Aptos Labs, the team behind Aptos, a layer 1 blockchain platform developed by former Facebook employees, continues to expand its mission to make decentralized assets accessible to billions of people.
On May 9, the Aptos Labs team introduced new global advisors, including David Lawee, former vice president of corporate development at Google.
Lawee, who founded Alphabet’s Capital G independent growth equity fund, will leverage the Web2 consumer experience to promote blockchain to the mainstream.
Pamela Drucker Mann, chief revenue officer at global media company Condè Nast Global, and Dan Boneh, professor of computer science at Stanford University, will also join Aptos’ advisory board.
Mann will focus on strengthening the Aptos ecosystem culture, while Boneh will provide research on cryptography and cybersecurity to advance infrastructure and security.
“Aptos Labs is clearly on a mission to enable expanded access to financial empowerment, digital experiences, and social connections around the world,” Lawee said. “I look forward to working closely with this thoughtful and technology-leading team to bring Web3 to the public,” he added.
The news comes about a year after Lawee stepped down as head of CapitalG in March 2023 after 17 years at Alphabet, and partner Laela Sturdy became the new head of CapitalG.
In his role at CapitalG, Lawee has moved increasingly into the cryptocurrency industry over the years. In 2021, CapitalG partnered with Digital Current Group (DCG), a leading cryptocurrency company founded by CEO Barry Silbert.
“I believe DCG will be one of the few leaders that defines the cryptocurrency industry,” Lawee said in a November 2021 blog post. We are excited to invest in them and partner with them on their important journey to transform cryptocurrency,” he added. “It will become a major global asset class.”
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Lawee’s post comes about a year before the cryptocurrency industry faced a lending crisis that led to the collapse of companies like Three Arrows Capital (3AC) and a massive contagion for companies like DCG.
The pandemic triggered serious financial problems for DCG, including its subsidiary Genesis Global filing for bankruptcy in January 2023.
Aptos, where Lawee will continue his Web3 adventure, was founded in 2021 by Mohammad Shaikh and Avery Ching. Its native token, APT (APT), is the 31st largest cryptocurrency by market cap at $3.6 billion at the time of this writing, according to CoinGecko.
Since its launch, Aptos has raised $350 million from venture capital exchanges such as Coinbase and Binance, as well as investors such as the currently bankrupt 3AC and FTX.
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