Cardano Founder Blasts Ark Invest Director's Bias Over Criticism

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson addressed criticism from Director of Research of the Digital Asset team at Ark Invest, Lorenzo Valente, in an X post.

Valente, in an X post, had questioned why Cardano continues to receive industry attention, criticizing its continued prominence in the space. He claimed that the crypto sector undermined its own credibility by continuing to invite Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson to conferences, accepting sponsorships, and featuring Cardano in podcasts.

"It's 2026, and we're still talking about Cardano. We're still inviting Charles to conferences, treating Cardano as newsworthy, accepting its sponsorship money, and giving it airtime on podcasts. Then we wonder why this industry struggles for credibility. We deserve the reputation we have. No serious industry keeps rewarding irrelevance like this," Valente wrote.

Engaging with Valente's post, Hoskinson responded, pointing out the Ark Invest Director of Research's bias outright. Hoskinson dismissed the criticism, suggesting that the comments reflected personal bias rather than an objective assessment of Cardano.

"Well, I don't think I'll get a fair shake from $ARK Invest anytime soon :( It's sad that VCs hire people like this. An entire institution is biased by one person," Hoskinson wrote.

Valente's criticism of Cardano and its founder appears to reflect a personal opinion rather than the company's position, as Cardano was named among the assets in Ark Invest's ETF filing.

In January this year, $ARK Invest, the asset management firm led by Cathie Wood, filed with U.S. regulators to launch a new cryptocurrency exchange-traded fund (ETF) that would track the CoinDesk 20, a benchmark of the most liquid digital assets, which includes Cardano.

Cardano community counts down

The Cardano community is counting down as August 9, 2026 marks the completion of the six-month observation window following the $ADA futures launch, opening the path for streamlined U.S. SEC regulatory reviews necessary for an ETF approval.

Regulated $ADA futures debuted on CME Group on February 9, 2026. Cardano has yet to receive its own spot ETF, with many in the community now considering late Q3/Q4 2026 as the most realistic window for potential final U.S. spot market approvals or trading commencements.