# Katie Haun

> Katie Haun is the founder and CEO of Haun Ventures, a $1.5 billion crypto and frontier technology venture firm she launched in 2022 after co-leading a16z Crypto. A former federal prosecutor who created the DOJ's first cryptocurrency task force, she is one of the most credible voices at the intersection of law, policy, and digital assets - a former skeptic turned crypto believer, converted by the very Silk Road case she was assigned to prosecute.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Haun Ventures
- **Organizations:** Haun Ventures, Coinbase (former board member), Andreessen Horowitz a16z (former General Partner), HackerOne (former board member), Stanford Law School (former lecturer), Stanford Graduate School of Business (former lecturer), U.S. Department of Justice (former AUSA), Council on Foreign Relations (lifetime member)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate Degree, Boston University, J.D. (graduated with honors), Stanford Law School, Law Clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy, U.S. Supreme Court
- **Known for:** Founded the DOJ's first cryptocurrency task force - a landmark institutional response to digital asset crime, Prosecuted Silk Road-related cases, helping bring down one of the largest dark web marketplaces, Became Coinbase's first independent board member (2017) and served through the company's landmark Nasdaq direct listing (2021)

## Career timeline

- **2000s** — Served as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy
- **2006** — Joined DOJ as federal prosecutor in Eastern District of Virginia, focusing on national security and terrorism cases
- **2009** — Became Assistant U.S. Attorney in Northern District of California (San Francisco), prosecuting organized crime, drug cartels, and gang cases
- **2012-2015** — Founded and led the DOJ's first cryptocurrency task force; investigated Silk Road and Mt. Gox; converted from crypto skeptic to believer
- **2015-2017** — Lecturer at Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business on digital currency and blockchain
- **2017** — Joined Coinbase as its first independent board member, chaired Audit/Risk and Nomination/Governance Committees
- **2018** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as General Partner, co-leading the firm's crypto investment franchise
- **2021** — Guided Coinbase through its landmark direct listing (IPO) on Nasdaq
- **2022** — Left a16z to found Haun Ventures, raising $1.5B across two funds - described as the largest fund ever raised by a solo VC
- **2022** — Named to Bloomberg's '50 People Who Defined Global Business'
- **2022** — Co-authored 'Taking A Long Term View of Web3' with Fred Wilson following FTX collapse
- **2022** — Published legal argument that OFAC cannot sanction open-source software (Tornado Cash case)
- **2024** — Stepped down from Coinbase board after seven years
- **2025** — Advocated for GENIUS Act - first comprehensive bipartisan stablecoin regulatory framework, which passed the Senate
- **2026** — Announced Haun Ventures Fund II

## Achievements

- Founded the DOJ's first cryptocurrency task force - a landmark institutional response to digital asset crime
- Prosecuted Silk Road-related cases, helping bring down one of the largest dark web marketplaces
- Became Coinbase's first independent board member (2017) and served through the company's landmark Nasdaq direct listing (2021)
- Co-led a16z Crypto, helping build one of the world's most influential crypto venture franchises
- Raised $1.5B as a solo VC founder in 2022 - described as the largest fund ever raised by a solo venture capitalist
- Named to Bloomberg's '50 People Who Defined Global Business' (2022)
- Lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations
- Co-authored successful legal arguments that helped overturn OFAC's sanctions on Tornado Cash open-source software
- Advocated for and helped pass the GENIUS Act, the first comprehensive bipartisan stablecoin regulatory framework
- Clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Haun Ventures announced Fund II, continuing the firm's investment in crypto and frontier technology
- **2025-06** — Published 'A Watershed Moment for U.S. Financial Innovation' on the GENIUS Act passage - the first comprehensive bipartisan stablecoin regulatory framework
- **2025** — Appeared on CNBC discussing crypto regulation and Haun Ventures portfolio performance
- **2024** — Stepped down from Coinbase board after seven years of service, including guiding the company's direct listing

## Links

- Website: https://haun.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiehaun
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/katie_haun
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiehaun/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/katie-haun
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05