Caroline Ellison Joins $17.2 Million Manifund Platform as 5-Year Trading Ban Fuels Transparency Debate
Updated
Updated · Cryptopolitan · Sep 12
Caroline Ellison Joins $17.2 Million Manifund Platform as 5-Year Trading Ban Fuels Transparency Debate
3 articles · Updated · Cryptopolitan · Sep 12
Summary
Caroline Ellison has taken a full-time Manifund role focused on technical infrastructure, operations and grantmaking research after a July trial period and an August 10 start.
Her work appears structured to avoid her regulatory limits: SEC settlements bar her from officer or director roles for 10 years, while CFTC sanctions include a 5-year trading ban and 10-year registration bar.
Manifund said Ellison is not choosing grants or handling investments; an early reconciliation tool she built flagged misreported transactions worth 5-6 figures in the platform’s database.
The hire has stirred criticism because Ellison worked under the pseudonym “Carol” for months and because Manifund traces part of its origins to FTX Future Fund backing, despite its transparency-focused mission.
Manifund, which says it has funded 486 projects and raised $17.2 million, is now testing whether donors will accept Ellison’s rehabilitation outside crypto finance after the FTX collapse.