Polymarket hires growth chief and reshapes marketing before fall trading surge

Polymarket has overhauled its marketing and expanded its leadership ranks as it positions itself for a busier autumn in prediction markets. The company hired Travis VanderZanden as chief growth officer, gave him oversight of marketing and said the move is part of a broader push to get ready for the next stage of growth.

According to CNBC, the changes follow scrutiny over Polymarket’s promotional campaigns. The Wall Street Journal investigation said the company used misleading marketing and made it look as though content creators were winning on the platform when they were not using their own money. Quartz reported that the Journal’s work covered more than 1,100 videos and said every apparent wager, totaling roughly $1.9 million, was fabricated.

That criticism also led to a Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigation. Polymarket has since reorganized its marketing department, revised rules for promotional partners, held staff training sessions and brought in a third-party consulting firm to review partner content against the new standards. Quartz identified that firm as AlixPartners.

VanderZanden, who founded Bird in 2017 and previously worked at Uber Technologies and Lyft, said the company was building out its executive team to, in his words, “make sure we’re buttoned up for the long haul.” Shayne Coplan, the chief executive, called prediction markets “a massive market opportunity.”

Polymarket has also added senior compliance, regulatory, investigations and risk roles as it builds out its U.S. operation. Megan McGrath, who previously worked at Robinhood, is now chief compliance officer of Polymarket’s U.S. exchange, while Natalie Oblazny, formerly of Coinbase, heads regulatory affairs for the domestic platform.

The company also hired Shana Bautista, a former FBI official who worked at Coinbase, as global head of investigations and intelligence. Paul Jordan, who joined from Nasdaq, will serve as chief risk officer for Polymarket U.S.

The U.S. exchange debuted in May and operates separately from the international market. The company’s additions come as prediction-market platforms look toward two likely demand drivers this fall.

The NFL season starts in September, and the run-up to November’s midterm elections is expected to lift trading volumes. Trading across Polymarket’s domestic and international markets dipped after the World Cup ended in July.