Governance

Michael Lempres is a co-founder of the company and has served as Chairman and Director since its inception. A lawyer by training, he brings extensive experience across government service, regulated industries, and digital assets.

Mr. Lempres held multiple senior roles in the U.S. federal government, including appointments by three U.S. Presidents. His service includes positions as White House Fellow and Special Assistant (1988–1989), Executive Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization (1989–1991), Director of International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice (1991–1992), and Deputy Associate Attorney General and Special Counsel (1992–1993). He later served as Special Counsel and Assistant U.S. Attorney (2002) and as Vice President of the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (2002–2005).

In the private sector, Mr. Lempres served as Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Coinbase during a period of rapid growth and regulatory engagement. He was also Executive in Residence at Andreessen Horowitz and held senior legal roles at Bitnet and Silicon Valley Bank. Earlier in his career, he served as General Counsel of the Pacific Coast Stock & Options Exchange.

Mr. Lempres currently serves on multiple boards, including as Chair of Silvergate Capital Corporation and as Director of MoonPay USA, Bitstamp USA, and Simba Chain.
He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Michael Zhao is a co-founder of the company and has served as Vice Chairman and Director since inception. He is also a member of the Adviser’s Investment Committee.

From 2021 to 2022, Mr. Zhao was the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and a Director of Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp, a NASDAQ-listed SPAC focused on digital assets, blockchain, and crypto innovation. Since 2017, he has served as Executive Chairman of Kickl, Inc. (formerly International Digital Currency Markets) and as CEO of the VGPay crypto payments business.

Mr. Zhao has been Co-Chairman of the Hong Kong Blockchain Association since 2018 and brings prior experience across global financial markets. He held roles in international financial trading at Intesa Sanpaolo (2014–2016), China Merchants Bank (2011–2014), the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in China (2010–2011), and UBS (2006–2009).

He holds a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering and Finance from the University of Florida.

Dr. Kidwai is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and operator with a deep passion for innovation and emerging technologies. As a co-founder, he has served as President, CEO, and Director of the company since its inception, helping shape its strategic vision from the ground up.

He brings a rich track record of building and backing transformative ventures. From 2021 to 2022, Dr. Kidwai served as Chairman and Director of Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp, a SPAC focused on digital assets, blockchain, and crypto infrastructure, where he led a successful $230 million raise. He is also a Venture Partner and Investment Committee Member at Frontier Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in next-gen tech and blockchain startups.

Since 2017, Dr. Kidwai has been a co-founder and Executive Committee member of EQUIAM, a leading venture capital fund focused on private markets. Through EQUIAM and other platforms, he has invested in a wide range of pioneering companies, including TransFi, Klickl, Forge Global, and Destiny XYZ, among others. He continues to actively back and advise startups operating at the intersection of technology and finance.

An early believer in digital assets, Dr. Kidwai has been investing in crypto and blockchain since 2016. His operating experience includes founding Real Time Content, a dynamic media personalization platform that was acquired by NASDAQ-listed Pitney Bowes.

Earlier in his career, he held investment roles at Edge Venture Capital and AtomicTangerine, a venture consultancy spun out of SRI International.

Dr. Kidwai holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Technology Management from Staffordshire University and honorary doctorates from both Lincoln University and Staffordshire University.

Matthew Krna is a growth-stage technology investor with over two decades of experience across venture capital, fund management, and investment banking. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Two Meter Capital LLC, which provides fund management services for growth and venture portfolios. He also serves as Managing Partner at Ladera Venture Partners, a digital health-focused VC fund, and as Venture Partner at Alpha Partners.

From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Krna was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Princeville Global, a growth-stage investment firm based in San Francisco and Hong Kong. Prior to that, he was a Partner at SoftBank Princeville, a $250 million technology-focused fund affiliated with SoftBank Group. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Investor Growth Capital, Canaan Partners, Credit Suisse, and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

Mr. Krna has served on the boards of several private and public companies as a director or board observer, including Criteo, Dotomi, Doctor on Demand, ID Analytics, and Remitly. He also previously served as CEO and Director of Alpha Partners Technology Merger Corp., a SPAC focused on technology investments.

He holds an A.B. degree from Harvard University.

Scott Reed is the Co-Founder and Partner of BankCap Partners, a private equity firm focused on investments in the U.S. commercial banking sector, where he has served as Director since 2005. From 2020 to 2023, he served as CEO and Director of LF Capital Acquisition Corp I and II, two SPACs targeting opportunities in the financial and fintech sectors.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Reed held leadership roles across strategy, banking, and consulting. From 2002 to 2004, he served as Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning at Carreker Corporation, a Dallas-based financial technology company. He was previously an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group at Bear Stearns and a consultant at Bain & Company. He began his career as a derivatives trader at Swiss Bank Corporation (formerly O’Connor).

Mr. Reed currently serves on the boards of Silvergate Capital Corporation and PT Financial Holdings, and has previously served on the boards of InBankshares Corp., Landsea Homes, Uncommon Giving, Nobul Corporation, Vista Bankshares, and Xenith Bankshares.

He holds bachelor’s degrees in commerce and history from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, where he was recognized as an Edward Tuck Scholar.

Jeffrey H. Singer has held multiple executive leadership roles across the financial, technology, and education sectors. He currently teaches finance at Utah Valley University and serves on the board of doTERRA International LLC and several other companies.

From 2019 to 2020, Mr. Singer was Group CEO of YBA Kanoo, one of the largest family businesses in the Middle East. Prior to that, he served as CEO of both NASDAQ Dubai and the Dubai International Financial Centre. From 2015 to 2019, he was Executive-in-Residence at the American University of Sharjah and held various advisory positions during that period.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Singer served as Senior Vice President and President of the International Division at NASDAQ in New York. He also worked in technology and entrepreneurship, including roles at SAP and various startup ventures.

Mr. Singer holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in International Finance from Brigham Young University.

Sara Wardell-Smith has held senior leadership roles in fintech, global payments, and banking, with a focus on digital assets and financial infrastructure. She previously led Visa’s commercial business across North America, overseeing initiatives in card issuance, real-time payments, cross-border transactions, and emerging payment flows.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Wardell-Smith served as Executive Vice President at Wells Fargo, where she held senior positions across several wholesale banking divisions and was a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

She currently serves as an independent director at Axos Financial, Provenance Blockchain Foundation, and R&T Deposit Solutions. Her prior board roles include serving on the U.S. board of Revolut, the board of CLS Group and CLS Bank International, as well as participating in the Working Group on U.S. Renminbi Trading and Clearing and the board of the Global Foreign Exchange Division of the GFMA.

Ms. Wardell-Smith holds a B.S. in International Business from the University of San Francisco.