Christopher Montagano

About Christopher Montagano

I work at the intersection of technology, financial markets, and regulation, helping high-growth platforms scale through complex legal and policy environments. My work spans legal strategy, corporate development, investor relations, global policy engagement, and institutional partnerships.I currently serve as Chief Legal Officer and Head of Corporate Development at Orca, a crypto market infrastructure platform in the Solana ecosystem that has processed over $500B in cumulative trading volume. I joined as an early operator and played a key role in scaling the platform from under $10M in daily trading volume to peaks above $2B, while annual revenue grew to $25M+ at ~60% operating margins. I also led the design and implementation of Orca’s novel protocol fee and token value accrual mechanism, establishing one of the first sustainable revenue frameworks for a major DeFi application. I regularly engage with regulators and policymakers, including the SEC, the White House, and members of the House Financial Services and Senate Banking committees, on emerging frameworks for digital assets.Prior to Orca, I worked at Phillips Edison (NASDAQ: PECO), a ~$5B public real estate investment trust, where I led legal execution of its $500M IPO and $350M bond offering while helping build the company’s corporate, securities compliance, and governance programs through maturity into public-company status. Earlier in my career, while in private practice at Sidley Austin and Taft, I advised boards, executive teams, and financial sponsors on mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions.

Experience

1. Chief Legal Officer & Head of Corporate Development

   Orca

   Jan 2024 — Present · Park City, UT, US

   Joined as an early operator and built Orca’s global legal, governance, and compliance infrastructure from inception, supporting the growth of one of the leading decentralized exchanges in the Solana ecosystem. The platform scaled from under $10M in daily trading volume to peaks above $2B (and cumulative trading volume exceeding $500B), while annual revenue scaled from zero to over $25M in 2025 at ~60% operating margins. Designed and implemented Orca’s novel protocol fee and token value accrual mechanism, establishing one of the first sustainable revenue frameworks for a major DeFi application.Oversee a multidisciplinary team spanning legal, compliance, corporate development, business development, and investor relations. Partner closely with finance, operations, HR, and tax on global workforce, partnership, compensation, structuring, AML, and export control matters across multiple jurisdictions.Serve as corporate secretary to the board of Orca’s ultimate parent company and as the sole executive representative on the ORCA Governance Council, an elected governing body overseeing the protocol’s $50M+ treasury and Solana validator.Direct global government affairs and regulatory engagement, including dialogue with regulators, policymakers, and elected officials such as SEC leadership and staff, senior White House officials, and members of the U.S. House Financial Services and Senate Banking committees, as well as counterparts in jurisdictions including the UK and Korea. Work closely with leading trade associations and industry participants on emerging digital asset regulatory frameworks.Recent policy efforts include Project Open, an initiative seeking exemptive relief to clarify securities trading rules in decentralized finance and placing Orca among the first decentralized exchanges to formally engage the SEC.

Education

• DePauw University

  B.A., with honors

• Indiana University Maurer School of Law

  J.D., with high honors

• University of Oxford

  Studied Economics & Psychology