SharpLink Taps Former BlackRock Exec as Co-CEO Amid Aggressive Ethereum Expansion

SharpLink Gaming has made a strategic move by bringing on Joseph Chalom, the former Director of Digital Asset Strategy at BlackRock, as its new Co-CEO. This appointment, effective July 25, 2025, marks a significant step forward in the company’s aggressive Ethereum-focused treasury approach, operating out of New York City.

This leadership transition highlights the accelerating institutional acceptance of Ethereum and could reshape how the cryptocurrency is perceived in corporate finance circles. The move suggests a growing trend of companies viewing ETH not just as a speculative investment but as a productive asset for corporate treasuries.

Strategic Leadership Change Accompanies Major ETH Accumulation

The timing of Chalom’s appointment coincides perfectly with SharpLink Gaming’s ambitious Ethereum acquisition program. With his extensive background spearheading BlackRock’s digital asset strategies, Chalom brings invaluable institutional cryptocurrency expertise to the gaming company. As part of the restructuring, Rob Phythian has moved into the President role, enabling Chalom to share executive leadership responsibilities.

Over the past month alone, SharpLink Gaming has expanded its Ethereum reserves by more than 91%, demonstrating serious commitment to its ETH-focused financial approach. The company has secured a massive $6 billion stock offering to fund ongoing Ethereum acquisitions, but the strategy goes beyond simple accumulation. SharpLink aims to actively deploy these holdings in yield-generating DeFi protocols, representing an evolution in how corporations approach cryptocurrency treasury management.

"Former Head of Digital Assets Strategy @BlackRock, joins SharpLink as Co-CEO. After two decades at BlackRock, where he helped launch IBIT ($87B+ AUM), ETHA ($10B+ AUM), and BUIDL (the first tokenized Treasury fund on Ethereum), @joechalom is now joining "@SharpLinkGaming $LADYS pic.twitter.com/fn8aKcr9ON

— MánDo 𐤊 (@MandoNevarro) July 25, 2025

Industry observers have noted that Chalom’s influence at BlackRock was instrumental in bringing institutional investors into the digital asset space. His decision to join SharpLink represents a strong endorsement of the company’s Ethereum strategy and its vision for ETH’s role in reshaping the global digital economy. However, some members of the Ethereum community have expressed measured enthusiasm, balanced with concerns about potential centralization as more institutions accumulate large ETH positions.

Corporate Treasury Evolution and Market Impact

Chalom’s transition to SharpLink draws parallels to the pioneering moves made when MicroStrategy began accumulating Bitcoin for its corporate treasury, suggesting Ethereum could experience similar institutional momentum. This shift in corporate strategy comes at a time when ETH’s market performance has been particularly strong.

Current market data shows Ethereum trading at $3,692.59 with a total market capitalization of $445.74 billion, representing 11.59% of the overall cryptocurrency market. The digital asset has demonstrated impressive growth, climbing 104.19% over the past three months and posting a 51.69% gain in the last 30 days alone.

Market analysts from various research teams suggest that Ethereum’s emerging status as a preferred corporate treasury asset could attract increased regulatory scrutiny, similar to what Bitcoin experienced during its institutional adoption phase. Furthermore, this growing corporate interest in ETH could fundamentally impact supply dynamics, potentially affecting yield rates and the economics of Ethereum’s blockspace as demand from institutional holders continues to rise.