Mark Thorsen currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Shibuya, a decentralized storytelling platform backed by a16z and Variant, since November 2023. Prior experience includes Chief of Staff at NiftyApes, an NFT lending protocol supported by Coinbase and others, and serving as an Advisor at Nova, which was acquired by AngelList. Mark held the position of VP Mergers & Acquisitions at American HealthCare Capital, where $2 billion in opportunities were sourced. Mark has also been a Seed Investor at Silicon Valley Blockchain Society and Chief of Staff at Yeoman's Capital, a family office. As Investment Manager for Central Texas Angel Network, Mark contributed to over $60 million in Seed/Series A investments across 100 startups. Earlier career roles included Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of San Diego and Senior Associate in derivatives trading operations at JPMorgan, HSBC, and State Street. Mark earned a B.A. in Economics from UC San Diego.