VC David Pakman Leaves Venrock for Blockchain Investment Firm CoinFund

Pakman will continue to hold his seat on many Venrock boards including Dapper Labs, which is set to hit a $7.6 billion valuation following a funding announcement of $250 million on Wednesday.

article-image

David Pakman

share

key takeaways

  • Pakman has been investing in crypto since 2017 and was an early-investor in Coinbase prior to their IPO, according to a press release
  • At Venrock, Pakman helped to lead Series A funding rounds for non-fungible token projects like Rarible and Dapper Labs

Long-time venture capitalist David Pakman has reportedly left Venrock to be managing partner at blockchain investment firm CoinFund, Axios first reported on Wednesday.  

During his over a decade-long span at Venrock, Pakman led Series A and Series B funding rounds in Dollar Shave Club and sat on the board until the company was acquired for roughly $1 billion. 

His soon-to-be role as managing partner is not Pakman’s first step into crypto investing; CoinFund and Venrock have been collaborating on joint deals since 2018 with projects such as Flow, RARI and 3Box, according to a press release.

“David led Venrock’s efforts in crypto and had the insight to partner with CoinFund early on. Together they have built an impressive portfolio of high potential blockchain and crypto companies,” said Bryan Roberts, Partner at Venrock, in a statement.  

Although his early venture days were focused on more traditional tech investments, via Venrock the VC has led Series A rounds for non-fungible token (NFT) projects like Rarible and Dapper Labs.

Pakman will continue to hold his seat on many Venrock boards including Dapper Labs, which is set to hit a $7.6 billion valuation following a funding announcement of $250 million on Wednesday. 

In a blog post, Pakman detailed why he chose to shift full-time to focus on the asset class. He added the new job will give him “a chance to really build a firm, not just an investment portfolio.”

“Over its brief 13+ year lifespan, crypto has not only facilitated significant tech innovations but has proven to be the single best performing investment asset,” Pakman, who was an early investor in Coinbase, wrote. “If you are a professional investor tasked with finding the best returns in the market and you ignored crypto over the past decade, you missed the best asset class returns in eight of the last ten years and cumulatively overall.”


Are you a UK or EU reader that can’t get enough investor-focused content on digital assets?Join us in London on November 15th and 16th for the Digital Asset Summit (DAS) London. Use code ARTICLE for £75 off your ticket. Buy it now.


Tags

Upcoming Events

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

Before he became a meme, Christian was just another 25-year-old working at a global macro fund

article-image

Veradittakit explains the sectors he’s interested in, how raising for Fund V is going, and what he looks for in the companies he invests in.

article-image

Around 150 Solana validators would lose their foundation stake under the new rule, perBlockworks Research estimates

article-image

The official website promoting a “Dinner with President TRUMP” pitches the opportunity as “The most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the World”

article-image

The discussion draft is expected to be released by the end of the month

article-image

“It pushes the entire stablecoin ecosystem forward,” said a Coinbase representative