Summary:
- COTI has appointed Amateo Kaplan as its new Chief Marketing Officer, announced on December 12.
- Kaplan brings years of experience in growth marketing, community building, and crypto-native education.
- His focus at COTI will center on mainstream adoption, community engagement, and real-world use cases for privacy technology.
- The transition follows the departure of long-standing CMO Efrat, who helped shape COTI's brand and community since 2018.
- Community reactions have been mixed but largely constructive, reflecting both appreciation for the past and curiosity about what comes next.
Every blockchain project has a few core pillars that determine whether it survives beyond speculation. Technology is one. Governance is another. But communication - how a project tells its story, earns trust, and builds a real user base - often makes the difference between relevance and silence.
That responsibility falls largely on the Chief Marketing Officer. In Web3, the role goes far beyond campaigns or branding. A CMO shapes how developers understand the product, how communities feel heard, and how outsiders interpret the project's direction.
Against that backdrop, COTI has introduced a new marketing lead at a moment when the network is pushing deeper into privacy infrastructure and real-world use cases. On December 12, COTI announced the appointment of its new CMO.
COTI Appoints Amateo Kaplan as Chief Marketing Officer
On December 12, COTI shared the news publicly on X:
The announcement was short, but it signals a clear direction. COTI is doubling down on adoption, community depth, and practical relevance - not just protocol development. Kaplan steps into the role with a background that blends crypto, digital marketing, education, and community-first growth.
What Amateo Kaplan Brings to COTI
Amateo Kaplan's career has been shaped by one consistent theme: building audiences first, then scaling products around them. His work spans early crypto platforms, large consumer-facing companies, and independent education initiatives.
At COTI, his role goes beyond surface-level exposure. Kaplan's focus will include positioning COTI as a global privacy-focused blockchain, bringing privacy technology into mainstream conversations, and turning existing enterprise and government interest into visible adoption.
Internally, the emphasis appears to be on growth initiatives and reward programs that actively involve users rather than speaking at them. That approach fits closely with where COTI is today - a project with mature technology that now needs wider understanding and participation.
A Career Built Around Growth and Community
Before joining COTI, Kaplan spent more than three years as Head of Marketing at Gopher, leading distributed teams in a fully remote environment. Prior to that, he held senior marketing roles at Voyager between 2019 and 2022, during a period when the crypto brokerage platform was expanding rapidly.
Earlier in his career, Kaplan played a key role at Ethos, helping launch and scale the platform into a widely used crypto wallet and portfolio management solution. The goal at Ethos was simple but demanding: make digital assets easier and safer for everyday users.
His experience also extends beyond corporate roles. Kaplan co-founded Crypto Virtual Summit LLC between 2017 and 2018, one of the earliest online crypto conferences, focused on education through direct conversations with industry leaders. Long before online summits became common, the project aimed to make blockchain knowledge more accessible.
From Education to Influence
Kaplan's entrepreneurial background stretches back even further. Through Avant Terra and Creator Course, which he founded and led between 2012 and 2018, he worked with creators, influencers, and entrepreneurs to build audiences, improve messaging, and convert attention into sustainable businesses.
Later initiatives like Ascension Academy continued that focus on education and leadership, offering online courses, coaching, and live events centered on personal growth and conscious leadership.
Across these projects, Kaplan has often described himself as a "builder, marketer & futurist," with a focus on adoption and impact rather than short-term visibility. That mindset appears aligned with COTI's current phase - less about noise, more about long-term positioning.
A Moment of Transition: Efrat's Departure
Kaplan's arrival also marks the end of a long chapter at COTI. The project confirmed that its long-standing CMO, Efrat, will be leaving at the end of the year. COTI shared the update publicly:
Source:
Efrat joined COTI in its earlier years and helped shape how the project communicated through multiple market cycles. Under her leadership, COTI built a steady, engaged community and maintained a consistent brand voice even during quieter periods in the market.
CotiNews has not found any public statement explaining the reason for her departure, and none has been shared by Efrat herself. The messaging from the team remains focused on appreciation rather than transition details.
Words From Inside the Team
Members of the COTI team echoed that sentiment. Prince Pratap Singh from COTI's business development team shared:
The message highlights something often overlooked in Web3 leadership - consistency and listening. It also sets a respectful tone for the transition.
Community Reactions: Support, Questions, and Curiosity
As expected, the announcement sparked mixed reactions across the community. Some welcomed the change, while others openly asked why a new CMO? At the same time, many messages reflected both appreciation for Efrat and optimism about Kaplan's arrival. Community member Mila wrote:
Another community member framed the shift as part of a broader evolution:
Together, these reactions show a community that is paying attention - supportive, curious, and engaged rather than passive.
Closing Thoughts
Leadership changes always bring questions, especially in projects with long-standing contributors. In COTI's case, the messaging suggests continuity in values but a shift in execution. With Kaplan stepping in, the focus appears to be on expanding reach, tightening community feedback loops, and translating COTI's privacy technology into stories that resonate beyond crypto-native circles.
The coming months will likely show how that vision turns into action - not through slogans, but through programs, communication, and measurable community growth. For now, COTI enters its next phase with a new marketing lead, a clear acknowledgment of past contributions, and a community watching closely.
