Chainalysis Taps Founder Jonathan Levin as CEO

Jonathan Levin has taken over the top job at crypto analytics company Chainalysis two months after co-founder and longtime CEO Michael Gronager went on leave.

Chainalysis is a major provider of crypto compliance software to governments and corporations that want to know where their digital money is flowing. Its various tools peel back the perceived anonymity of cryptocurrencies.

Demand for such services is only likely to grow if the incoming U.S. administration's pro-crypto talk sparks a wider adoption boom, said Levin, the company's former chief strategy officer.

"What the company needs right now, given all of the excitement in the market and the strong financial position of Chainalysis, is to be a market leader for our customers and to take bets on broadening the platform," Levin said.

Levin co-founded Chainalysis with Gronager in 2014. He declined to elaborate on the reasons behind his counterpart's departure, saying only that the board and Gronager agreed it was time for a change. Chainalysis' president Sari Granat had been serving as interim CEO.

Gronager's now-vacant board seat is being filled by Paul Auvil, a longtime tech and finance executive who will serve as an independent director and chair of the audit committee.

Private companies often stock their boards with independent directors before filing for an initial public offering, which is a prerequisite for getting listed on the major American stock exchanges. Chainalysis has raised money in numerous funding rounds from venture backers who may not see their payday until they have access to the liquidity that comes with public markets.

Levin declined to comment on when, or whether, Chainalysis was planning to go public.

"I have been really myopically focused on making sure that Chainalysis is building the best solutions in current market conditions," he said.