# Shayne Coplan

> Shayne Coplan is the New York-based founder and CEO of Polymarket, launched in 2020. An early Ethereum participant and NYU computer-science dropout, he built a prediction-market platform that drew attention during the 2024 U.S. election, then pursued a regulated American return through the QCEX acquisition. His interests also include music and digital art, collected under the name ethsquiat.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Polymarket
- **Organizations:** Polymarket, Genius, Chronicled, Union.market
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Computer science studies; left without graduating, New York University
- **Known for:** Founded Polymarket in 2020., Raised a $4 million early round led by Polychain Capital in October 2020., Led Polymarket through the $112 million QCEX acquisition in July 2025.

## Career timeline

- **2014** — Participated in Ethereum’s presale.
- **2015-2016** — Interned at Genius and Chronicled.
- **2017** — Left NYU during his second semester to pursue projects.
- **2020** — Launched Polymarket in June; announced a $4 million round in October.
- **2022** — Polymarket settled a CFTC enforcement action with a $1.4 million civil penalty.
- **2024** — Polymarket gained election-year visibility; Nate Silver became an adviser; FBI searched Coplan’s home in November.
- **2025** — Investigations closed without charges; acquired QCEX for $112 million in July; announced ICE investment arrangement in October; received amended U.S. designation order in November.
- **2026** — ICE disclosed an additional $600 million investment in March; hired CFO Warren Jenson and institutional-growth head Lisa Mantil in September.

## Achievements

- Founded Polymarket in 2020.
- Raised a $4 million early round led by Polychain Capital in October 2020.
- Led Polymarket through the $112 million QCEX acquisition in July 2025.
- Secured an investment arrangement with ICE and a global data-distribution partnership in October 2025.
- Built a digital-art collection under the name ethsquiat; featured in a Sotheby’s 2023 catalogue.
- Named to TIME100 Next in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Lisa Mantil named Head of Institutional Growth on September 29.
- **2026-09** — Warren Jenson named CFO on September 10, reporting to Coplan.
- **2026-03** — ICE disclosed another $600 million direct investment on March 27, following its $1 billion initial investment.
- **2026-03** — Polymarket published enhanced market-integrity rules on March 23.

## Links

- Website: https://polymarket.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynecoplan
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/shayne_coplan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shayne-coplan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-13