Learn about Ricky, the data scientist and indexer developing cutting-edge automation and data tools in The Graph community.
TL;DR: Riccardo "Ricky" Esclapon transitioned from business analytics to blockchain innovation, becoming a prominent data scientist and indexer in The Graph community. Driven by curiosity and self-learning, he developed numerous automation tools benefiting indexers and curators. Currently, Ricky leverages AI-driven agents at Cambrian Network to enhance decentralized finance, emphasizing community collaboration and impactful innovation.
What drives someone to pivot from business analytics to blockchain innovation? For Riccardo Esclapon, it was curiosity, a knack for self-learning, and a desire to make an impact. Starting with a non-technical background, Ricky’s journey reveals how passion and persistence can open doors in web3 and data science.
We sat down with Ricky to learn more about his journey, his motivations, and how he’s making waves in the web3 space.
A non-traditional start
Ricky’s academic background might not hint at his eventual expertise in blockchain data analytics. With a degree in business and information analytics, he discovered his love for a specific analytics software during college in 2015. He became a teaching assistant for that same course and started working on some early projects.
His interest in blockchain was sparked by an initial Bitcoin purchase in 2015 and a deep dive into Ethereum in 2017.
Later on, Ricky used the same software professionally in his position at Vail Resorts. During this time, he started doing more personal projects and publishing tutorials using crypto data.
From the very start, I saw that I learn really well by doing things myself. As you’re learning and doing things, you can pick a meaningless project or you can find real data and a real use case for it. Throughout my career, I’ve always taken the approach that as long as I have good data, I can do a lot with that.
Entry into web3 and The Graph
By 2021, Ricky’s exploration of on-chain data led him to start building on The Graph. While he was applying for a grant for his project idea, he saw an opening at Edge & Node for a data scientist.
Ricky connected with Brandon Ramirez, one of The Graph’s co-founders, who really liked Ricky’s problem submission and demo of a project using The Graph within the metaverse. Ramirez introduced him to Craig at Edge & Node. Together, Ricky and Craig formed a dynamic two-person team where Ricky enjoyed his work in data analytics. In this role, he honed his skills in building data pipelines, automating reports, and addressing governance-related questions within The Graph ecosystem.
“We wore a lot of different hats,” Ricky explained, describing his work at Edge & Node. From answering research questions to extracting value from data, his role provided a foundational understanding of on-chain data—critical for his future endeavors.
I got a much better understanding of how to get to on-chain data, the best ways to extract, transform, and analyze on-chain data and the things people care about.
Building tools for indexers and curators
Ricky’s natural inclination to learn by doing drove him to become an indexer. “I wanted full access to all the data,” he said, emphasizing the importance of understanding the indexer stack and its pain points and identifying opportunities for automation.
I wanted to know how I could better serve indexers from my role at Edge & Node as the person who hopefully understands the data side really well and can serve the indexers by identifying gaps on the data side and providing better data that indexers could use for more informed decision-making and automation.
He developed several impactful tools, including:
- Curation optimizer: Aimed at making curation profitable and addressing gaps in subgraph developer incentives.
- Indexer allocation optimizer: Designed to streamline allocation management for indexers, increasing operational efficiency.
- Subgraph issue checker: Checks for potential issues on a subgraph before starting to sync it, like graft chains and the public POI determinism status.
- Query consistency checker: to understand the current state of determinism on a subgraph.
- Data analytics for indexers: This document is a tutorial on indexer allocation management, but also what actually executes real allocations.
These tools originated as solutions for Ricky’s own challenges but quickly became valuable resources for others in the community. His approach to open-sourcing projects reflects a belief in collaborative innovation. “Building in public creates more interesting avenues and opportunities,” Ricky noted, citing personal and community benefits.
Exploring future frontiers
Currently, Ricky is focused on leveraging AI and agents to enhance automation within The Graph. He envisions agents transforming how humans and decentralized networks interact with on-chain data. “Data on The Graph could become gas for agents,” he suggested, emphasizing the need for dynamic systems that simplify subgraph development.
Recently, Ricky joined Cambrian Network as the founding team’s senior data agent architect, taking his work on AI-driven automation even further. He announced this move in a recent post, expressing his excitement about the opportunity to build a verifiable data layer for agentic decentralized finance.
“It was immediately clear that I had the opportunity to spend my time doing really interesting work with a lot of ownership and opportunities to hone my skills in areas I think will be really important in the future.”
At Cambrian, Ricky is focusing on AI-powered workflows that can automate complex decision-making processes within decentralized finance (DeFi). This aligns with his broader vision of making blockchain data more actionable and accessible by leveraging AI agents to optimize how subgraphs interact with decentralized applications.
Ricky explained an example of a recent project that involves creating tools to check query consistency across indexers. By identifying and resolving discrepancies in subgraph data, this tool aims to improve reliability and trust in decentralized systems. Ricky mentioned he is working with an experienced OG indexer, Payne from StakeSquid.
So with Payne, for example, we’re going to be looking at creating some kind of automation to try and make slow queries faster. So kind of automate the creation of indexes and kind of things of that nature.
A community-driven approach
Ricky’s work exemplifies a community-first mindset. He remains active in The Graph ecosystem, presenting at Indexer Office Hours (IOH) 188 and 179, sharing resources, and collaborating with other indexers. His willingness to open-source projects on his GitHub and share knowledge on his website underscores his commitment to collective growth.
Yeah, there are a lot of different areas to look at within the indexer community, especially since it’s a really small community with a really high barrier to entry on the technical side.
Looking ahead
As Ricky continues to push boundaries in web3, his focus remains on impactful, scalable solutions. From automation to AI-powered agents, his projects aim to make blockchain data more accessible and actionable. For Ricky, success isn’t just about financial gain. “I focus on building things that are impactful and interesting,” he said, reflecting a genuine passion for innovation and collaboration.
This article answers questions like:
- What motivated Ricky to transition from business analytics to blockchain innovation?
- What significant tools has Ricky developed within The Graph ecosystem?
- How is Ricky leveraging AI in his current work?
- What is Ricky's approach to innovation and community collaboration?
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