Gridline Appoints Chris Crawford as its First COO

Gridline, an alternative investment management platform, has named industry executive Chris Crawford as its first chief operating officer, as the firm aims to expand its operational scale. 

Crawford, who brings over 25 years of operations experience to Gridline, previously spent six years at CAIS, where he most recently served as managing director. Additionally, Crawford acted as COO of its investment management subsidiary, CAIS Advisors. 

Crawford officially joined Gridline on April 13, a company spokesperson confirmed to Connect Money. 

As COO of Gridline, Crawford will lead the platform’s operations and infrastructure. He will also focus on scaling the platform’s custom funds, data management, and Gridline’s AI-powered compliance and diligence capability, AltComply. 

AltComply generates investment committee memos, flags, prioritizes potential risks, and standardizes analysis to further help advisors evaluate private investments. 

Additionally, Crawford will also help develop and launch new capabilities, which will include the company’s liquidity and credit marketplace, and he will lead its expansion into the Northeast region. 

“What really drew me to Gridline is their speed, grit, and impressive technology,” Crawford said. “The infrastructure they’ve built stands out, particularly in how they efficiently work alongside their clients to package private market opportunities into flexible, customizable funds, giving advisors a practical way to deliver private markets exposure to clients.” 

Gridline’s latest C-suite addition comes after the startup recently raised $18.5 million for its Series A funding, which was led by FINTOP, a financial technology venture firm.