Former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo has joined crypto venture capital firm CoinFund as a strategic adviser.
Affectionately called “Crypto Dad” by many in the cryptocurrency industry for his crypto-friendly stance as a regulator, Giancarlo’s role as adviser to the investment firm will focus on policy. Specifically, Giancarlo will help CoinFund traverse Web 3 regulation.
Web 3 refers to a possible (and much-debated) next generation of the internet that encompasses decentralized protocols and promises to reduce netizens’ dependency on big tech companies like Amazon and Facebook.
“As former chairman of the CFTC, Chris was always on the cutting edge of technology and at the forefront of regulatory policy,” CoinFund President Christopher Perkins wrote in an email to CoinDesk. “As the regulatory framework continues to crystallize across Web 3, Chris will be able to deliver key insight on how CoinFund and portfolio partners can navigate this emerging landscape.”
In a press release issued Thursday, CoinFund founder and President Jake Brukhman called Giancarlo’s appointment a “distinct honor” for the firm, adding:
“As crypto regulation and legislation is being formed in real time in the United States, Chris stands out as one of the most authoritative experts and commentators when it comes to Web 3 and crypto adoption, as well as capital market structure.”
Giancarlo’s role at CoinFund is not his first in the crypto industry since leaving the CFTC in 2019. In addition to his position as senior counsel at the white-shoe law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Giancarlo co-founded the Digital Dollar Project in January 2020.
He also sat on the board of directors at embattled crypto lending startup BlockFi, but left last September after only four months in the position.
