Joe Edmonds '16 helped Wesleyan men's basketball string together a NESCAC Tournament title run followed by a Little Three crown. Today he serves as Vice President of Operations and Investor Relations at Blockchange Ventures, the early-stage fund where he's spent his post-Wes career building systems, serving limited partners, and steadying the huddle when markets get choppy. The connection between those roles is tighter than it looks—and it starts with role clarity.
Edmonds traces the program's rise to a simple idea: know your job and take pride in it. The 2015 NESCAC run, he says, gave the team a level of confidence that only comes from doing the work. In the second half of that season, players embraced distinct roles—rebounding, getting stops, setting the tone in the locker room—and the culture carried into the next year's Little Three title. "If everyone wants to be the leading scorer," he says, "you forget how winning actually happens." He sees the same truth at work, especially early in a career: master the job in front of you, elevate your teammates, and the team wins.
His senior year—when injuries had him bouncing in and out of a training room, sometimes in a boot—ended up shaping the habits he leans on most. Routine became a lifeline. In fund operations, routine shows up in the parts you can control: compliance, reporting, and responsiveness. But an early-stage venture also forces you to accept that you can't script every input. It's like practicing three or four days before a game, but when the lights are on you musttrust the prep and make decisions on deadline, knowing there are no guarantees.
Before Blockchange, he learned what great "fan experience" really means. At the Chicago Cubs and Comcast SportsNet Chicago he saw how data and details move engagement. At the Oklahoma City Thunder, he interned for the late Pete Winemiller, whose approach to guest experience set a standard across the NBA. The focus wasn't squeezing every last dollar; it was honoring the people who choose to spend their money and attention with you. In venture, Edmonds applies the same ethic: performance is never fully in your control, but the way you serve limited partners and founders always is. Aim for a white-glove experience and long-term trust.
Two years at Proskauer Rose added more gears: detail, pace, and a high bar for professionalism across complex transactions. He's grateful colleagues let him grow and, importantly, let him make mistakes. The experience confirmed he didn't want to practice law, but it gave him an edge when he joined Blockchange in 2018—reading contracts quickly, staying ultra-responsive, and rolling up his sleeves when the clock was tight.
He moved from Chief of Staff to Director of Business Operations and now to VP of Operations & IR. Ask what "great ops" looks like at an early-stage fund and he resists one-size-fits-all answers. Some firms need to emphasize IT and security; others need a robust CRM. What never changes is the importance of early-team synergy—it sets culture, influences every hire, and shapes how you show up for founders and LPs. On evaluating the web3 landscape, he notes a shift he's seen from the ops seat: founder quality has grown dramatically. Many are multi-time builders from sectors like travel, music, real estate, or drone imaging who now see blockchain as the unlock for businesses that couldn't exist before. Separating signal from hype still matters, but the talent base is deeper, and Blockchange's investing team is made up of people who've built themselves.
He's proud of how the firm communicated through tough moments. During COVID and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Blockchange prioritized payroll (the firm's and its companies'), PPP applications, and clear, sourced updates. The team ran remote Zooms at all hours and took calls day and night to answer questions. Looking back, Edmonds wouldn't change much; a culture of responsiveness and empathy carried them through. (And while FTX was a black eye for the industry, Blockchange wasn't a customer or investor.)
The liberal-arts piece still shows up daily. As an American Studies and Economics major who also played basketball, Edmonds left Middletown with the "soft skills" that are hard to teach: writing clearly, leading a discussion, reading a room, listening for what's not being said. Hard skills can be learned fast; the ability to frame an ambiguous problem and move people around it is the separator.
When current Cardinals ask how to tell their team story in interviews for venture or ops roles, he shares a family mantra—the "Three As": Availability, Affability, Ability. Be available when your coach or boss calls—extra reps, a late-night slide deck, a tight deadline. Be affable—people want to work with teammates who take feedback, share credit, and keep the temperature down. Hone your ability—double down on strengths and learn the skills you're missing. In that order, he says, you give yourself and your team the best chance to win.
As for what comes next, Edmonds keeps the focus on service and scale. Blockchange is still early, and he believes both the team and the future applications of blockchain haven't come close to their ceiling. He's eager to keep building the systems and relationships that will carry the firm through its next stage—and to keep picking up the phone when Wesleyan athletes call. "No one gets there alone," he says. "People paid it forward for me. I plan to do the same."
