Hard Yaka

Hard Yaka is an investment firm based in Crystal Bay, Nevada, founded in 2010. It pursues technology investments across private equity and venture capital, including buyouts and distressed opportunities, and it frequently seeks majority stakes. The firm focuses on digital transformation infrastructure, including portable identity, payments, marketplaces, and regtech, and also backs early-stage opportunities in exchange space startups, targeting verticals within exchange markets as well as horizontals such as messaging and payments across exchange sectors.

Pep Gomez

Partner

Jun Hiraga

Managing Partner

Kevin Leiske JD

Partner

Margaret Slemmer

Investor

Katie Sullivan

Partner

Past deals in Crypto

Rain

Series A in 2025
Rain is a finance company that provides credit card services with technical support for secure transactions to web3 and crypto companies.

Goin

Series A in 2025
Goin is a mobile application that enhances users' financial health by layering innovative saving, investing, and smart-shopping tools onto traditional banking services.

Huma

Venture Round in 2024
Huma is a fintech company that operates a decentralized finance platform for lending. It connects businesses and individuals seeking loans with global financing options by using tokens as collateral.

Omnumi

Seed Round in 2023
Omnumi is a company that offers a blockchain-based platform designed to facilitate digital asset management and payment processing with a strong emphasis on identity and compliance. It is the first platform to integrate digital identity into a fully compliant infrastructure, allowing users to control and manage their digital assets securely. By providing simple APIs and digital wallets, Omnumi enables the execution of financial disbursements while positioning itself as a trusted intermediary for various financial transactions. The company's focus on compliance and identity assurance allows it to establish partnerships with global, regional, and national banking networks and regulators, fostering trust in its operations and services.

Decaf

Seed Round in 2022
Decaf is a digital payment platform that facilitates secure and transparent transactions using blockchain technology. It enables users to send and receive money instantly, with each transaction recorded immutably on the blockchain.

Unstoppable Domains

Series A in 2022
Unstoppable Domains Inc. is a company that specializes in providing blockchain-based domain names, allowing users to create uncensorable websites and secure their digital identities. Established in 2018 and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the company offers NFT domains that enable individuals to control their online presence. These domains serve multiple purposes, including simplifying cryptocurrency transactions by replacing complex wallet addresses with human-readable names. Unstoppable Domains operates a decentralized domain registry, ensuring that users can send and receive payments without the risk of being restricted by government authorities or traditional domain providers. The platform also facilitates access to over 150 Web3 applications, further enhancing the utility of its domain offerings.

LimeWire

Initial Coin Offering in 2022
LimeWire is a digital collectibles marketplace focused on the music, art, and entertainment industries. The platform has been relaunched to transform the way fans and artists interact, providing a framework for direct fan membership that helps artists generate a recurring revenue stream. LimeWire enables users to explore, collect, and trade unique digital collectibles, including NFTs, while keeping them informed with timely announcements within the art and entertainment space. Fans gain access to exclusive content and a private community, allowing them to connect directly with their favorite artists and participate actively in their journeys.

Mask Network

Venture Round in 2022
Mask Network is a technology company founded in 2017 and based in Shanghai, China, that develops a platform enabling users to interact with social networks in a decentralized manner. The platform allows users to post encrypted messages, send and receive cryptocurrencies, and share files directly within existing social media platforms. By bridging Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, Mask Network facilitates decentralized applications (DApps) such as crypto payments, decentralized finance, and e-commerce, all while integrating seamlessly with popular social networks like Twitter. The company also supports funding for Gitcoin grant campaigns and aims to enhance user privacy and security online through its innovative features. Overall, Mask Network is focused on creating a decentralized ecosystem that empowers users without requiring them to migrate from their preferred social media platforms.

Unifimoney

Seed Round in 2022
A digital wealth management platform that enables community banks and credit unions to offer comprehensive investment services. It supports over 70 cryptocurrencies, passive and active investing in thousands of equities and ETFs, and precious metals. Unifimoney integrates with existing digital banking infrastructure, providing a low-cost, user-friendly solution for financial institutions to offer full-service money management.

Goin

Seed Round in 2021
Goin is a mobile application that enhances users' financial health by layering innovative saving, investing, and smart-shopping tools onto traditional banking services.

NFTpay

Seed Round in 2021
NFTpay is a fintech company that develops software enabling credit card transactions on websites and applications for buying non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It offers a digital multi-chain platform serving as an NFT marketplace, allowing creators to launch their NFTs and facilitating transactions between artists, content creators, celebrities, influencers, gamers, clubs, and enterprises.

DoinGud

Seed Round in 2021
DoinGud is an online marketplace and social platform based in Zug, Switzerland, dedicated to empowering artists, creators, collectors, and curators through the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The platform leverages blockchain technology to foster a supportive ecosystem that connects artists with their communities, allowing them to promote and sell their work effectively. DoinGud also emphasizes social impact by enabling creators and social organizations to collaborate and support one another, promoting sustainability and positive social change. Through its innovative approach, DoinGud seeks to create a self-sustaining environment where artistic expression and social responsibility coexist.

Figment Networks

Series B in 2021
Figment Networks develops open-source tools for crypto network health monitoring, enabling informed staking decisions. It focuses on networks like Tezos, Cosmos, Livepeer, and Horizen. Based in Toronto, Canada, the company was founded in 2018.

AnChain.AI

Series A in 2021
AnChain.AI is a California-based provider of AI-powered cybersecurity, blockchain data analytics, and risk and compliance solutions. It connects wallet addresses and cryptocurrency transactions to real-world entities to support KYC/AML, quantify risk, and secure endpoints across multiple public and private chains. The company offers a Transaction Analytics Platform with automated alerts, anomaly detection, and user profiling, alongside a Smart Contract Auditing Sandbox for Solidity contracts. It also provides Crypto Ransomware Response capabilities that trace adversaries and minimize losses along the monetization lifecycle. AnChain.AI serves exchanges, custodians, protocols, issuers/miners, wallets, financial institutions, investors, hedge funds, and enterprise security teams. Founded in 2018, it is headquartered in California.

Noble Money

Seed Round in 2021
Noble Money is a digital currency company focused on broadening the accessibility of sound money for individuals worldwide. The company aims to facilitate the adoption of digital currencies, starting with governmental integration. It specializes in the tokenization of digital currencies, working to enhance their usability and acceptance in various sectors. Through its initiatives, Noble Money aspires to make digital currencies a viable option for everyday transactions, ultimately promoting financial inclusivity and innovation in the monetary landscape.

ZELF

Pre Seed Round in 2021
ZELF is a neobank fintech company dedicated to providing accessible financial services to younger generations. Operating in both the EU and the US, ZELF integrates banking functionalities into popular social messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Discord, Telegram, and Viber. The company aims to simplify monetary transactions by offering features such as AI-powered voice control, invoice creation, and tracking of unpaid invoices, allowing users to manage their finances effortlessly. In June 2022, ZELF introduced its "Bank of the Metaverse" campaign, which combines game assets, NFTs, and fiat currency under a single banking platform, further enhancing its appeal to a tech-savvy audience.

TAP Network

Series A in 2020
TAP Network is a technology company that builds blockchain-powered software for enterprise clients in entertainment, travel, banking, and other sectors. Its platform features a Micro-Redemption Marketplace that connects hundreds of thousands of brands and merchants, enabling consumer reward redemptions with low costs and broad redemption options. The company focuses on turning everyday transactions into tangible rewards to boost consumer engagement and to enhance profitability for program partners by delivering scalable loyalty and rewards solutions powered by blockchain technology.

Puma Browser

Seed Round in 2020
Puma is a mobile browser focused on the Web3 ecosystem. It offers native support for IPFS, HNS, and ENS, enabling secure, private browsing with seamless payments via Coil and ILP for creators and developers.

Sorare

Seed Round in 2020
Sorare is a global fantasy football game that enables users to trade official digital collectibles. Founded in Paris in 2018, the platform allows players to manage their teams using digital NFT cards, fostering competition and community interaction.

Goin

Venture Round in 2020
Goin is a mobile application that enhances users' financial health by layering innovative saving, investing, and smart-shopping tools onto traditional banking services.

Coinme

Venture Round in 2020
Coinme operates the largest licensed cryptocurrency cash exchange in the United States, providing a nationwide network of bitcoin ATMs, a digital wallet, and exchange services. Through partnerships with Coinstar and MoneyGram, customers can buy and sell bitcoin with cash at thousands of locations in 48 states. The company also offers an enterprise-grade API and tools that enable legacy financial systems and merchants to crypto-enable their operations, along with consumer products to buy, store, and manage digital currencies. Founded in 2014 and based in Seattle, Coinme aims to broaden access to digital currencies and facilitate easy, secure transactions.

Cogni

Seed Round in 2019
Cogni is a New York-based company that develops a digital banking platform designed to enhance financial services for businesses across Europe. Formerly known as Bizbaze, Cogni offers multi-currency business accounts that integrate artificial intelligence-driven tools to streamline various financial activities. The platform employs machine learning to automate and simplify virtual payments, providing users with an intuitive interface that supports a range of financial transactions, including deposits and lifestyle-related bookings such as hotels and flights. By focusing on accessibility and transparency, Cogni aims to revolutionize the digital banking experience for its users, combining traditional finance with emerging technologies like decentralized finance and non-fungible tokens.

Xertify

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Xertify is a blockchain-based platform enabling secure exchange of digitally certified credentials between individuals and institutions worldwide. It facilitates cross-border consultation by allowing users to issue certificates in multiple languages, and securely stores these documents in virtual folders within a private digital wallet.

TomoCredit

Seed Round in 2019
Founded in 2018, TomoCredit is a fintech company based in San Francisco. It offers an AI-powered platform designed for millennials and small business owners to build credit history and qualify for loans using alternative data sources. The company provides a smart credit card and a mobile application for account management.

Kava Labs

Seed Round in 2019
Kava Labs Inc. is a provider of interledger solutions, focusing on enhancing the interoperability of blockchains, wallets, and exchanges. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Kava operates a decentralized platform that offers a comprehensive range of financial services tailored for cryptocurrencies. As digital assets gain wider acceptance, Kava aims to fill the gap in traditional financial offerings by providing products such as money markets, loans, stablecoins, and high-yield accounts for crypto assets. By leveraging autonomous software, Kava's platform eliminates the need for intermediaries, allowing users globally to access financial services without incurring additional fees. This approach enables users to optimize their digital assets and generate returns in an evolving financial landscape.

Uphold

Series C in 2019
Uphold operates a cloud-based platform for moving, converting, transacting, and holding various currencies, commodities, equities, and other assets. Its platform enables users to add funds via bank transfers or cards, send/receive payments, convert currencies, and hold funds securely. Serving individuals, businesses, developers, and charities worldwide, Uphold facilitates transactions in over 150 countries with low fees.

Mythical Games

Series A in 2018
Mythical Games Inc. is a game technology studio founded in 2018 and based in Sherman Oaks, California, with an additional office in Seattle, Washington. The company develops blockchain-based games and aims to create a new generation of gaming experiences by enabling true ownership of digital assets, verifiable scarcity, and integrated secondary markets. Its flagship title, Blankos, is a casual multiplayer game where players can buy, trade, and sell their unique designs. Mythical Games also provides tools for content creators and brands, allowing them to customize and own game assets. By fostering a decentralized gaming ecosystem, the company brings players, developers, and content creators together, promoting personalized experiences and driving consumer adoption of distributed ledger technology through innovative gaming products.

Cogni

Seed Round in 2018
Cogni is a New York-based company that develops a digital banking platform designed to enhance financial services for businesses across Europe. Formerly known as Bizbaze, Cogni offers multi-currency business accounts that integrate artificial intelligence-driven tools to streamline various financial activities. The platform employs machine learning to automate and simplify virtual payments, providing users with an intuitive interface that supports a range of financial transactions, including deposits and lifestyle-related bookings such as hotels and flights. By focusing on accessibility and transparency, Cogni aims to revolutionize the digital banking experience for its users, combining traditional finance with emerging technologies like decentralized finance and non-fungible tokens.

Nodle

Seed Round in 2018
Nodle operates a decentralized network that connects mobile phones and IoT devices, enabling various applications such as asset tracking, event attendance verification, and media content certification. It leverages the NODL token for crypto payments and ensures user privacy.

Snowball Money

Seed Round in 2018
Snowball Money operates a crypto investment automation platform that simplifies access to professionally curated portfolios, enabling users to invest like accredited investors. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the platform provides a single, safe, and easy-to-use solution for investing in tax-optimized crypto portfolios or bundles that generate interest. It allows investors to earn high yields without the need to register with multiple exchanges or manage different wallets, streamlining the investment process in the crypto markets.

Lightning Labs

Seed Round in 2018
Lightning Labs develops advanced financial infrastructure using cryptography, blockchains, and smart contracts. They are known for Lightning Network Daemon (lnd), a leading implementation of the Lightning Network protocol, and Neutrino, a platform enabling fast blockchain transactions on mobile devices.

ShapeShift

Seed Round in 2016
ShapeShift is a digital currency exchange platform established in July 2014, designed to facilitate the instant conversion of Bitcoin and various altcoins. The platform distinguishes itself by allowing users to trade cryptocurrencies without the need for user accounts or registration, thereby enhancing privacy and reducing risks associated with personal information and funds. In the summer of 2019, ShapeShift introduced a new platform that empowers users to self-custody their crypto assets while providing functionalities to buy, sell, trade, track, send, and receive cryptocurrencies independently of third-party involvement. Additionally, the company operates CoinCap.io, a real-time crypto market data service, and acquired the hardware wallet company KeepKey in 2017. ShapeShift is led by industry veteran Erik Voorhees.

MONI

Seed Round in 2015
MONI Nordic Oy, based in Helsinki, Finland, is a company that specializes in providing prepaid MasterCards to facilitate both online and offline payments. Founded in 2013, MONI aims to create accessible mobile personal banking tools that allow users to manage their financial activities, such as making purchases, sending and receiving money, obtaining credit, and withdrawing cash. The company develops a virtual banking platform that enables users to access essential financial services from any mobile device, thus bridging traditional banking with modern technologies like cryptocurrencies. By reducing system complexity and eliminating intermediaries, MONI's technology aims to lower costs and decrease fraud, thereby enhancing the overall banking experience for individuals worldwide.

Bitso

Seed Round in 2015
Founded in 2014, Bitso is a cryptocurrency exchange platform headquartered in Mexico City. It enables users to buy, sell, and trade various cryptocurrencies securely using their mobile devices or other devices.

Ledger

Seed Round in 2015
Ledger is a prominent company specializing in security and infrastructure solutions for cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications, established in 2014 and headquartered in Paris, France. The company has become a leader in the market with over one million hardware security devices sold across more than 165 countries. Its flagship products, including the Ledger Nano S and Ledger Nano X, are designed for secure management of cryptocurrencies, featuring built-in displays and connectivity options for ease of use. For enterprises, Ledger offers Ledger Vault, a fully managed SaaS solution that safeguards substantial amounts of multiple cryptocurrencies while addressing physical and IT security threats. Additionally, Ledger is actively engaged in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) sector, utilizing its secure hardware technology to connect sensors and machines to blockchain-based assets. The company also operates a production facility in Vierzon, France, and maintains offices in San Francisco.

Lukka

Seed Round in 2014
Lukka, Inc. is a blockchain-native technology company based in New York that specializes in providing middle and back office solutions for the crypto-asset ecosystem. Founded in 2014 and rebranded from Libra Services, Inc. in 2019, Lukka focuses on managing and processing complex blockchain and cryptocurrency data to enhance accessibility and utility for businesses. Its offerings include LukkaTax, which simplifies tax calculations and compliance for cryptocurrency transactions, and LukkaCrypto Office, a back-office solution for managing crypto assets that features pricing, valuation, and reporting capabilities. Additionally, Lukka Reference Data ensures the consistency and accuracy of crypto asset data for enterprise applications. By automating and optimizing accounting, audit, and tax processes, Lukka delivers real-time visibility into crypto transaction activity, catering to the reporting and compliance needs of funds, fund administrators, exchanges, and enterprises.

37coins

Venture Round in 2014
37coins is a bitcoin startup based in Sunnyvale, California, focused on providing SMS bitcoin wallet services to unbanked and underserved populations in developing economies who lack Internet access. By enabling individuals to send and receive money via SMS, 37coins aims to enhance financial inclusion globally. The company has launched its services and is currently part of the Plug and Play Tech Center's bitcoin accelerator program. It also allows users with Internet access to sign up as gateway operators, facilitating transactions and earning fees in the process. With growing partnerships in regions such as Singapore and the Philippines, 37coins strives to make bitcoin more accessible through its user-friendly SMS technology.

Bitso

Venture Round in 2014
Founded in 2014, Bitso is a cryptocurrency exchange platform headquartered in Mexico City. It enables users to buy, sell, and trade various cryptocurrencies securely using their mobile devices or other devices.

TradeBlock

Seed Round in 2014
TradeBlock Inc., established in 2013 and headquartered in New York, specializes in developing institutional trading tools for digital currencies. The company provides financial institutions with execution and analysis tools tailored to cryptocurrency markets, offering global market data insights on trading, regulations, mining, blockchain analysis, protocol updates, and economic developments. As of December 2020, TradeBlock operates as a subsidiary of CoinDesk LLC.

Filecoin

Seed Round in 2014
Filecoin is a decentralized data storage network that leverages blockchain technology, similar to Bitcoin. It operates by renting out unused disk space from participants to store files securely. Users can earn Filecoin tokens for contributing their storage capacity. These tokens can be exchanged for other currencies such as Bitcoin and USD. The company is headquartered in the United States.

LedgerX

Series A in 2014
LedgerX LLC is a developer of an institutional derivatives exchange platform specifically for digital currencies. Founded in 2014 and based in Vail, Colorado, the company operates as a subsidiary of NYBX LLC. LedgerX has applied for registration with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to function as a swap execution facility and derivatives clearing organization. The platform is designed to facilitate smooth trading in cryptocurrency futures and options, offering features such as physical settlement of contracts, block trading, and algorithmic trading. This enables both individual traders and institutions to transact in cryptocurrencies with increased efficiency and regulatory oversight.

Wyre

Seed Round in 2014
Wyre, established in 2013 and based in San Francisco, specializes in blockchain-based international payment solutions. Its platform facilitates real-time, same-day, and direct-to-bank transfers across borders, offering competitive foreign exchange rates and eliminating high fees, complex timings, and currency exchange worries. Wyre also provides onramps and off-ramps, foreign exchange, and crypto liquidity services to various crypto projects and decentralized exchanges.

Coinbase

Seed Round in 2012
Founded in 2012, Coinbase operates a platform enabling merchants and consumers to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. It offers products such as Coinbase Wallet, USD Coin, Coinbase Pro, and custody services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco.
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