Crypto.com Capital Hires Jon Russell as LP, Hints at Expanding Fund Size

Crypto.com Capital announced Monday that it is expanding its $200 million Web 3 fund, and it has appointed Jon Russell, a former technology journalist based in Bangkok where he wrote for Tech Crunch and The Ken, as an Asia-based limited partner.

  • Crypto.com Capital initially launched the fund in March 2021 with $200 million in capital, targeting seed and Series A deals in verticals like DeFi, NFTs, blockchain gaming and the metaverse.
  • The fund is currently run by Crypto.com co-founder Bobby Bao and is hiring more LPs around the world. Russell will help expand the fund’s exposure to Asia-based projects.
  • Russell told CoinDesk that the fund is set to more than double its sizeand an announcement is expected in the coming days.
  • Crypto.com Capital’s prior investments include Frax Finance and liquidity provider Woo Network.
  • Asia is quickly developing an immense institutional appetite for digital assets.
  • Singapore’s DBS Bank, one of the region’s largest, operates a crypto trading desk. Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) recently acquired a majority stake in Thai cryptocurrency exchange Bitkub.
  • SCB 10x’s Chief Venture and Innovation Officer Mukaya Tai said that she envisions a world where DeFi protocols have disintermediated banks.
  • Despite the bear market, VCs still are willing to allocate capital to the ecosystem. This comes on the heels of FTX establishing a $2 billion venture fund to invest in crypto startups and Sino Global Capital opening to outside investors via a $200 million fund.

Source: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/01/17/cryptocom-capital-hires-jon-russell-as-lp-hints-at-expanding-fund-size/