Kyle Samani

Who they are

Kyle Samani is co-founder of Multicoin Capital — previously built Pristine, an enterprise smart-glass software company acquired by Upskill in 2017, before pivoting into crypto investing.

Person

Kyle Samani co-founded Multicoin Capital in 2017 alongside Tushar Jain, starting it as an early-stage crypto-focused fund when thesis-driven investing in tokens was still a fringe idea. Before that, he was CEO of Pristine, an enterprise software company building smart-glass solutions for deskless workers that raised over $5M in VC before being acquired by Upskill; he also served as Chairman of the Board at Forward Industries (Nasdaq: FWDI). He studied business at NYU Stern, then moved directly into company-building — the through-line is conviction-led bets at infrastructure inflection points, first in hardware-adjacent software, then in crypto networks. He stepped down as managing director of Multicoin in 2025, exiting the Multicoin Master Fund in Forward Industries shares and warrants rather than cash — a pointed statement of where he thinks the next cycle is. Since early 2026 he's been publicly focused on AI, robotics, and longevity. He writes at kylesamani.me and posts on LinkedIn and Twitter (@kylesamani) on crypto investing, blockchain theses, and Web3 — a prolific podcast circuit (Bankless, Capital Allocators, Epicenter, Blockspace, Galaxy Brains) that has made him one of the more recognizable voices on crypto fund strategy.

Company

Multicoin's most recent public moment is presenting its Crypto Mega Thesis 2.0 at DAS NYC 2026 — a signal the firm is actively refreshing its investment narrative for the current cycle. In early 2026 the firm co-led a $72 million Series A for Fun, a payments infrastructure startup, alongside SignalFire, closing in January 2026. In late 2025 it co-led a $225 million round for Wormhole, a full-stack interoperability platform. AUM grew over 50% from 2023 to 2024, and the portfolio counts over ten unicorns, one IPO, and multiple acquisitions including Aptos, StarkWare, and LayerZero Labs. The firm is based in Austin, Texas, and was founded by Samani and Tushar Jain in 2017.

Market

Multicoin operates in crypto venture and hedge fund investing, competing alongside firms like Paradigm, Pantera, Electric Capital, Haun Ventures, and Polychain, as well as Solana Ventures in overlapping portfolio territory. The firm built its reputation on a thesis-driven approach — pioneering token economic models and early conviction on Solana — and is recognized in some quarters as 'possibly the best-performing venture fund of all time' in crypto, though it has also attracted lawsuits and criticism for its proximity to contentious projects. The macro backdrop includes the GENIUS Act passing in 2025 (creating a regulatory framework for USD-backed stablecoins), rising geopolitical competition around stablecoin rails, and a growing crypto-AI intersection that Multicoin has flagged as an early priority.

Network

Kyle's tightest professional tie is Tushar Jain, his co-founder and continuing managing partner at Multicoin, who holds the fort operationally following Samani's step-down. His most prominent ecosystem relationship is with Anatoly Yakovenko, Solana's co-founder, with whom he's done multiple public podcast appearances including a notable discussion of 'Black Thursday' on the Solana Podcast. David Sacks (PayPal founding COO) and Andreessen Horowitz are noted as investors in Multicoin's $75M fund.

Tushar Jain· Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Multicoin Capital
Anatoly Yakovenko· Co-Founder, Solana
David Sacks· Investor / PayPal Founding COO

How they likely show up

Co-founded Multicoin in 2017 and ran it for roughly eight years through multiple crypto cycles → thinks in long arcs and is comfortable holding conviction through drawdowns.
Exited the Multicoin Master Fund in Forward Industries shares and warrants rather than cash → puts skin in the thesis, not just the fund — values alignment over liquidity.
Founded two distinct companies (Pristine, Multicoin) in entirely different domains → high tolerance for greenfield bets; likely bored by incremental plays.
Prolific podcast guest and blogger across Bankless, Capital Allocators, Epicenter, Galaxy Brains, and his own site kylesamani.me → comfortable being the public intellectual in the room; thinks by articulating theses out loud.
Publicly shifted focus to AI, robotics, and longevity immediately after stepping back from Multicoin → moves fast when a new conviction forms; doesn't linger in transition.

Conversation tips

→ Come in with a specific thesis, not a vague pitch — he has spent years building 'thesis-driven' as an identity; he'll engage hard on the argument itself.
→ Reference his Crypto Mega Thesis 2.0 or his Multicoin investment thesis posts; he'll know you've read the primary source, not just a summary.
→ Ask about the decision to exit in Forward Industries shares rather than cash — it's a deliberate, legible signal and he'll have a clear answer.
→ Don't treat him as purely a crypto person anymore — his stated pivot to AI and robotics is real and recent; lead there if it's relevant.
→ Acknowledge the Solana relationship specifically — not just 'you invested in layer-1s' — he and Anatoly Yakovenko have a long documented history that shaped the fund's identity.

Toolbox

Openers

Open on the DAS NYC 2026 Crypto Mega Thesis 2.0 presentation — it's the freshest public move from Multicoin and gives you an immediate on-ramp to where he thinks the next cycle goes.
Reference Pristine: he built an enterprise smart-glass software company for deskless workers that was acquired before he pivoted entirely into crypto — it's a founding story that most people skip, and it signals you've gone deeper than the Multicoin origin story.
Ask about the Forward Industries exit structure — he took shares and warrants instead of cash when leaving the Multicoin Master Fund, which is a concrete, unusual decision that reveals a lot about how he sizes conviction.

Discovery questions

You took shares and warrants in Forward Industries rather than cash when you stepped back from Multicoin — what does that bet look like from the inside right now?
Multicoin's Crypto Mega Thesis 2.0 came out at DAS NYC 2026 — what's the single biggest update from version 1.0, and what changed your mind?
You've publicly flagged AI, robotics, and longevity as your next focus — is that a new fund thesis, angel investing, or something you're building directly?

Avoid

Don't treat his Multicoin departure as a retreat — he structured his exit in Forward Industries equity and has been vocal about moving toward new technology; framing it as stepping away rather than stepping toward will read as uninformed.

Make it yours