From communist Romania to French lycées, MIT research labs, fast-growing fintech companies, photography studios, and children’s books—George Popescu’s biography is a sequence of bets on curiosity, discipline, and long-term work.
He trained as an engineer and scientist, built Boston Technologies from $0 to tens of millions in revenue, co-founded multiple ventures in fintech, blockchain, AR and e-commerce, and later shifted more of his time to fashion and editorial photography and writing. This page gives the longer version behind those headlines.
From Romania to MIT
George Popescu was born in Romania under an authoritarian regime where leaving the country could cost you your life. He escaped mentally first—through books about explorers like Jules Verne and stories of Columbus and Magellan—and physically later, when his mother remarried and the family moved to France.
George went on to earn three Master’s degrees: a Master of Science from MIT (3D printing), a Master’s in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Supélec in France, and a Master’s in Nanosciences from Université Paris-Sud (Paris XI). At MIT, what began as a short internship turned into years of research on tiny cantilever-based devices for medical diagnostics, resulting in publications and patents.
Academic & Professional Snapshot
Three Master’s Degrees
• M.S. from MIT (additive manufacturing / 3D printing)
• M.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Supélec, France
• M.S. in Nanosciences, Université Paris-Sud (Paris XI)
Entrepreneur & Operator
Founder & CEO of Boston Technologies (bootstrapped from $0 to $20M+ revenue, Inc. 500/5000 and #1 fastest-growing company in Boston), plus multiple later ventures in fintech, AR, blockchain, travel, PPE, and media.
Mentor, Investor & Advisor
Advisor and investor across fintech and tech, including roles with LunaCap Ventures, FirstBlood (e-sports blockchain), and startups mentored through MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service and Techstars Fintech in New York.
Entrepreneurship
Boston Technologies and Beyond
Bootstrapping the First Success
Boston Technologies started with a single client who needed software George didn’t yet know how to build. He broke the work into milestones, paid the programmer per working delivery, and used the completed software to win the next client. Over time the company added software, liquidity, white-label platforms, and consulting, serving FX brokers around the world and expanding via small international sales offices.
Later Ventures
After exiting Boston Technologies, George co-founded and led Lampix (table-top augmented reality with computer vision), Block X Ventures (a boutique blockchain investment bank that closed multiple deals, including the sale of EtherDelta and 12+ ICOs), Wavesoul Surf Travel (a surf-travel company paused during COVID-19), and Brooklyn Textiles, a PPE and textile e-commerce business that reached roughly $60M in annualized revenue within six months before being sold in 2021.
Media & Fintech Ecosystem
George founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of Lending Times and later Blockchain Times, covering online lending and blockchain with a focus on practical, operator-level insight rather than hype. He has been listed in Boston Business Journal’s “40 under 40” and has served as a mentor and advisor to a range of founders in fintech and emerging technology.
Photography, Children’s Books & Writing
Fashion & Editorial Photography
Based in NoHo, New York, George now spends much of his time as a fashion and editorial photographer. His work regularly appears on magazine covers and in editorials. The same attention to detail that once went into trading systems now goes into light, framing, and the quiet logistics behind a “simple” image.
Papa Surfs & Travel Stories
As a father, he started writing children’s books like Papa Surfs and Papa Goes to Kenya to document real trips with his kids and to show them the world beyond screens: beaches, markets, animals, airports, and the small logistical details children actually notice.
Business & Finance Writing
George also writes for young entrepreneurs and for readers trying to understand lending, risk, and company building without jargon. Most of his advice is grounded in lived experience: what cash flow actually feels like, how it feels when a market turns, and how to protect customers when it does.
Reflections
AI, Humanoid Robots & Stability
In his Paris reflection, George looks at the current AI cycle like an operator, not a theorist: separating what works today from marketing slogans.
AI as Interface, Not Inventor
He sees today’s AI primarily as a better human–computer interface: systems that predict and imitate very well, but do not originate new concepts or “invent a new game.” Useful, yes; magical, no.
Robots in the Messy World
He is more optimistic about humanoid robots paired with good vision and control systems handling “messy” tasks—laundry, kitchens, unpredictable layouts—where traditional automation struggles but humans still spend countless hours.
Why Stability Matters
Across technology and geography, one theme repeats: stable rules and predictable conditions are what make it rational for founders to commit years of effort. When laws, taxes or contracts can change overnight, rational people simply stop building.
Core Philosophy: Integrity & Execution
George’s main rule is simple: “Say what you’re going to do. Do what you said you’d do. Do it on time and on budget.” The rest is logistics.
Be Broadly Knowledgeable
His father, a microbiology professor, taught him there are two paths: know everything about one thing, or know a little about many things. George chose breadth—physics, engineering, finance, photography, travel—because it lets him connect ideas others keep separate.
Prepare More Than You Show
Another family rule: never say everything you know. Prepare more than you reveal, so you have options when the environment shifts. That mindset carried him through sudden market changes, regulatory shifts, and the collapse of entire sectors.
Integrity in Crisis
When COVID-19 destroyed the surf-travel business overnight, he refunded customers before they asked. To him, integrity is not a slogan; it’s the decision you make when it costs you money in the short term and protects your name in the long term.
Connect with George
If you’re a journalist, podcaster, researcher, or founder and want to discuss any of the themes on this site—entrepreneurship, AI and robotics, photography, or the practical side of building companies—you can reach out through the contact page.