Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven on building trust in new technologies | S2E12

With any new technology, malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities and create uncertainty. But there are tools investigators, regulators, and cybersecurity professionals can use to fight back. In this episode, Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence, shares how to mitigate risks and build trust in emerging spaces, drawing from her work across the cryptocurrency and blockchain landscape.

Since Chainalysis launched in 2014, the platform has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases and safely expand consumer access to cryptocurrency. Jackie joined Chainalysis in 2019 after serving as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, she reflects on the crucial role Chainalysis plays in enhancing blockchain safety and ensuring its viability. She also offers valuable advice on how early-stage startups and leaders can stay informed in the rapidly evolving tech ecosystem, and how they can think about implementing their own systems.

The episode also explores the challenges new technologies like AI face from malicious actors, the importance of effective collaboration between technology and government agencies, and the steps needed to stabilize the crypto industry long-term.

Conversation highlights:

00:00 – Introduction to Chainalysis 

05:30 – Why Chainalysis is working with government agencies to fight bad actors 

14:00 – How the blockchain threat landscape is evolving with AI

16:30 – The role of education in rising crypto threats, like pig butchering

29:10 – Advice for staying up to date on the rapidly evolving technology ecosystem

31:34 – Building a Cyber Threat Intelligence team; Jackie’s role

Featured: Jackie Burns Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis and Amit Kumar, Partner at Accel