CZ donates $10M in BNB to support Vitalik Buterin’s biotech vision

Co‑founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, aka “CZ” has publicly confirmed a personal donation of $10 million worth of BNB to support Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin’s open‑source biotech initiatives. The personal contribution was made above the investment CZ has in YZiLabs and was revealed on his X post, where he went on to say he was ‘Just doing my little part.’

🙏 Moved by this post👇. Just doing my little part.

The best way to attract mission-driven talent is having conviction yourself. Likeminded people naturally come together.

On top of YZiLabs investments, I personally donated $10m (in BNB) to Vitalik a couple of months back to… https://t.co/vGNdneoci7
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) July 1, 2025

CZ was also reacting to the post put out by YZi Labs general partner Jane Sparking, who recounts her first meeting with CZ. Jane shared how her first conversation with CZ emphasized supporting “patients, families, and innovators who frequently go unheard.”

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According to a blogpost on Binance, Buterin’s biotech efforts have often been channeled through the Kanro Fund, which focuses on tackling global health challenges via open‑source biology. Some of the key themes the fund looks into include biosecurity, pandemic prevention, longevity research, and democratizing access to biotech.

As DeSci projects multiply, many are focusing on open data, peer review, and decentralized funding, with DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) leading the way in governance and innovation. Initiatives like the VitaDAO Longevity Fellowship underwrite early‑career researchers pursuing breakthroughs in aging and public health.

CZ has made additional private donations to healthcare charities and YZi Labs‑backed ventures as well. In his X post, he emphasized that attracting “mission‑driven talent” requires genuine conviction. He’s also known for personally engaging with founders “rolling up his sleeves,” rather than simply donating funds.

For the uninitiated, BNB is the native token of Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Ethereum, co-founded by Buterin, is a leading blockchain platform known for its smart contract capabilities. This collaboration between two crypto heavyweights opens up new avenues for philanthropy. It reflects a growing trend where crypto wealth is being channeled into high‑impact scientific causes.