The Avalanche Foundation has appointed Marta Szluinska as its new chief operating officer, a move aimed at accelerating the organization’s push into institutional markets. Szluinska steps into the role immediately, the foundation said.
Why the COO role was created
The foundation, which oversees the development and governance of the Avalanche blockchain ecosystem, has been working to attract more traditional finance players and large-scale investors. Creating a dedicated COO position signals a shift toward formalizing operations to meet institutional standards. Szluinska will be responsible for building out the operational infrastructure needed to support that growth.
What Szluinska brings to the table
The foundation didn’t provide details on Szluinska’s previous roles, but the appointment itself speaks to its strategy. She’ll oversee day-to-day operations and work closely with the leadership team to execute the foundation’s institutional roadmap. The foundation described her mandate as “driving institutional growth” — a phrase that suggests a focus on partnerships, compliance, and scalability rather than just technology development.
“Institutional growth” is a broad term in crypto. It can mean anything from onboarding asset managers to securing regulatory clarity. In Avalanche’s case, the foundation has been active in subnet deployments for enterprises and in linking the blockchain to traditional financial rails. The new COO will likely coordinate those efforts.
Timing and context
The appointment comes at a moment when blockchain projects are under pressure to show real-world utility. Avalanche, like its competitors, faces competition from Ethereum, Solana, and other layer-1 networks for institutional deals. By adding a COO with a specific institutional brief, the foundation is betting that operational discipline will set it apart.
There’s no word yet on whether Szluinska will relocate to the foundation’s headquarters or work remotely. The foundation didn’t announce any other leadership changes alongside her appointment.
What remains unclear is how quickly the institutional push will translate into concrete partnerships or product launches. The foundation hasn’t set a public timeline.
