Crypto is at a crossroads. With innovation in the space accelerating so quickly and incredible new projects being launched every day, more and more leaders across business, finance, and government are starting to acknowledge our view that the future of the internet will be driven by crypto technology. It’s no wonder, then, that crypto regulation has come to the forefront of the national debate. As we witnessed with the Infrastructure Bill, it has never been more important for the crypto community to engage in productive dialogue with regulators and policymakers. 

Our portfolio projects are innovating in ways previously unimagined, and so our investment in them must be more than just financial – we seek to provide them with a full suite of resources on their path to success. In our recent conversations with teams, it’s become apparent that regulatory concerns are top-of-mind. The founders and projects we work closely with recognize that the policy decisions made in Washington in the coming months and years will impact their work – and potentially their ability to exist and operate. And they want to be part of the conversation.

As part of our larger effort to make sure we have a world-class support system in place when it comes to policy and regulatory matters, I’m thrilled to announce that Brian Quintenz, a former Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is joining as an advisory partner on the crypto team. The CFTC plays a critical role as a federal regulator with jurisdiction over digital currencies, utility tokens, and other  non-security commodities, and Brian has long stood out as an innovative thinker in the crypto and DeFi space. He understands both how crypto technology works and how the CFTC thinks about the issue. His ability to translate between the two will be central to the success of a16z Crypto’s policy program and our portfolio companies.

Brian was nominated by both Presidents Obama and Trump to serve as Commissioner and, in August 2017, was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate – no small task these days. He led the agency’s Technology Advisory Committee, which hosted the most comprehensive set of public crypto-related policy discussions and briefings of any federal financial regulator. During his service, the CFTC oversaw the listing of the first U.S. regulated Bitcoin and Ether futures contracts on derivatives exchanges, and the rapid expansion of DeFi. All the while, he was a champion for tailored, risk-calibrated regulation. 

We are grateful that Brian is joining the team to help in our work of translating crypto for the policy community, and translating policy for the crypto community. Brian joins existing advisors Bill Hinman (former Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance) and Brent McIntosh (former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs) to cover the waterfront of expertise that is most critical to our portfolio projects.

Crypto is rapidly becoming mainstream, and we want to make sure that the teams and projects inside our portfolio have everything they need to change the future. Brian was one of the earliest leaders in Washington to recognize the inherent, intrinsic value of crypto. He was outspoken in his role at the CFTC, frequently calling on the global regulatory community to allow an innovation that promises to unlock freedom, wealth creation, and access to financial services for more people to flourish. We’re thrilled to have him on our team. Welcome Brian!

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation. In addition, this content may include third-party advertisements; a16z has not reviewed such advertisements and does not endorse any advertising content contained therein.

This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly as well as unannounced investments in publicly traded digital assets) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.

Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

Source: Brian Quintenz

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