William Croisettier
Chief Growth Officer at zkCandy
William Croisettier
Chief Growth Officer at zkCandy
San Francisco Bay Area
Overview
Work Experience
Chief Growth Officer
2024 - Current
zkCandy is a joint venture between iCandy (the marquee game developer in South East Asia and Oceania w 400+ games, 300M+ gamers, 750 employees, publicly traded on the ASX, shareholders incl Animoca, Singtel, SK Square, Baidu, global partners incl Netflix, Blizzard, Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, Sony, Riot Games, Naughty Dog, Bandai Namco, DreamWorks, Warner Brother Games, Sandbox, AAA titles incl Diablo 2, Uncharted, Balder's Gate, Warcraft 3, Last of Us 2, Final Fantasy 7, Starcraft remastered, Pokeman Masters Ex, Tekken 7, Need for Speed) and Matter Labs (developer of zkSync Era w 5M+ addresses, highest activity in Dec23 of all L2s w 38M transactions, $850M+ TVL, $458M raised from A16Z, Lightspeed, ...). zkCandy is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum specifically suited to the needs of the gaming sector, utilizing zero-knowledge proofs to accelerate transaction speed and decrease fees. By processing transactions off-chain and leveraging Ethereum's security, zkCandy enhances scalability, ensuring faster, cost-effective transactions while remaining compatible with the Ethereum ecosystem.
Head of Venture Capital, Ecosystem (Global w APAC focus)
2021 - 2024
Parity builds blockchain infrastructure for the decentralized web - from the Substrate blockchain framework to Polkadot, the sharded L0 protocol enabling blockchains to operate seamlessly together at scale. Polkadot was founded in 2016 by Gavin Wood, former Co-Founder and CTO of Ethereum, and is a top 10 platform by token market cap ($5B+). The Parity + Web3 Foundation orgs span the world, including London, Berlin, San Francisco, Toronto, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Singapore. • VC: Led Venture team and facilitating ecosystem focused VC function within Polkadot universe w Polkadot startups (800+) via ecosystem + investor network • INVESTOR RELATIONS: Managed global investor network (250+, mostly crypto native VCs, also trad VCs, FOs, SWFs, CVCs) to facilitate engagement in the Polkadot ecosystem (e.g Asia, North America, EU). Combined AUM of investor base in excess of $150B. • ECOSYSTEM GROWTH: Helped scale eco from 0-1 @ parachain launch, mentored startup teams (100+) building on Substrate / Polkadot / Kusuma globally across various sectors (e.g. EVM compatibility, DeFi, infrastructure, gaming, NFT, metaverse, supply chain, identity, smart contracts, ...) • APAC FOCUS: Led Polkadot expansion into Asia, e.g. Korea, Japan, SEA, HK markets via partners across marketing, community, education • PARTNERSHIPS / BD: Led first convos for web2 strategic partnerships in Asia (e.g. major publicly traded gaming companies in Korea) and crypto native builders • MARKET ENTRY: Led first convos w service providers (e.g. market makers, exchanges, wallets, node infra, validators, dev shops, firms w market entry, marketing, dev community focus) in Asia • EVANGELISM: Acted as a first point of contact for highly strategic potential partners and evangelizing the Polkadot tech stack + ecosystem • Acted as a lead contact for all issues related to VC + investment + Asia in Polkadot ecosystem. • Worked directly with executive leadership (e.g. CEO, CMO, CFO) on investment related issues.
Venture Partner (APAC focus)
2019 - 2023
SparkLabs is the premier technology accelerator platform in South Korea, and a leading startup ecosystem builder globally with accelerators + VC funds currently on the ground in Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong / Shenzhen, Beijing, Singapore, Sydney, Silicon Valley, Arizona, and Washington D.C. The platform has invested in 300+ early stage technology startups globally, across various technology verticals including gaming, ecommerce, AI, advertising, healthtech, AR/VR, fintech, deeptech, and others. Some early representative investments include Deepmind (acquired by Google), Siri (acquired by Apple), Spotify (IPO), and Memebox (Korean ecommerce platform for cosmetics, series D raised). The platform has a broad and high quality network of advisors, including Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks), Steve Chen (Youtube Co-Founder), Eric Ly (Linkedin Co-Founder), Jim McKelvey (Square Co-Founder), and Kevin Chou (Kabam Co-Founder). • Fundraising in various LP categories (HNWIs, family offices, multi-family offices, fund of funds, corporates, CVCs, pension funds, endowments, sovereign wealth funds). Focus geographies include North America, and Asia (Japan, S Korea, HK, Singapore) • Strategic partnership development w corporates + CVCs (focus on US, Japan, S Korea) • Fund formation + structuring (US domestic + offshore legal counsel management, LPA, PPM, subscription documentation) http://www.sparklabsgroup.com #VC #accelerator #Korea #Japan #HK #Taipei #Singapore #SEA #startups
Venture Lead, Ecosystem (US + Latin America + APAC)
2020 - 2021
R3’s Venture program is the accelerator + gateway into the R3 ecosystem for all early stage startups building on Corda. The focus is on seed - series A stage companies, in all geographies, that are typically b2b oriented across many sectors (fintech, insurtech, capital markets, supply chain, trade finance, digital assets, ...). The portfolio spanned 400+ startups globally as of 2021. R3 has a team of 375+ professionals across 14 countries and has raised $120M+ in funding globally from leading corporations + investors including SBI Group, MUFG, Mizuho Capital, Nomura, SMBC, CLS, Barclays, ING Group, Bank of America, HSBC, Intel, Itau, Bradesco, Ping An, and Temasek. R3 is a global enterprise fintech / blockchain software company working with a broad ecosystem of 350+ enterprise partners across multiple industries to build the new operating system for frictionless commerce. Here’s what startups can expect from the program: • Technical resources (e.g. solution engineering, developer relations, professional services) • Global community events + workshops weekly • Mentorship from industry leaders (e.g. VCs, founders, executives) • Access to partnerships, customers channels, + POCs with enterprise companies in our ecosystem • Access to potential investors in our network (e.g. venture capital via VCs + CVCs) + internal investment • Help with Go-To-Market strategy, design reviews, business use cases • Sponsored industry challenges around the world R3's DLT Corda platform is already being used in industries from financial services to healthcare, shipping, insurance, and more. It records, manages and executes institutions’ financial agreements in perfect synchrony with their peers. R3 has offices in San Francisco, New York, London, Dublin, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. http://www.r3.com
Managing Partner (US + APAC focus)
2018 - 2020
Early stage VC fund focused on investing in the web3 / crypto / blockchain / digital assets space The emerging Web3 space encompasses the next generation of Internet technologies, infrastructure, products, and services. Decentralized protocols, cryptographically ensured security, and token-based economics are major themes in this evolution. Web3 Capital’s mission is to invest in those select startups that are creating the next and better version of the Internet - Web3. • Invested in early stage blockchain + fintech ventures • Led entire investment lifecycle including identifying + sourcing top projects, making contact with founders, interviewing teams, performing due diligence + evaluating projects, negotiating terms, performing capital allocation, managing legal structures, and executing transactions • Co-investors include Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z), DFJ, Draper Dragon, Polychain, FBG, Hashed, Global Brain, Winklevoss Capital, Binance Labs, Huobi Capital, OKEX, Translink Capital, Kakao Ventures, Arrington XRP, Node Capital, Passport Capital... • Invested into $350M+ of aggregate funding rounds • Advised early stage web3 projects on institutional token sales, strategy, business development / partnerships, exchange listing, marketing, community development • Invested in + advised teams globally (US, Europe, Asia - Korea, China, Singapore) including Artbloc (S Korea), Carry Protocol (S Korea), Orchid (USA), Perlin (Singapore), Hashgraph Hedera (USA), Thunder (USA), Hadron Cloud (USA), ...
VC Investment Strategy, Consumer Internet + Fintech / Blockchain + Frontier Tech
2016 - 2018
Prosus Ventures (fka Naspers Ventures) is the corporate venture capital + growth equity arm of Prosus (subsidiary of Naspers), a global Internet and Entertainment group with technology investments & operations in more than 130 markets ($150B+ market cap, 20,000+ employees, series A - H, invested capital - average of ~$1B per year) Prosus Ventures combines venture capital + private equity investing with deep operational experience in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Naspers was an early investor in Tencent in China, mail.ru in Russia and Flipkart in India. In total, the Naspers portfolio comprises more than 100 companies. • Developed investment theses, business cases, and deep dives in early stage technology sectors (e.g. DLT, Blockchain, Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Internet, Agtech, Insurance tech, Robotics, Drones, AI, Big Data, IoT, Mobility) • Evaluated startups and their growth potential, including team, technology, product, market traction, business model, revenue model, addressable market, competition, strategy, and financing • Built relationships with entrepreneurs & monitored startups in attractive technology sectors • Created industry landscapes of startups according to sector, business model, and funding amounts (e.g. AR/VR: 330+ companies) • Assessed strategic / operational fit of technology startups across entire lifecycle (seed, series A+, growth) with Naspers’ global portfolio of companies • Attended industry events to identify startups w/ greatest potential for disruption / innovation • Interviewed startups executives (CXOs) to assess companies and identify those w greatest potential (e.g. AR/VR: 50+) • Worked with executive leadership of Ventures Group to identify areas of greatest opportunity • Presented findings to global executive leadership of Naspers (e.g. CEO, Board of Directors) across offices in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia https://www.prosus.com/ventures
Management Consultant, Business Strategy & Investment Due Diligence
2014 - 2016
Transaction due diligence for private equity clients & strategic advisory for early stage technology companies Early Stage Technology: • Advised clients across entire funding lifecycle (e.g. seed, angel, VC, growth, public) from various regions (e.g. US, China, Korea, France), w a focus on early stage issues • Representative sectors include big data, artificial intelligence, healthtech, nanosatellites, wearables, ecommerce, medtech robotics, & infrastructure tech Strategy: • Developed business models; Created revenue models; Ideated product feature sets • Brainstormed value propositions for new product launches; Evaluated customer needs Fundraising: • Developed investor pitch decks for early stage ventures • Advised startups on angel, seed, & VC fundraising process & requirements Market Opportunities: • Assessed market opportunities (TAM, SAM) • Created competitive intelligence & industry landscapes; Determined new market entry strategies Partnerships, Business Development: • Represented clients in discussions with potential partners (e.g. suppliers, distributors) Finance: • Calculated revenue projections; Engineered pricing models; Performed early stage valuations Marketing: Drafted marketing collateral (e.g. industry best practices, case studies) Intellectual Property: Advised on IP portfolio strategy, management, & patent prosecution Representative clients: • Seed stage healthtech startup developing a platform for improved analysis of medical interventions • VC funded ($15M+) nanosatellite manufacturer launching a global intelligence satellite network • VC funded China based wearable device tech startup designing smartwatches & mobile apps • Growth stage Korea based ecommerce platform & B2B marketplace for the fashion industry • Publicly traded ($300M market cap) medtech company designing vascular intervention robots • Multinational publicly traded infrastructure technology provider ($3B+ revenues, 160+ countries)
Business School Student, Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, MSx Program
2012 - 2013
The Stanford MSx Program is one of two full time master’s degree programs at Stanford GSB (the other is the MBA). The Stanford MSx Program is uniquely focused on ambitious, global leaders with a demonstrated record of accomplishment and intellectual curiosity.
Co-Chief Investment Officer, Stanford GSB MSx Investment Fund
2012 - 2013
• Co-managed fund that was a small portion of the Stanford Endowment ($30 billion USD) • Led team of 30 investment members w management team
Investor
2009 - 2013
Multi-strategy proprietary investment fund focused on superior return profile investments in the equity derivative markets - Invested across Technology, Biotechnology, & Commodities sectors - Developed event driven, long/short, & global macro investment strategies utilizing fundamental & technical research
Founder / Product Manager
2012 - 2012
iOS application providing United Airlines flight route table information - Led development of iOS application, & deployed to iOS app store - Identified market opportunity, determined user needs, researched competition, & created product requirement document (PRD) - Hired & managed team of 2 employees – 1 iOS engineer & 1 designer - Product downloaded in US, Canada, Latin America (Bermuda, Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Netherlands), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand) & Africa / Middle East (Egypt, United Arab Emirates) markets