Jeremy D. Allaire (born May 13, 1971) is a prominent American technology entrepreneur, investor, and business executive. He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Circle, a global financial technology company best known for issuing USD Coin (USDC), one of the world's most widely used stablecoins. Throughout his career, Allaire has been a serial entrepreneur, focusing on building foundational software platforms for the internet and digital economy. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Winona, Minnesota, Allaire was the son of a psychologist and a press editor. He was educated in the Montessori tradition, an experience he has credited with instilling in him a deep sense of self-direction, intellectual independence, and collaborative responsibility. Allaire’s fascination with computers began in his youth, sparked by an early Apple computer his family acquired in 1983. He later attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduating in 1993 with a double major in political science and philosophy, with a concentration in economics. During his college years, he gained early access to the emerging internet, which became a lifelong passion that would define his professional trajectory. Allaire’s career as an entrepreneur began shortly after graduation. In 1993, he launched an internet consulting firm called Global Internet Horizons, assisting early media companies in establishing a web presence. In 1995, alongside his brother J.J. Allaire, he co-founded Allaire Corporation. The company achieved significant success by developing ColdFusion, a pioneering rapid web application development platform that enabled businesses to build dynamic, database-driven websites. Allaire Corporation went public in 1999 and was subsequently acquired by Macromedia in 2001. Following the acquisition, Allaire served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Macromedia, where he played a key role in the development of the Macromedia MX platform, which advanced the capabilities of the Flash Player and rich internet applications. In 2003, Allaire joined the venture capital firm General Catalyst as an entrepreneur-in-residence. During this tenure, he began incubating the concept for his next major venture, Brightcove, an online video platform designed to help media organizations distribute content across the internet. He officially founded Brightcove in 2004, serving as its CEO until 2013, when he transitioned to the role of chairman. Under his leadership, Brightcove became a critical piece of infrastructure for digital media, and the company successfully went public in 2012. In 2013, Allaire pivoted his focus to the burgeoning field of cryptocurrency and digital assets. He co-founded Circle, with a mission to bring digital currency into the mainstream through regulated, consumer-friendly financial services. While the company initially focused on Bitcoin payments, it eventually centered its operations on stablecoins, launching USDC in 2018 in partnership with Coinbase. Allaire has positioned himself as a proponent of integrating digital assets into the existing global financial system, often engaging in regulatory and policy discussions to foster trust and stability. Under his leadership, Circle has grown into a major financial institution, and in June 2025, the company completed a high-profile initial public offering (IPO), marking it as the first publicly traded stablecoin issuer. Throughout his career, Allaire has been recognized for his consistent focus on identifying and building "missing layers" of the internet—from web development tools in the 1990s and video distribution in the 2000s to programmable digital money in the 2010s and beyond. His work is characterized by a long-term vision of how technological innovation can reshape communication, media, and global finance.