London-based cryptocurrency wallet and data provider Blockchain will open an office in San Francisco, the company announced on Wednesday.
The decision follows its recent acquisition of the team from software company Tsukemen, also formerly based in the Bay Area of California. The office will be staffed with several previous Tsukemen employees, with the company’s former CEO and co-founder, Thianh Lu, at its helm.
Likewise, Fred Cheng and Chris Arriola, two former software engineers at the company, will join the office to assist with Blockchain’s software and mobile application development projects.
Tsukemen’s Min Wei will also join Blockchain’s West Coast office as part of its strategy and partnerships team.
Blockchain CEO and co-founder Peter Smith indicated that the opening of the office is part of the company’s larger expansion efforts, which have most recently included the hiring of former Goldman Sachs executive Breanne Madigan and lawyer Marco Santori for the roles of institutional sales and strategy lead, and president and chief legal officer, respectively.
Smith remarked:
“With such a capable group at its helm, I know that our West Coast office will be instrumental in helping us scale operations and continue building best-in-class products to serve our customers.”
As for the Tsukemen team, Lu explained that joining the San Francisco office will support its longtime objectives.
“Making products has always driven our team, and there is no better place to continue building great and innovative technology than at Blockchain,” he said in the statement.
One of the the oldest startups in the industry, Blockchain is headquartered in London and has additional offices in New York and Luxembourg.
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