The Skyscanner of DEXs: Why COW Protocol — and Its Founder Anna George — Deserve Your Attention | by Chip Mahoney | The Capital | Apr, 2025
The Founder You’ve Never Heard Of Is Already Aligned with Coinbase, Base, and the Future of DeFi
In crypto, we often talk about protocols. But behind every protocol is a person with a point of view. And if you haven’t heard the name Anna George yet, it’s time you did.
Coincidence of Wants
George is the founder behind COW Protocol — a decentralized trading layer that quietly powers a growing share of swaps across multiple chains. While the average investor is still glued to meme coins and hype tweets, she’s been building something far more foundational: a protocol that protects users, optimizes for value, and just recently made a huge move by integrating with Base, Coinbase’s Layer 2 blockchain.
Let me explain why that matters — and why Anna George reminds me of someone else you might recognize: Cathie Wood.
If you’ve ever booked a flight using Skyscanner, you already understand COW Protocol’s value. You don’t go to each airline’s website to find the best deal — you let the aggregator do the work.
That’s what COW does for DeFi traders.
