Social token platform Rally hires Novi legal exec as Meta's crypto exodus continues

Quick Take

  • Meta’s former consumer product legal counsel for Novi is joining Rally as its general counsel.

Social token platform Rally has hired Rob Collier, formerly the head of consumer legal for Meta's Novi, as its general counsel, the project announced Thursday. 

Collier's hire is the latest in a series of additions to Rally's executive team. The firm brought on Bremner Morris from Patreon to lead the company as chief executive officer after the exit of Kevin Chou. Chou is working on another project in the digital asset market. 

During Collier's time at Novi head managed a product counsel team that worked on the launch of Novi's crypto wallet. Novi's wallet went live in a beta earlier this year through a partnership with Paxos. Collier also explored opportunities for Meta to enter the NFT market during his time with the company. 

Collier is joining Rally at a period of growth for the project, which helps artists and other types of creators launch blockchain-based tokens tied to the social capital of that person. The project offers a toolkit that allows creators to leverage tokens to engage with their fan base.

The project partnered with United Talent Agency, an agency that represents clients like Demi Lovato, Seth Rogan, and Harrison Ford. The deal provides a pipeline of new creators for Rally and has "boosted business," according to a spokesperson. 

Metexit 

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To an extent, Collier's departure points to the uncertainty that hangs over Novi.  It also follows that of several other key individuals from Meta — formerly known as Facebook — and its blockchain and crypto efforts specifically.

David Marcus, who led the business overseeing Novi, announced last month that he will be leaving the company at the end of the year. In September, The Block reported that cLabs hired Eric Nakagawa from Facebook's Novi, where he was in charge of open-source strategy. 

Investment firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) announced earlier this month that it invested in Mysten Labs, a blockchain and Web3 development company co-founded by four ex-Meta employees.

Former Anchorage engineers Riyaz Faizullabhoy and Nassim Eddequiouaq, who were both previously hired to work on blockchain security and infrastructure at Meta, joined a16z Crypto in October.


© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

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Frank Chaparro is Host of The Scoop podcast and Director of Special Projects. He also writes a biweekly newsletter. Chaparro started his career at Business Insider, where he specialized in the intersection of digital assets and Wall Street, market structure, and financial technology. Soon after joining Business Insider out of Fordham University, Chaparro was interviewing top finance and tech executives, including billionaire Mark Cuban, “Flash Boys” star Brad Katsuyama, Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly, and New York Stock Exchange President Tom Farley. In 2018, he become a sought after reporter in the crypto world, interviewing luminaries such as Tyler Winklevoss, the cofounder of Gemini, Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle, and Fundstrat head Tom Lee. For inquiries or tips, email [email protected].