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Katie Haun's crypto fund has hired Airbnb's Chris Lehane

The former Andreessen Horowitz partner has been on a hiring spree for her fund, which only has a placeholder name, KRH Partners, but is already making investments.

Chris Lehane

Chris Lehane has left his policy gig at Airbnb to be chief strategy officer at Katie Haun's crypto fund.

Photo: Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images

Outgoing Airbnb policy chief Chris Lehane confirmed in a tweet Friday that he is joining Katie Haun's crypto fund.

Haun's fund, currently going by the name KRH Partners, was one of the likely destinations Protocol identified for Lehane when he revealed he was leaving Airbnb and joining an unnamed crypto fund. Haun, who formerly ran Andreessen Horowitz's crypto funds, has been on a hiring spree, bringing several former a16z colleagues with her.

Lehane is known for his deep political connections, having served as a top adviser to Bill Clinton and Al Gore. At Airbnb, he was known for tapping those connections to reach agreements with local governments around the world for legitimizing the home-rentals marketplace.

This year is shaping up to be a crucial period for crypto regulation, as the U.S. and other governments grapple with the impact of digital currencies on the financial system.

Owen Thomas

Owen Thomas is a senior editor at Protocol overseeing venture capital and financial technology coverage. He was previously business editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and before that editor-in-chief at ReadWrite, a technology news site. You're probably going to remind him that he was managing editor at Valleywag, Gawker Media's Silicon Valley gossip rag. He lives in San Francisco with his husband and Ramona the Love Terrier, whom you should follow on Instagram.

chris lehanecryptocurrencykrh partnerskatie haunmoves
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