James Haft has been at the forefront of the global investment banking and venture capital industries for over 30 years, focusing on emerging markets and early stage disruptors in the tech ecosystem globally. He is a frequent speaker at blockchain industry events and the co-founder of CryptoMondays, the largest decentralized community of blockchain and distributed ledger enthusiasts.
James has been advisor to over 100 venture-backed and distributed ledger-based entities and is the:
- Founder of PALcapital, an advisory and VC formed in 1996 to create opportunities based upon on the impact of the digitization of information and communications on business and society. The firm has been focussed exclusively on distributed ledger technologies and blockchain since 2016; investing in and advising entrepreneurs and investors
- Co-founder of CryptoMondays, a decentralized global community of 13,000+ members that share a passion for Crypto with presence in 26 countries and 56 cities;
- Co-founder of CryptoOracle, the community-first VC supporting the emerging global decentralized digital economy;
- Co-Founder of CryptoCommons, a decentralized platform offering shared working spaces to the crypto community globally;
- Co-founder of ClimateCoin, a utility asset to democratize the carbon system; and
- Co-founder of NXTPLabs, the leading tech accelerator in Latin America, which is now supported by the World Bank and has invested in 200+ companies in that eco-system.
- Co-founder of com, the leading global site for the marketing of condominiums.
Previously, James was MD of Asian Investment Banking in Hong Kong for Bear Stearns, where he was responsible for the first listing of a Chinese company on the NYSE. He was the MD of Latin American Equity Capital Markets at INGBarings, and founder and MD of Emerging Markets Investment Banking at Furman Selz.
James earned an AB in Economics from Vassar College and a JD/MBA from Emory University’s schools of Business and Law.