Marco Santori Takes on General Partner Role at Pantera Capital

Marco Santori Takes on General Partner Role at Pantera Capital

Marco Santori Steps Up at Pantera Capital:

Highlights:

• Marco Santori, ex-Kraken's Chief Legal Officer, takes on the post of General Partner at Pantera Capital.
• His deep-rooted knowledge in crypto regulation, notably crafting the SAFT framework, finds a new platform to shape compliance, token structuring, and IPO readiness.
• Pantera's portfolio firms gear up with Santori's expertise in navigating complex crypto legal landscapes, thus reducing risks and securing operational stability.

Career Cornerstones - From Blockchain.com to Kraken:

Marco Santori embarked on his crypto journey at Blockchain.com as their Chief Legal Officer, providing counsel for pioneering token launches and exchange listings. A shift to Kraken followed where he constructed and led a team of nearly 70 lawyers. In Kraken, he managed global compliance, anti-money laundering programs, and two significant SEC actions. Under his guidance, Kraken weathered regulatory storms, scaling into one of the world's leading cryptocurrency exchanges.

SAFT Framework - A Pivotal Legal Innovation:

Santori's signature contribution is the Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (SAFT) model. This legal framework enables compliant fundraising under U.S. securities law, allowing accredited investors to buy rights to future tokens, enabling startups to mitigate legal risks. Despite criticisms, it helped standardize early token sales and attracted institutional capital to blockchain projects. Today, SAFTs continue to be a cornerstone tool in pre-token-sale financing.

Pantera Capital - The OG Bitcoin Venture Fund:

Founded in 2013 as the first Bitcoin venture fund, Pantera Capital has evolved into a multi-strategy investment powerhouse managing over $5 billion across venture, token, and hedge funds. Its investments stretch from Bitcoin and Ethereum to DeFi protocols, infrastructure plays, and tokenized real-world assets. Pantera's mix of technical due diligence and market insights has backed blockchain luminaries such as Chainlink, Circle, and 0x, cementing its position as a trailblazer in digital-asset investments.

Santori at Pantera - The Legal Mastermind:

In his new role, Santori will position legal strategy central to Pantera's investment process:

• Regulatory Murmurs: Analysing regulatory trends through government relationships and advocating for favorable environments for Pantera's portfolio companies.
• License and Register: Developing licensing and registration plans for token offerings and exchanges.
• Risk-Spotter: Integrating legal and regulatory reviews in the due-diligence process to identify and neutralize risks.
• Founder Mentor: Guiding startups on tokenomics, corporate governance, and preparing for public listings.

Embedding legal expertise into Pantera's investment process signifies the elevation of compliance as not merely a defensive necessity, but a growth enabler.

The Kraken Connection:

As Santori settles into his Pantera role, he continues his advisory stint with Kraken. This dual role holds real-time insights on exchange best practices for Pantera, while his venture insights lend guidance to startups seeking exchange listings or institutional adoption.

Additional Reading: Kraken to Acquire NinjaTrader - Bringing Crypto Futures Trading to the U.S.

1. Marco Santori, now at Pantera Capital, boasts a rich history advising on trailblazing Bitcoin launches and exchange listings, dating back to his tenure at Blockchain.com.
2. The SAFT framework, engineered by Santori, revolutionized compliant fundraising in the crypto world, providing a stepping stone for startups seeking institutional capital and enabling smooth token sales.
3. As General Partner at Pantera Capital, Santori is charged with structuring tokens and readying Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), potentially positioning the firm's portfolio firms for operational stability and reduced risks.
4. Encapsulating legal strategy in Pantera's investment process under Santori will pave the way for favorable regulatory environments, making compliance not just a defensive measure, but a growth catalyst.
5. The expertise Santori forged in managing global compliance at Kraken will play an integral role in Pantera's decision-making, ensuring the firm remains at the vanguard of digital-asset investments.
6. To maximize the benefits of the SAFT framework, Santori's dual role at Pantera and Kraken will bring real-time insights to both parties, potentially fostering constructive relationships between startups, exchanges, and institutional investors.
7. With Pantera's focus on DeFi protocols, infrastructure, and tokenized real-world assets, Santori's knowledge of tokenomics and governance promises to contribute significantly to the fund's investments and overall strategy.
8. Having scaled Kraken into a global cryptocurrency exchange powerhouse, Santori's ability to steer through complex regulatory landscapes benefited not only the exchange but also numerous token projects, setting a precedent for other players in the crypto sphere.
9. Crypto investing, trading, and finance are all areas where Santori's expertise excels, with his participation at both Pantera and Kraken poised to expand the frontiers of these fields.
10. Don't miss out on educational opportunities in crypto and blockchain development; learning from seasoned professionals like Marco Santori can propel career growth and foster a deeper understanding of this transformative technology.

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