Ex-Kraken Legal Head Jumps to Pantera Capital as General Partner

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In an absolutely *stunning* turn of events, Pantera Capital, the Californian venture capital giant, has tapped Marco Santori, Kraken’s former legal head (yes, *that* Kraken), to join their ranks as a General Partner. All of this amid a glorious surge in investor interest in crypto token deals and, because who doesn’t love a good spectacle, crypto IPOs. Seriously, where do we sign up?

So, what exactly does this mean for the crypto world? Well, Pantera Capital has decided to recruit Santori to help steer the ship through the stormy seas of regulatory issues while simultaneously supporting startups that are bravely (or foolishly, depending on your perspective) preparing for public listings. Ah, the thrill of it all.

“Time to put my money where my mouth is.”

Correction: Time to put *your* money where my mouth is, because today I am joining @PanteraCapital as a General Partner.

I’m making the jump from lawyer to investor, and I think this is the perfect time to do it…”

— Marco Santori (@msantoriESQ) April 28, 2025

For those unacquainted with Marco’s impressive resume, let’s just say he’s a big deal in crypto. He’s the mastermind behind the SAFT (Simple Agreement for Future Tokens) framework – the go-to tool for projects wishing to sell tokens to investors before launching them into the world. I mean, if you’ve ever had the pleasure of launching a token before, you know this is *the* thing you needed. Big deal.

At Kraken, Santori didn’t just sip coffee and make the occasional legal decision. No, no, he led a legal team of nearly 70 lawyers (can you imagine the paperwork?) and dealt with not one but two enforcement actions brought on by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. And let’s not forget his previous gig as chief legal officer at Blockchain.com, where he definitely didn’t *accidentally* start a war with regulators. Nope, not him.

“For twelve years I’ve worked alongside you all to build the regulatory environment crypto enjoys today. We’ve won allies in Congress, unseated its most vicious detractors, and even helped put a pro-crypto president in the White House. The work’s not done, but we’re clearly in a new era, and now it’s time to invest in it.”

— Marco Santori

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Santori is still moonlighting as a senior adviser at Kraken. But at Pantera Capital, which is sitting comfortably on over $5 billion in assets (that’s right, billion with a *B*), he will focus on investing in companies “building in regulated spaces.” And because, naturally, he’s a glutton for punishment, he wants to find “new projects that can push the regulatory envelope without breaking it.” Yes, let’s all pretend that sounds *totally* easy. Who wouldn’t want to get involved in that chaos?

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2025-04-29 11:59