Former a16z general partner Katie Haun believes it is “a really good time” to invest in the crypto industry.
During a recent interview at TechCrunch Disrupt, Haun talked about the crypto market over the past couple of years, claiming that she’s still very optimistic about the future of crypto.
“I think there’s a perception out there that crypto is crickets chirping. We find ourselves very busy, but one of the things we did do is we saw this market correction, and we very purposely waited to make some deployments,” Haun said.
“So I know this is going to sound a little odd, but we feel actually it’s a really good time to be investing in the space during this time.”
Haun, who left Andreessen Horowitz nearly two years ago to establish Haun Ventures, raised two crypto funds totaling $1.5 billion.
Despite the perception that the timing was opportune, Haun claimed that it wasn’t a walk in the park.
She said that the crypto market had experienced a significant correction, with a 40% drop from its peak.
Haun Ventures Consists of Two Funds
She revealed that Haun Ventures consists of two funds: an early-stage fund of $500 million, focusing on A, B, and C rounds, and an acceleration fund that supports later-stage crypto projects.
Haun mentioned that the larger fund has closed deals with two rapidly growing “iconic brands” in crypto, although she refrains from disclosing their names.
She further revealed that her firm has not yet deployed half of the larger fund, and the deployment in the early-stage fund is considerably less.
Despite the size of the funds, Haun expressed contentment with the $1.5 billion raised.
“And by the way, I’m sitting here publicly stating this on the record in a stage setting, even if the market is in a massive crypto bull run, we don’t intend to increase our size. We think we’ve picked our size and our strategy for a reason.”
Haun Slams SEC for Regulatory Actions
In discussing regulatory concerns and the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Haun critized the agency regarding its enforcement actions against crypto companies.
She claimed that laws and regulations are determined by courts and Congress, rather than independent agencies.
Haun also slammed the current leadership of the SEC, asserting that they have taken an expansive view of their jurisdiction, not only in the crypto space but also in areas such as AI and climate.
“And I think that’s a bit concerning, because that’s not how our system is set up. And I think that’s why you’ve started to see some federal judges starting to say, ‘Wait a second, this is a step too far,’” she added.
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