Thomas Chen is a financial technology executive who serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Function. He is known for his work in bridging traditional finance (TradFi) with decentralized finance (DeFi), with a specific focus on transforming Bitcoin from a passive store of value into a productive, yield-bearing asset for institutional and DeFi markets. ^{[1] [2]}​

Education

Thomas Chen completed a Bachelor of Science in Commerce at the University of Virginia, concentrating in finance, management, and entrepreneurship. He previously attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, where he completed his secondary education. ^[3]​

Experience

Thomas Chen is the Chief Executive Officer of Function at FBTC, where he leads efforts to expand Bitcoin’s role from a store of value to a productive asset in global markets. Previously, he held multiple positions at BitGo, including Managing Director and Global Head of Sales, Director, and Institutional Sales, overseeing client engagement and institutional sales operations. He served as an advisor to Miso Technologies Inc., providing guidance on strategic growth. At data.ai, Chen was an Enterprise Account Executive for Financial Institutions, delivering mobile data solutions to support investment decisions. He also worked at Mattermark as a Senior Account Executive, applying machine learning to large datasets to help venture and growth equity firms identify high-potential investments; Mattermark was later acquired by FullContact. Earlier in his career, he contributed to business development at WillowTree, helping expand the agency’s team and client base, and supported the global investment team serving ultra high-net-worth clients as a Private Banking Analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

Thomas Chen's career path began in traditional finance and financial technology, where he developed firsthand experience with global financial infrastructure. This background provided him with a unique perspective on the potential for blockchain technology to establish a parallel financial system. ^{[1] [2] [3]}​

2025 Outlook

For 2025, Chen has outlined a roadmap for Function that extends beyond its foundational infrastructure. He has stated that the company's focus is on enabling the creation of "full-stack financial products" built on top of ƒBTC. These planned developments include structured Bitcoin yield strategies, improved institutional-grade liquidity access, and enhanced composability for ƒBTC across major DeFi ecosystems. ^[1]​

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