Cadenza Ventures

Managing Partners Max Shapiro and Kumar Dandapani lead the firm's investment committee. Shapiro entered crypto venture after experience in traditional venture capital, while Dandapani previously held an early product role at Kraken, the U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange. The two-person general partnership structure keeps decision-making concentrated.

Cadenza participates in both equity rounds and token investments, reflecting its early-stage blockchain focus. The firm's debut fund structure accommodates equity in Web3 companies alongside token warrants and direct protocol treasury investments, consistent with the way many crypto-native emerging managers structure their vehicles.

Cadenza's sourcing benefits from Dandapani's exchange-operations background and the firm's early participation in major crypto ecosystems. The firm has built syndication relationships with major West Coast venture platforms including Coinbase Ventures and B Capital, enabling co-investment access even at relatively small fund scale.

Cadenza has not publicly disclosed explicit exclusion criteria. However, based on its disclosed portfolio, the firm avoids consumer-facing hardware, traditional biotech, and any sector outside blockchain infrastructure and adjacent Web3 enterprise software. No investments in NFTs, metaverse land, or gaming projects have been publicly reported.

Cadenza Ventures is independent of any single exchange. However, Co-Founder Kumar Dandapani's prior executive role at Kraken means the firm maintains institutional relationships across multiple platforms. Its portfolio companies — including Bitso and CoinDCX — are themselves exchange operators, which requires careful conflict management between Cadenza and competing platforms where Dandapani previously worked.