Backpack US just added some serious firepower to its boardroom. Kyle Samani, co-founder of Multicoin Capital and one of the earliest investors in Solana, has joined the company’s board of directors as Backpack pushes deeper into the US market with a hybrid model that blends traditional brokerage services with tokenized equity trading.

The appointment, announced on September 2, 2026, comes roughly two months after Samani made what has been described as his largest angel investment in the company. It also follows his decision to step back from active roles at Multicoin Capital earlier this year, freeing him up for exactly this kind of strategic involvement.

From angel investor to board member

Samani’s trajectory with Backpack has been quick. He made a significant personal investment in the firm in July 2026, and now sits on the board tasked with guiding the platform’s US expansion.

CEO Armani Ferrante pointed to Samani’s expertise in DeFi and regulatory affairs as a key reason for the appointment. For a platform trying to operate a compliance-first framework while simultaneously enabling on-chain tokenization, those are not exactly niche skills.