New crypto advocacy group debuts at Wyoming summit

A new nonprofit advocacy group called the American Innovation Project (AIP) has launched in Washington, D.C., aiming to educate policymakers and the public about emerging technologies such as AI and blockchain. Kristin Smith, president of the Solana Policy Institute, will chair AIP’s board. The organization’s leadership also includes executives drawn from established crypto and blockchain organizations, including the Blockchain Association, Paradigm, Digital Currency Group and Coinbase.

AIP says it will create nonpartisan forums that connect lawmakers, industry leaders and subject-matter experts to build understanding and inform policymaking around fast-evolving technologies. The group positions itself alongside other recently formed U.S. crypto-focused organizations, including the National Cryptocurrency Association backed by Ripple, the Solana Policy Institute, and the DeFi Education Foundation. Seed funding for the nonprofit includes a $1 million contribution from Digital Currency Group. The Cedar Innovation Foundation provided an undisclosed amount, and other reported supporters include Andreessen Horowitz, Kraken, Stand With Crypto and Uniswap Labs.

The group held an off-the-record summit in Jackson Hole during the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, intending to bridge discussions between the crypto-focused event and the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium. AIP’s gathering brought together industry figures and U.S. lawmakers. Among officials present at the Wyoming events were Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, who previewed plans for a market-structure bill expected in September, and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins, who suggested the agency might take a different approach to treating tokens as securities under his leadership.