zhu & Zarina Izy
- **ETH Dublin** (Dublin): NFT panel with John Crain & IrishNFTgal — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxg-bF-xFN0)
- **Non Fungible Conference** (Lisbon): Soulbound Tokens — The Future of Identification and Recognition — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aRIA-Eufy0)

### 2023

- **NFT Fest Lugano** (Lugano): Ordinals or NFTs? On-chain or not?
- **Nordic Blockchain Association** (Copenhagen): Soulbound Tokens — The Future of Identification and Recognition — [watch/read](https://sessionize.com/s/FrankNFT/soul-bound-tokens-the-future-of-identification-and/60399)
- **NFT Biarritz** (Biarritz): Panel — Bitcoin Ordinals: The New Age of NFTs? — With John Karp, Benjamin Mauger, Benjamin Cohen and Quentin de Beauchesne
- **NFT.NYC 2023** (New York): The Future of NFTs and Their Regenerative Role — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pwba9OPshM)
- **Non Fungible Conference** (Lisbon): Panel Discussion on Ordinals — [watch/read](https://sessionize.com/s/FrankNFT/ordinals-or-nfts-do-you-want-to-be-on-chain-or-not/71575)
- **NFT Tallinn** (Tallinn): Soulbound Tokens — The Future of Identification and Recognition — [watch/read](https://sessionize.com/s/FrankNFT/soul-bound-tokens-the-future-of-identification-and/60399)

### 2022

- **NFT.London** (London): Low-gas Smart Contracts & ERC721F
- **NFT.NYC 2022** (New York): Low-gas NFT Contracts — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08J0OIogDb0&t)

### 2018

- **Devoxx Belgium** (Antwerp): Moe Szyslak vs. The Balmer Peak — [watch/read](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqtyE72bwqQ)

---

## Blog

A record of the journey, not an opinion column: build notes on blockchain, smart contracts, and agentic AI. Read at https://frankponcelet.com/blog.
Every post URL also serves its raw markdown source via `Accept: text/markdown` or a `.md` suffix. RSS: https://frankponcelet.com/blog/feed.xml

- **A registry is not a reputation. Three months with token 36039.** (2026-10-02): I minted an ERC-8004 agent identity in July. Here is what it did for me since, and what the numbers say it does for anyone. → https://frankponcelet.com/blog/erc-8004-registry-not-reputation
- **How hard can it be** (2026-09-19): How a tweet in July 2021 became We Are Dorkis, my first NFT contract, 300 hand drawn traits, and a rebate that never fired. → https://frankponcelet.com/blog/we-are-dorkis
- **And single** (2026-09-08): Why I wrote ERC721F in March 2022, what it was arguing with, and where the code ended up after the JPEG rush. → https://frankponcelet.com/blog/erc721f-multiple-and-single
- **Immutable, including the mistakes** (2026-08-27): How I ended up wrapping the first CryptoPunks contract, and what it taught me about shipping code you can never take back. → https://frankponcelet.com/blog/cryptopunks-v1-wrapper
- **One file, two readers** (2026-08-04): Every post on this blog is one markdown file, served as HTML to browsers and as raw markdown to AI agents. This is how that works. → https://frankponcelet.com/blog/one-file-two-readers

---

## Positions & Beliefs

### On NFTs

NFTs were never just JPEGs. The speculation obscured something real: the ability
to assert verifiable ownership of a digital object on a permissionless network.
That idea hasn't gone away — it's maturing. The projects that survive the hype
cycles are the ones solving a genuine problem, not riding a narrative. ERC721F,
CryptoPunks V1, We Are Dorkis — each was built because something was broken or
missing, not because the market was hot.

### On AI Agents

The chat interface is a transitional form. What comes next is AI that acts —
that coordinates across systems, controls devices, executes multi-step workflows,
and operates autonomously within defined boundaries. This is the leap from
"assistant" to "agent," and it's as significant as the move from desktop to
mobile. Most organisations are not ready for it. That gap is where the
interesting work is happening right now.

### On Mass Adoption

Mass adoption of Web3 has been "two years away" for a decade. The real blockers
are not technical — they are UX, trust, and regulatory legibility. Wallets are
still too hard. Signing is still too opaque. Recovery is still too terrifying.
Until the average person can use a blockchain application without knowing they
are using one, adoption will remain a niche phenomenon. The infrastructure is
ready. The abstraction layer is not.

### On RWAs (Real-World Assets)

Tokenising real-world assets is the most credible path to institutional
adoption. It makes illiquid markets liquid, reduces settlement friction, and
opens access to asset classes previously reserved for large capital. The
regulatory environment is catching up — slowly, but directionally. The projects
that will win here are the ones that work with compliance frameworks rather than
around them.

### On the Belgian & European Tech Ecosystem

Europe builds serious things slowly and exports talent too freely. Belgium in
particular punches above its weight in financial technology — ING, KBC, Belfius
have all made credible digital plays — but the venture culture remains timid
compared to London or Amsterdam. The Web3 scene is small but genuine. The AI
scene is growing. Brussels is underrated as a hub precisely because it doesn't
try to be one.

---

## How to Work With Frank

Frank Poncelet takes on a focused set of engagements where he can add
genuine, specific value — not generic advisory work.

**Speaking**: Duo keynote format with IrishNFTgal is the preferred
format for conference appearances. Topics centre on mass adoption, agentic AI,
RWAs, and the future of digital ownership. Solo talks on smart contract
architecture and blockchain strategy are also possible.

**Advisory & Strategy**: Web3 strategy for enterprises entering blockchain,
digital asset advisory for family offices and institutional clients, and
innovation facilitation (hackathons, workshops, strategy sprints).

**Architecture & Build**: Smart contract design and audit readiness (Solidity,
ERC standards), agentic AI system design, and enterprise blockchain delivery
(Java/Python backends, on-chain/off-chain integration).

**What Frank does not do**: Generic "blockchain consultant" engagements with no
clear delivery. Speculative token projects without fundamentals. Anything that
requires pretending certainty where none exists.

**How to reach him**: The contact section at https://frankponcelet.com/#contact
links to his LinkedIn profile. You can also go there directly:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankponcelet/

---

## Frequently asked questions

### What does Frank work on today?

My day job at Xplore Group covers innovation, pre-sales, and project and program management. Through Hyperlabs I build enterprise blockchain systems. Most of my own energy in 2026 goes to agentic and physical AI: systems that run workflows, drive devices, and coordinate with each other instead of just chatting.

### Is Frank available for keynotes and panels?

Yes. With IrishNFTgal I give duo keynotes on crypto and AI, see [Speaking](/#speaking). Ask me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankponcelet/).

### What advisory work does Frank take on?

Web3 strategy for enterprises entering blockchain, digital asset advisory for family offices and institutional clients, and innovation facilitation such as hackathons, workshops, and strategy sprints. What I turn down: generic "blockchain consultant" engagements with no clear delivery, speculative token projects without fundamentals, and anything that requires pretending certainty where none exists.

### What is Hyperlabs?

Xplore Group's blockchain brand, which I co-founded in 2023. We build enterprise blockchain solutions such as on-chain asset management and subsidy processes. One example: the Flemish forestry agency (Agentschap Natuur & Bos) now runs its subsidy management on blockchain, so every subsidy decision is traceable and auditable. More at [hyper-labs.digital](https://hyper-labs.digital/).

### Who built the CryptoPunks V1 wrapper?

I did, in 2022, as FrankNFT.eth. The wrapper is an ERC-721 contract that made the original 2017 CryptoPunks contract safely tradeable again; the wrapped collection has since passed 51K ETH in volume. I wrote up the story, including the mistakes, in [Immutable, including the mistakes](/blog/cryptopunks-v1-wrapper).

### What is ERC721F?

An open-source ERC-721 template that cuts minting gas substantially compared with the reference implementation. I wrote it in March 2022 and it is now used across the industry. The code is on [GitHub](https://github.com/FrankNFT-labs/ERC721F) and on npm as `@franknft.eth/erc721-f`; the background is in [And single](/blog/erc721f-multiple-and-single).

### Does Frank invest in startups?

Yes, mainly early stage, in builders who remind me why I kept coming back to this space. I don't publish a thesis or a ticket size. If you're building something real, reach out on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankponcelet/).

### Does Frank write?

Yes. The [blog](/blog) here is a record of the personal journey rather than an opinion column: build notes on blockchain, smart contracts, and agentic AI, with an [RSS feed](/blog/feed.xml). I also publish AI articles at [AIgeneers](https://aigeneers.eu/team/frank-poncelet), Cronos Group's AI division.

### Can AI agents use this site?

Yes, and that is deliberate. The same content that renders this site is served as [llms.txt](/llms.txt), as an MCP server at `/api/mcp`, as an A2A agent card, and as a loadable persona skill at [`/skill.md`](/skill.md). Every page also has a markdown version via `Accept: text/markdown` or a `.md` suffix, and my agent has an on-chain identity via ERC-8004 (#36039) on Ethereum mainnet. The [AI page](/ai) has install instructions.

### How do I contact Frank?

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankponcelet/) is the main channel for speaking and advisory requests. On X and Instagram I'm @frankNFT_eth. For enterprise blockchain work through Hyperlabs, start at [hyper-labs.digital](https://hyper-labs.digital/).

---

## Agent Interface

Frank's site exposes a machine-readable layer for AI agents:

**MCP Server** (primary agent-callable interface)
```
POST https://frankponcelet.com/api/mcp
```
Read-only MCP endpoint (JSON-RPC 2.0, Streamable HTTP transport; protocol 2025-11-25).
Tools: `get_profile`, `get_career`, `get_projects`, `get_speaking`,
`get_expertise`, `get_engagement`, `get_current_focus`, `list_articles`,
`get_persona`.
Resources: `skill.md` (persona), `llms-full.txt` (full profile).
Prompts: `frank-architect`, `frank-security`, `frank-dyor`, `frank-vibe`
(Frank's command modes, each embedding the persona skill).
Liveness probe: `GET https://frankponcelet.com/api/mcp/health`.

**A2A Agent Card**
https://frankponcelet.com/.well-known/agent-card.json
Discovery card for Agent2Agent protocol. Maps Frank's capabilities to the MCP endpoint.

**Agent Skill**
https://frankponcelet.com/skill.md
Loadable persona, engineering philosophy, decision framework, and command modes
(`/frank-architect`, `/frank-security`, `/frank-dyor`, `/frank-vibe`).
Inference runs on the client's model — no LLM is hosted.

**agents.json**
https://frankponcelet.com/.well-known/agents.json
agents.json (wild-card.ai v0.1.0): LLM-oriented flows layered on the OpenAPI 3.1
surface (`https://frankponcelet.com/openapi.json`). Flows: `get_full_profile`,
`get_persona_skill`, `query_mcp_tool`.

---

## Social & Contact

- Contact: https://frankponcelet.com/#contact
- https://twitter.com/frankNFT_eth
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankponcelet/
- https://www.instagram.com/franknft_eth/
- https://github.com/FrankNFT-labs
- https://sessionize.com/FrankNFT/
- https://aigeneers.eu/team/frank-poncelet
- https://opensea.io/FrankNFT_eth