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Chris Larsen Invests in Derivatives Start‑Up Founded by Senator Gillibrand’s Son

The reported angel backing draws ethics scrutiny because the firm says it will seek CFTC approval for perpetual futures that intersect with crypto and derivatives rules the senator is helping shape.

Overview

  • Reporting identifies Ripple co‑founder Chris Larsen as one of roughly three dozen angel investors in American Perpetuals Exchange Corp., with individual checks reported in the low thousands.
  • APEC raised about $30 million in a Lux Capital‑led round that gave the pre‑revenue company a reported $300 million valuation, according to published accounts.
  • The company has said it plans to seek Commodity Futures Trading Commission approval to offer perpetual futures tied to U.S. stocks and indices, a product that has not yet been approved or launched.
  • Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has denied involvement in her son Theodore Gillibrand’s business even as she negotiates ethics language in the CLARITY Act, a timing that has intensified political and regulatory scrutiny.
  • Perpetual futures are widely traded offshore today, so a U.S.‑regulated offering could shift volume to domestic platforms and draw close CFTC and congressional attention to both market structure and investor conflicts.