Crypto VC firm Paradigm hires DHS legal vet

Gus Coldebella, former chief legal officer of Circle and ex-acting general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security at the end of the Bush Administration, has joined crypto-focused VC firm Paradigm as its general counsel.

Why it matters: Coldebella is one of a growing number of high-profile government officials to jump over to the crypto industry’s private sector.

• "For me, I don't think it’s the other side or it’s really different from what I’ve pursued in the past," he tells Axios when asked about working for an industry whose origins are so closely tied to privacy and countering government overreach.
• “I don’t think the proper implementation of this technology runs counter to national security interests, to legal interests. I think it’s reconcilable.”

The backdrop: Paradigm was founded in 2018 by former Sequoia Capital partner Matt Huang and Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam.