Haun Ventures, a leading digital asset investment firm, has added three new policy experts to its Founder Advisory Network. The move comes as the crypto industry faces increased pressure from lawmakers and regulators.
The digital asset investment firm led by former U.S. federal prosecutor Katie Haun, has announced the expansion of its policy-focused advisory network for its portfolio founders. The firm has also added three new members to its Founder Advisory Network, all of whom have extensive experience in the fields of law enforcement, national security, and litigation.
The new advisors: Joe Yum, Ken Bagchi, and James Burnham. Yum and Bagchi are former special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who have led investigations involving transnational organized crime, financial crime, and national security threats.
Burnham is a former deputy assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, who has supervised litigations of national importance for the government. He recently represented the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in support of Coinbase’s lawsuit against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The addition of these policy experts to Haun Ventures’ network comes at a time when the crypto industry is facing increased scrutiny and pressure from lawmakers and regulators.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a vocal critic of the crypto market, recently sent letters to several industry policy groups, accusing them of “flexing a not-so secret weapon” of former defense and law enforcement officials. Warren claimed that these officials are using their influence and connections to lobby for favorable regulations for the crypto industry while ignoring the risks and harms posed by the technology.
Haun Ventures, however, sees its policy advisory network as a valuable resource for its portfolio founders, who are building innovative and disruptive solutions in the crypto space.
The firm’s chief policy officer, Tomicah Tillemann, who is stepping down from the position but will remain as an advisor, said that the network provides “unparalleled access to the world’s leading policy experts” and helps founders “navigate the complex and evolving regulatory landscape.”
Tillemann also revealed that the network plans to conduct a founder day in Washington D.C. early next year, where they will meet with policymakers and regulators to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the crypto industry.
Haun Ventures, which was founded in 2018, has invested in some of the most prominent and promising crypto projects, such as Coinbase, Dapper Labs, Anchorage, OpenSea, and Compound.
The firm’s co-founder and general partner, Katie Haun, is a former U.S. federal prosecutor who led the first-ever criminal cases involving Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. She is also a board member of Coinbase and Facebook’s Diem Association. Haun has been a vocal advocate for the crypto industry and has testified before Congress on several occasions about the benefits and potential of the technology.
Haun Ventures’ policy advisory network is one of the ways that the firm supports its portfolio founders and advances the crypto industry. By bringing together policy experts from different backgrounds and perspectives, the firm hopes to foster a constructive dialogue and collaboration between the crypto community and the government and to promote a balanced and innovation-friendly regulatory environment.
