Phantom Hires Ventuals Founders as Perpetuals Strategy Develops

The Hire

Phantom wallet has brought on three former Ventuals founders, Alvin Hsia, Emily Hsia, and Aris Samad, according to Phantom CEO Brandon Millman. The trio will join Phantom's trading team. Ventuals, which offered perpetual futures contracts on AI model tokens including OpenAI and Anthropic through the Hyperliquid protocol, recently wound down those markets.

Ventuals Shutdown Context

Ventuals had built a derivatives offering on Hyperliquid, a decentralized perpetuals exchange. The project decided to close its AI token perp markets, creating an opening for the founders to pursue new opportunities. The timing of the hire suggests Phantom is positioning itself to capture derivatives activity as the market for synthetic AI assets continues to mature.

Strategic Direction

Phantom's move into perpetuals follows its existing strength as a non-custodial wallet provider. By adding trading-focused talent with derivatives experience, the company is broadening its product surface beyond basic token management. The specifics of how Phantom plans to deploy the team remain unclear, but the hire underscores rising institutional and retail appetite for on-chain derivatives infrastructure.

Why It Matters

For Traders

Phantom may be preparing to launch or integrate a derivatives venue; watch for announcements on supported perpetual pairs and leverage limits.

For Investors

Phantom's expansion into derivatives signals confidence in sustained demand for on-chain trading infrastructure beyond spot markets.

For Builders

A Phantom-backed perps offering could reshape liquidity flows on Hyperliquid and other settlement layers depending on integration depth.