Jeffrey Haas, DraftKings’ Senior Vice President (SVP) of International Strategy, announced in a statement on LinkedIn that he would be leaving the company after almost seven years.
Seven Years of ‘Continual Education’
Haas joined Boston-based sports gambling operator DraftKings in August 2015 in the role of Chief International Officer and remained in the position until May 2020 when he was promoted to SVP of International Strategy.
“After 7 amazing years at DraftKings Inc. and more than 1 year at Drive by DraftKings, it’s time for me to build some new memories,” Haas wrote on LinkedIn, thanking his manager Shay Berka for the support, DraftKings’ founders Jason Robins, Paul Liberman and Matt Kalish for trusting in him “many years ago and being so awesome to work with.”
From March 2021 until May 2022, Haas also served as Sector Specialist, Gaming and Crypto for Drive by DraftKings, a multi-stage venture capital firm that invests in sports technology and entertainment sectors, working part-time and “leading strategy and prospecting for investments into high-potential startups in Europe, the UK and Israel.”
“I was fortunate to be given a phenomenal opportunity mid-career to effectively intern for the brilliant Meredith McPherron, CEO & Managing Partner of Drive by DraftKings,” Haas stated, outlining how he “was challenged every step of the way.”
Besides his role at DraftKings, Haas was serving at crypto exchange CoinSmart, initially as a Strategic Advisor, from January 2019 until November 2021, when he was elected as a Board Member, a role he is currently holding.
Haas did not omit all his direct reports – Chris Hart, Signe Yama, Michael Kibort, Maikel Oettle, Clinton Gray, and Marta Norton – expressing his gratitude for their “warmth and brilliance” which served to inspire him.
Targeting the Nexus of Crypto, Gaming, Metaverse, and NFT
From August 2017 until July 2020 Haas also performed in the role of Foundation Board Advisor at CasinoCoin, a cryptocurrency created with the regulated gaming industry in mind that is utilizing Ripple’s ledger technology designed for the financial sector.
Before joining DraftKings, Haas spent more than six years in various executive roles at PokerStars, and two years as Group Director, Poker, USA, at bwin.party digital entertainment.
Holder of Bachelor of Arts, Economics from the University of British Columbia and Bachelor of Arts, Journalism from the Ryerson University, Haas expanded his knowledge with a Blockchain Strategy education program and Venture Finance Program from the Said Business School of Oxford University.
Speaking about his future, Haas outlined he would be looking to “advise and invest” in companies of his liking, preferably in a mix of crypto, gaming, metaverse, and NFT, but always cheering DraftKings from the sidelines.