Key Takeaways
- Ari Paul is a digital asset investor based in Stamford, Connecticut. He co-founded BlockTower Capital and was its Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer before the firm merged into Arca in 2025.
- Ari started his career at SIG as a derivatives trader from 2006 to 2010, focusing on market-making and trading assets.
- In 2017, Ari co-founded BlockTower Capital, raising over $140 million and bringing traditional trading expertise to cryptocurrency.
Who Is Ari Paul?
Ari Paul is a digital asset investor based in Stamford, Connecticut, and was Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at BlockTower Capital, a crypto investment and trading firm that merged into Arca in 2025. With a background in derivatives trading and institutional investing, Ari is passionate about the digital asset space.
Born in Princeton, New Jersey, he graduated from Princeton Day School and earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. Ari also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he specialized in Econometrics, Entrepreneurship, and Economics.
Early Career In Trading
Ari Paul started his career as a Derivatives Trader at Susquehanna International Group (SIG) from 2006 to 2010. His job included making markets and trading in stock options, commodities, foreign exchange (forex), and power markets. He also created a system that combined the company’s index desk risk into one set of risk factors, which helped improve how the company managed risk. This experience gave him a strong understanding of financial markets and risk management.
Contributions to Energy Trading
While at Susquehanna International Group, Ari Paul made essential contributions to energy trading. He introduced new trading strategies for energy products, using order flow analysis. He also helped manage risk for a team of 11 natural gas traders, ensuring they used effective hedging strategies and improving the firm’s overall approach to energy market trading.
Transition to Institutional Investment
In 2013, Ari Paul moved into institutional investment by joining the University of Chicago’s investment office as a Risk Specialist. In this role, he helped manage the university’s $7 billion endowment fund. He helped assess risks, review investment portfolios, and improve strategies to keep the endowment financially stable and help it grow. His work played a key role in supporting the university’s financial goals and managing the risks of big investments.
Role as Portfolio Manager
In 2016, after working as a Risk Specialist for two years, Ari became a Portfolio Manager. He helped manage a $140 million hedge portfolio, researched different types of investments, and improved the university’s risk reporting system. His work made the endowment’s investment strategy more effective.
Founding BlockTower Capital
In July 2017, Ari co-founded BlockTower Capital with Matthew Goetz to bring professional trading skills to the cryptocurrency market. The firm quickly became a big player in the digital asset world, raising over $140 million from well-known investors like Union Square Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz.
Leadership In Cryptocurrency Investment
With Ari as chief investment officer, BlockTower Capital traded and invested in cryptocurrencies, using professional risk management methods for digital assets. In May 2024, Bloomberg reported that hackers had partly drained the firm’s main hedge fund; the amount was not disclosed. In November 2024, BlockTower agreed to merge with the crypto investment firm Arca, and since April 2025 it has operated as Arca. Its venture arm became the independent Strobe Ventures, where Ari stayed on as a venture partner.
Blockchain and Crypto’s Future
On October 23, 2018, in New York, The Real Vision channel hosted a podcast with Ari Paul, the CIO and managing partner of BlockTower Capital. Paul talked about the future of blockchain and cryptocurrency with Ash Bennington, sharing his views on the risks and opportunities in the crypto market. He also explained how his traditional asset portfolio manager background influences his decision-making in the digital asset space.
Ari’s Vision for the Future of Crypto
Ari believes cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology can potentially change industries and financial systems. While understanding risks, he sees great opportunities for new ideas and growth. He wants everyone to use decentralized technologies, creating safer and clearer financial systems. Ari also thinks it’s important to teach investors and businesses about the risks and benefits of digital assets so they can make smart decisions.
Ari Paul’s Trading Roots and BlockTower
Ari Paul has had a strong career in traditional finance and has used that experience in the digital assets industry. He started as a trader at Susquehanna International Group and later worked at the University of Chicago. In 2017, Ari co-founded BlockTower Capital, where he applied his knowledge to the growing cryptocurrency market.
He believes blockchain technology can change industries and help investors understand the risks and opportunities in crypto. Ari plays an important role in shaping the future of digital asset investments.
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