# Jesse Powell

> Jesse Powell is the co-founder, former CEO and chairman of Kraken. His earlier ventures included the virtual goods marketplace Lewt and Sacramento’s Verge arts project. His public career combines exchange operations, advocacy for cryptocurrency adoption, support for artists and outspoken views on financial access and company culture.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Kraken
- **Organizations:** Kraken, Payward, Inc., Lewt, Inc., Verge Gallery and Studio Project, Verge Center for the Arts
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** California State University, Sacramento
- **Known for:** Co-founded Kraken and led it as CEO from 2011 until the April 2023 handover., Funded Verge’s original commercial gallery and free artist studios., Built a virtual goods business before entering Bitcoin.

## Career timeline

- **2001** — Co-founded Lewt, a virtual goods marketplace for online games.
- **2007** — Began the Sacramento warehouse arts project that became Verge.
- **2010** — Verge relocated to S Street as it developed a nonprofit model.
- **2011** — Helped Mt. Gox in Tokyo after a hack; co-founded Kraken in July.
- **2013** — Kraken launched publicly in September.
- **2014** — Kraken was selected to assist with the Mt. Gox bankruptcy.
- **2015** — Kraken withdrew service from New York over BitLicense requirements.
- **2022** — Kraken announced that Dave Ripley would succeed Powell as CEO.
- **2023** — Moved to chairman as Ripley officially became CEO in April.
- **2026** — Hosted a Magic: The Gathering tournament at Bitcoin 2026, according to Kraken.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Kraken and led it as CEO from 2011 until the April 2023 handover.
- Funded Verge’s original commercial gallery and free artist studios.
- Built a virtual goods business before entering Bitcoin.
- Led Kraken when it was selected to assist the Mt. Gox bankruptcy process.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Kraken described Powell’s culture document as foundational to its program encouraging employees to use and evaluate its products.
- **2025-07** — The closure of the federal investigation involving Verge allegations became public; it ended without criminal charges.
- **2024-09** — Kraken credited Powell with originating its global employee retreats.

## Links

- Website: http://jesse.forthewin.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepowell
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jespow

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jesse-powell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11