diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 78c1f9d102..296ae30919 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -10677,6 +10677,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "share-pool",
  "sp-core",
  "sp-io",
+ "sp-keyring",
  "sp-runtime",
  "sp-std",
  "sp-tracing",
diff --git a/pallets/subtensor/Cargo.toml b/pallets/subtensor/Cargo.toml
index 281f226683..fdd5e5f9ab 100644
--- a/pallets/subtensor/Cargo.toml
+++ b/pallets/subtensor/Cargo.toml
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ approx.workspace = true
 subtensor-swap-interface.workspace = true
 runtime-common.workspace = true
 subtensor-runtime-common = { workspace = true, features = ["approx"] }
+sp-keyring.workspace = true
 
 pallet-drand.workspace = true
 pallet-commitments.workspace = true
@@ -105,6 +106,7 @@ std = [
 	"sp-std/std",
 	"sp-tracing/std",
 	"sp-version/std",
+	"sp-keyring/std",
 	"subtensor-runtime-common/std",
 	"pallet-commitments/std",
 	"pallet-crowdloan/std",
diff --git a/pallets/subtensor/src/macros/genesis.rs b/pallets/subtensor/src/macros/genesis.rs
index 9d830e36ad..7bf8ba2a53 100644
--- a/pallets/subtensor/src/macros/genesis.rs
+++ b/pallets/subtensor/src/macros/genesis.rs
@@ -4,10 +4,29 @@ use frame_support::pallet_macros::pallet_section;
 /// This can later be imported into the pallet using [`import_section`].
 #[pallet_section]
 mod genesis {
+    use sp_core::crypto::Pair;
+    use sp_core::sr25519::Pair as Sr25519Pair;
 
     #[pallet::genesis_build]
     impl<T: Config> BuildGenesisConfig for GenesisConfig<T> {
         fn build(&self) {
+            // Alice's public key
+            let alice_bytes = sp_keyring::Sr25519Keyring::Alice.public();
+
+            // Create Alice's hotkey from seed string
+            let pair = Sr25519Pair::from_string("//Alice_hk", None)
+                .expect("Alice hotkey pair should be valid");
+            let alice_hk_bytes = pair.public().0;
+
+            let alice_account =
+                T::AccountId::decode(&mut &alice_bytes[..]).expect("Alice account should decode");
+            let alice_hk_account = T::AccountId::decode(&mut &alice_hk_bytes[..])
+                .expect("Alice hotkey account should decode");
+
+            let subnet_root_owner = prod_or_fast!(DefaultSubnetOwner::<T>::get(), alice_account);
+            let subnet_root_owner_hotkey =
+                prod_or_fast!(DefaultSubnetOwner::<T>::get(), alice_hk_account);
+
             // Set initial total issuance from balances
             TotalIssuance::<T>::put(self.balances_issuance);
 
@@ -17,6 +36,12 @@ mod genesis {
             // Increment the number of total networks.
             TotalNetworks::<T>::mutate(|n| *n = n.saturating_add(1));
 
+            // Set the root network owner.
+            SubnetOwner::<T>::insert(NetUid::ROOT, subnet_root_owner);
+
+            // Set the root network owner hotkey.
+            SubnetOwnerHotkey::<T>::insert(NetUid::ROOT, subnet_root_owner_hotkey);
+
             // Set the number of validators to 1.
             SubnetworkN::<T>::insert(NetUid::ROOT, 0);