Key Takeaways
- James Chi co-founded Camp Network, a Layer-1 blockchain for intellectual property (IP) and AI.
- Before Camp Network, Chi held strategic roles at Figma and worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.
- A UC Berkeley Haas School of Business graduate, Chi blends financial expertise and product thinking in blockchain.
Who Is James Chi?
James Chi is the co-founder of Camp Network, a Layer-1 blockchain where creators can register their intellectual property (IP) and license it, including to AI agents. His strong background in traditional finance and modern technology provides him with a unique perspective on designing decentralized systems.
Education at UC Berkeley
Chi earned his Business Administration degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied from August 2011 to December 2014. His academic foundation in finance and management laid the groundwork for his early career in investment banking and venture finance.
Early Career Before Camp Network
James Chi began his career in 2013 at KKR, where he was part of the Client & Partner Group. This role gave him early exposure to investor relations and fund operations, laying the groundwork for his understanding of capital flow and institutional finance.
Investment Banking in TMT
From 2015 to 2017, Chi worked at RBC Capital Markets as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) division. He continued in TMT investment banking at Goldman Sachs from 2017 to 2021, advising major technology companies on mergers, acquisitions, and capital-raising strategies. This period sharpened his insights into tech industry dynamics and deal-making.
Transition to Tech and Strategy at Figma
In 2021, Chi entered the tech industry by joining Figma’s Strategic Finance team. There, he led projects on financial modeling, fundraising strategies, and operational scaling. These experiences deepened his understanding of how to align financial strategy with product and infrastructure goals—skills he would later apply in the Web3 space.
Founding Camp Network
In 2023, James Chi co-founded Camp Network. It started as a modular layer-2 blockchain for music, media and entertainment apps and later became a Layer-1 blockchain for IP.
Camp Network Raises $30M
Camp Network has raised a total of $30 million, most recently in an April 2025 Series A round co-led by 1kx and Blockchain Capital, to transform intellectual property management on the blockchain. In a YouTube video titled “Blockchain News & Updates,” it explains how its custom blockchain registers and tokenizes IP, utilizing “proof of provenance” to verify ownership. The funding will help build an extensive library of user-owned IP and a marketplace for safe, rights-cleared training data. As AI continues to grow, Camp Network aims to protect creators and ensure they are compensated fairly.
Camp Network’s Role in the Future of Web3
Camp Network’s Layer-1 mainnet and its CAMP token launched on August 27, 2025.
Chi’s experience in finance, product strategy, and decentralized tech makes him well-suited to guide how communities work together in the digital age.
James Chi’s Path From Goldman Sachs to Camp Network
James Chi has a unique combination of traditional finance experience and Web3 innovation. From Goldman Sachs to Figma, and now as co-founder of Camp Network, his career strongly focuses on creating systems that benefit communities.
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