Why I’m Joining Hack VC as Partner and CTO

By Harrison Dahme, Partner and CTO at Hack VC

I first met Alex Pack, the founder of Hack VC, on a chairlift at the best crypto unconference out there. Aside from being a great skier (there’s a high correlation between great skiers and people I want to spend time with), he knew an instructor so a small group of us could bypass the line. It’s the kind of unique arbitrage opportunity that I’ve become accustomed to seeing, after working with the team, part time, for a year. 

Today, I’m pleased to announce I’m joining Hack VC full‑time as Partner and CTO. This is a very intentional and deliberate decision. It aligns my personal values, my technical curiosity, and my belief that crypto and AI together can build more trustworthy, efficient, open systems for the next decade. If you follow my writing, you'll know I care deeply about this.[1]

What first drew me to Hack VC was the people: low‑ego, high‑integrity builders who care about getting it right, and at the right time. That sounds simple, but in our industry it’s rare. The more time I spent with the team, taking part in frontier technical deals (including helping take point on my first robotics deal!), and seeing how we moved with conviction - how we spent founders' time in diligence on what matters -  the more I realized I could help great founders win here. I want to do that with a firm that balances intellectual honesty with real pace. Hack VC’s culture sets the bar.

If you’re an LP or a founder, here’s why this move makes sense - and what you can expect from me and from us.

What Founders Can Expect

• Technical depth, practical help: Thoughtful architecture and product feedback, fast loops on what matters, and help hiring the right technical leaders. Having been Chief Scientist at a leading crypto AI protocol, I understand the unique challenges of building at the intersection of AI and Web3 - from liveness and latency considerations, model deployments, to privacy-preserving architectures.
• Clear‑eyed diligence: I'm comfortable saying "no" quickly (and why!) and "yes" with conviction. When we commit, we show up. My experience on both sides of the table - as a technical leader as well as an investor - gives me insight into what actually moves the needle versus what looks good on paper. I know that raising the round is very different from building the company. I also know how it feels to be fundraising, so promise to treat you with kindness, always.
• Long‑term alignment: We'll help you navigate hype cycles and focus on durable value - distribution, defensibility, and trust. Having built all kinds of systems that needed to scale and survive market cycles, I bring practical lessons about what technical decisions compound over time versus what becomes technical debt.

What We’re Building (and Why Now)

• AI‑augmented fiduciary excellence: My background spans applied AI, crypto, and systems design. I’ve been building research and execution agents since the GPT‑3.5 era. At Hack VC, we’ll apply AI - carefully and privately - to every stage of the venture workflow: sourcing, diligence, portfolio support, operations, and firm knowledge management. We’ve already built and implemented an internal AI tool called HackGPT as an investment copilot to enhance our research workflows while maintaining human oversight where it matters most.
• Network effects across the portfolio: The idea space is vast. Our portfolio’s surface area in crypto infrastructure, stablecoin rails, privacy, and the AI compute stack creates real compounding advantages: better information, better timing, better pattern recognition.
• Timing: Knowledge‑work cycles are compressing. We’re at the beginning of a Cambrian period where AI meets verifiable computation, programmable money, and global settlement. Crypto’s original promises - open access, credible neutrality, and digital trust - matter more, not less, in an AI world. This is a pivotal window, and we’re well‑positioned to lead.

Why Me, Why Hack

I’m motivated by finding the messy truth, building durable systems, by first‑principles thinking & second order consequences, and by working with founders who ship with purpose & integrity. Professionally, I’ve spent a decade and a half across gaming, data, distributed systems, crypto, AI, in all stages of pre-seed to scale. This role lets me synthesize that experience in service of founders and LPs.

Why Hack: it’s a world‑class platform led by people I trust, with the mandate and ambition to do the hard, right things in a pivotal window for our industry. Everyone shows up consistently with the same values of humility, curiosity, and hard work. It's a special group of people, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

If you’re building at the intersection of AI and crypto (or adjacent deep tech), I want to hear from you. Let’s talk.

 -  Harrison

Contact: harrison@hack.vc | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hdahme | Twitter: @isthebaron

Footnotes

[1] Read my most recent essay titled The New Scarcity: Theses for the Post-Foundation Model World.

Disclaimer

The information herein is for general information purposes only and does not, and is not intended to, constitute investment advice and should not be used in the evaluation of any investment decision. Such information should not be relied upon for accounting, legal, tax, business, investment, or other relevant advice. You should consult your own advisers, including your own counsel, for accounting, legal, tax, business, investment, or other relevant advice, including with respect to anything discussed herein.

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