Global Blockchain Company Launching Venture Capital Arm

ConsenSys announced today that it hired Kavita Gupta to serve as founding managing partner of the soon-to-be launched ConsenSys Ventures, a venture capital arm of ConsenSys.

ConsenSys is a production studio and custom software development consultancy that builds decentralized applications, enterprise solutions, and developer tools for blockchain ecosystems. The company was founded by Joseph Lubin, who was also a cofounder of Ethereum, an open software platform based on blockchain technology that enables developers to build and deploy decentralized applications.

Gupta, who grew up in India, says she saw firsthand the power of technology to transform societies for the better. That led her to a deep and varied career spanning McKinsey, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and, most recently, the family foundation of Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. An alum of MIT and the Media Lab, Gupta created the first “green bond” at the World Bank and was awarded the UN Social Finance Innovator Award of the Year.

“Kavita has excelled in everything from consulting to finance and investing, and she has innovated every step of the way,” said CosenSys founder Joseph Lubin. “Simply put, she is a tremendous partner to support and further the decentralized revolution that blockchain is bringing to bear around the world.”