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Hack VC
Alex Pack and Ed Roman founded Hack VC in 2020, bringing together Pack's experience at Dragonfly Capital and Bain Capital Ventures with Roman's background...
Hack VC
Alex Pack and Ed Roman founded Hack VC in 2020, bringing together Pack's experience at Dragonfly Capital and Bain Capital Ventures with Roman's background building and exiting enterprise software companies. The firm operates a dual-structure model that pairs a traditional venture fund with an in-house engineering lab, a setup designed to give portfolio companies direct access to protocol development and security auditing resources. Hack VC does not manage a disclosed single-family fortune; it raises capital from institutional limited partners to deploy into early-stage crypto and web3 startups. Hack VC invests at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages, focusing on infrastructure, developer tooling, and decentralized finance. Deployment spans blockchain protocols, custody solutions, and identity layers, with confirmed portfolio companies including EigenLayer, Mysten Labs, and Goldfinch (per Forbes, 2022). The firm can write initial checks under $1 million and follow on into later rounds, typically reserving significant capital for its highest-conviction positions. Geographic coverage concentrates on North America and select European developer hubs, where the engineering lab's talent network is deepest. By early 2022, Hack VC had closed its second fund at $200 million, bringing total assets under management to a figure the firm has not publicly updated since (per Forbes, 2022). The investment team operates primarily from New York, with a lean partnership model that places both managing partners directly on deal sourcing and technical diligence. The engineering lab — staffed separately from the investment team — builds open-source monitoring tools, smart-contract libraries, and node infrastructure that portfolio companies adopt. Hack VC has not disclosed adjacent philanthropic vehicles or real-asset arms. Its structural differentiator is the embedded engineering lab, which functions as a cost-center capability that portfolio companies can draw on during and after the investment period. Unlike a typical venture studio, Hack VC does not incubate companies internally; instead, the lab ships reusable infrastructure that multiple portfolio projects integrate, creating a technical moat around the firm's deal flow and due diligence. No other early-stage crypto fund has publicly replicated this model at comparable scale.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2020
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Alex Pack
Managing Partner
Ed Roman
Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Hack VC?
Managing Partners Alex Pack and Ed Roman lead investment decisions. Pack previously invested in crypto at Dragonfly Capital and Bain Capital Ventures, while Roman founded and sold several enterprise software companies before entering venture. The firm runs a flat partnership structure where both principals are directly involved in sourcing and diligence.
What is the engineering lab, and how does it differ from a venture studio?
The engineering lab is a team of protocol developers and security engineers employed by Hack VC who build open-source tooling, smart-contract libraries, and node infrastructure. Unlike a venture studio, the lab does not incubate or co-found startups — it produces reusable infrastructure that multiple portfolio companies integrate. The lab also advises on technical architecture and security audits, creating a sourcing advantage because founders seek access to the engineering team before they seek capital.
Does Hack VC participate in later-stage rounds or only seed deals?
Hack VC is stage-agnostic within early-stage crypto, writing checks from pre-seed through Series A. The firm reserves follow-on capital for its highest-conviction positions and has participated in subsequent rounds for select portfolio companies. Initial checks can be under $1 million, scaling up significantly for breakout protocol investments.
Which sectors does Hack VC explicitly avoid?
The firm has not published a formal exclusion list, but its investment pattern concentrates on infrastructure, developer tooling, and DeFi rather than consumer-facing NFT platforms, gaming, or metaverse experiences. The engineering lab's technical focus pushes the portfolio toward deep-protocol and middleware investments rather than application-layer bets.
How does Hack VC source proprietary deal flow?
The engineering lab functions as a primary sourcing engine: founders building on shared infrastructure or seeking security audits often engage the lab before fundraising. Pack and Roman also leverage developer communities and protocol foundations where the firm's open-source contributions create visibility. The firm runs a network program called Hack Labs that connects portfolio founders with technical contributors, further widening its top-of-funnel.
Is Hack VC structured as a family office or a traditional venture firm?
Hack VC is a traditional venture capital firm that raises capital from institutional limited partners; it is not a family office backing a single fortune. The legal entity "Hack VC Advisor Series, a series of Hack VC Advisors, LLC" reflects a series-LLC fund structure common among US venture firms for segregated liability across fund vintages.
What is Hack VC's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Hack VC allocates portions of its funds for co-investment opportunities and has participated in rounds alongside firms including Paradigm and Andreessen Horowitz (per Forbes, 2022). The firm does not operate a formal co-investor club but selectively invites existing limited partners into direct deals on a case-by-case basis.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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