Meet Kathryn Haun, the cybersecurity cop turned crypto millionaire who hired The Office’s Mindy Kaling and won praise from Serena Williams for her new US$1.5 billion fund, Haun Ventures
Enjoying her own ride at the moment is Kathryn “Katie” Haun, a former federal prosecutor turned top crypto investor. Here are five things to know about the venture capitalist and rising star.
1. She used to work as a federal prosecutor in cybersecurity
Haun started out as a clerk for US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in the early 2000s. According to CNBC, she moved on to become a federal prosecutor tasked to investigate prison gangs and the mafia, corrupt officials and bitcoin.
Then Haun’s boss tasked her with looking into something different and she got a break from the gruesome cases she was handling before. Back then, bitcoin was relatively new and her employer wanted to look into the idea of shutting it down.
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From there, things took a sharp turn when Haun became an in-house expert and solved cases by following what she called the trail of “digital breadcrumbs” of cryptocurrency.
2. She taught classes in cryptocurrency at Stanford Law School
Haun became extremely knowledgeable about digital currencies so she started hosting meetings and seminars with various government agencies, such as the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, among others.
The top crypto cop’s transition out from federal prosecution culminated in her teaching cryptocurrency at her alma mater, Stanford Law School.
3. She is a trailblazer in the world of cryptocurrency
From her teaching gig, Haun shot atop the board of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, where she met some key personnel from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a top venture capitalist firm in California. She would then on become the first female general partner of the firm and co-head its crypto fund.
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Fast forward to today and Haun is being recognised as the “credible face of crypto”. According to New York Magazine, she is poised to shape the future of digital currency as one of the most powerful investors in Silicon Valley.
4. She’s spearheading Haun Ventures, a US$1.5 billion cryptocurrency fund
After a stunning departure from a16z last year, Haun was ready to venture out on her own. She and her team of eight have raised a US$1.5 billion cryptocurrency fund, the largest debut fundraised by a solo female venture capitalist, according to Pitchbook.
Wired reports that Haun Ventures is focused on cryptocurrencies, NFTs and Web3 companies, which are looking to decentralise power away from big tech firms.
5. She is worth over US$80 million and has Hollywood connections
For all the marks she has made in the world of digital currency, Haun reportedly has an estimated net worth of more than US$80 million. This already whopping number is expected to balloon with the recent launch of Haun Ventures.
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Haun has also rubbed elbows with tennis superstar Serena Williams. The Serena Ventures co-founding partner even gave her a shout-out on Twitter for her new venture capital firm.
- She left California venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz last year to start her own US$1.5 billion cryptocurrency fund, Haun Ventures, and has taught at Stanford Law School
- The former federal prosecutor is now worth US$80 million and has Hollywood connections including Gwyneth Paltrow and The Office’s Mindy Kaling, whom she’s hired