Bobby Bao is a blockchain entrepreneur and venture capitalist with extensive experience in investment banking, corporate development, and investor relations. Bao is the Co-Founder and Head of Corporate Development at Crypto.com. He also leads the $200 million Crypto.com Capital venture capital fund.^[2][6]

Career

Bobby Bao is the Co-Founder and Head of Corporate Development at Crypto.com, responsible for directing Crypto.com's corporate strategy development and overseeing Crypto.com's approach to driving the adoption of crypto-powered consumer financial products. Crypto.com has grown to become a multi-billion dollar payment and cryptocurrency company. In March 2021, Bao launched Crypto.com Capital, a $200 million fund for crypto startups in the Seed and Series A stages. They've invested in several crypto startups including Genies, a leading avatar, and a Non-Fungible Token company.

Bobby Bao explained the vision behind Crypto.com Capital in their launch announcement:

“The motto and operating principle of Crypto.com Capital is “Founders First”. As company builders ourselves, we understand how hard it is to bring game-changing ideas to life. Founders can count on us to move fast and provide both capital and access to a global user base, helping them succeed. If you’re building in this space, contact us today: [email protected].”^[3]

Prior to founding Crypto.com, Bao was the Head of Corporate Development of Ensogo, where he was responsible for leading the company's cross-border business unit and its investor relations efforts. Bobby gained extensive experience in investment banking at China Renaissance where he worked on landmark deals, including the merger of Didi and Kuaidi (now Didi Chuxing). Bao also used to work at Deloitte, and Merrill Lynch. He was also a consultant for JD.com where he acted as an advisor to C-Suite level executives on strategic corporate development projects.^[4]

He is currently a lead investor for many DeFi projects such as Chillchart, IQ Labs, Heroes of Mavia, Axelar, Frax Finance, and others.

Awards

In March 2018, Bao was recognized by Forbes and selected as one of the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 in the Finance and Venture Capital for his role in founding and growing Crypto.com into a multi-billion dollar payments and cryptocurrency company.^[5]
Speaking about his award, he said:

It's an honor to be included on the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 List. Seeing how far Monaco has come in two short years since its inception has been a privilege.  I'm very proud of the work the whole Monaco team has put in to get us to this point and eager to see where this year takes us as we launch our app and roll out the first Monaco Visa cards."^[5]

Education

Bobby Bao studied Accounting & Finance at the University of Melbourne and graduated with First Class Honours.^[7]