Former Lyft Exec Tapped as OpenSea’s First CFO

Tech veteran Brian Roberts said in an interview that he is already planning the popular NFT marketplace’s initial public offering.

article-image

Lyft car; Source: Shutterstock

share

key takeaways

  • Roberts worked at Lyft for seven years and is known for playing a large role in helping the company go public in a multi-billion dollar IPO
  • OpenSea has processed over $10 billion in gross merchandising sales

OpenSea, the largest non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, has appointed former Lyft executive Brian Roberts as the start-up’s first Chief Financial Officer (CFO), according to a report by Bloomberg on Monday. 

“I haven’t been this excited about something in a very long time,” he told Bloomberg. “It reminds me of 1995 eBay.”

Along with OpenSea’s newest hire, the marketplace may be trying to secure additional funding, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Devin Finzer confirmed to Bloomberg. Both OpenSea and Roberts have declined to comment further on the matter.  

Although it’s the tech veteran’s first foray into cryptocurrency full time, he is already planning on how to take the company public.

“When you have a company growing as fast as this one, you’d be foolish not to think about it going public,” he said. “It would be well-received in the public market, given its growth.”

During his seven years at Lyft as CFO, the company saw $7 billion in capital raised, along with a successful initial public offering (IPO).

“While I have no intention of changing my license plate from GOLYFT, it is time for me to find new challenges in a new space,” Robert wrote in a LinkedIn post on Friday. “This will be my next great journey to learn, grow and help shape the future.”

The hiring report follows a whirlwind of a year for OpenSea. 

Amid insider trading allegations that shook the marketplace and ultimately led to a resignation from former Product Head Nate Chastain, the start-up has also experienced explosive growth in 2021. 

Founded in 2017,  the platform has processed over $10 billion in gross merchandise value and has a valuation of roughly $12 billion. In August, OpenSea became the first NFT marketplace to hit $1 billion in monthly trading volume.

Specifically, trading volume on the platform was over $200 million in August compared to an average of less than $100,000 last December, according to DappRadar.

“Over the next few years we’ll help build a brand new, open, digital economy,” Finzer said in a blog post on Monday. “I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future.”

Lyft Inc. stock closed on Monday’s news 6.28% higher, at $41.95 per share.


Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening. Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter now.


Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Flashnote Template Presentation (2).jpg

Research

With the recent election, it’s clear that there will be a meaningful shift in crypto regulations and legislation. Trump is likely as pro-crypto as a president can be. He launched (multiple) of his own NFT collections and is launching an Aave wrapper called World Liberty Fi. He has also spoken out and mentioned that he wants to make the United States "the crypto capital of the planet" and transform it into the "Bitcoin superpower of the world". He proposed creating a strategic national Bitcoin stockpile alongside support from Senator Cynthia Lummis, promising to retain 100% of all Bitcoin held by the U.S. government. More importantly, we’re likely to see deregulation across the board in a lot of industries, with crypto being one of them - as Trump has committed to keeping the crypto market largely unregulated. Crypto, DeFi in particular, has historically been knee-capped by overreaching and hostile governmental agencies and regulation by enforcement, as evidenced by the plethora of Wells notices and lawsuits over the past few years. With Donald Trump winning the presidency, Republicans taking control of the Senate, and being on the verge of securing the House, we think it’s likely that crypto realizes positive regulatory clarity. Below, you can find our analysts’ takes:

article-image

Researcher Justin Drake’s Beam Chain proposal aims to transform Ethereum’s consensus layer with zk proofs and post-quantum cryptography

article-image

Gunzilla’s Theodore Agranat said that blockchain technology helps “enhance’ gamer experience

article-image

BTC continues to smash expectations as it holds near $90,000

article-image

Inflation is higher than it was in 2016, and the Fed is just at the beginning of its rate-cutting cycle

article-image

Bitwise’s Matt Hougan expects BTC to hit $100,000 by the end of the year and continue upward in 2025

article-image

Midwest Blockchain Week showed the depth of talent available at US universities while focusing on how memecoins could bring back the retail investor