Sep 08, 2025 • 2 min read
Valory, a pioneer of co-owned AI and a core contributor to Olas, announced the appointment of Ellie Hirschhorn as Chief Growth Officer. Hirschhorn brings over 20 years of experience spanning technology, media, and emerging platforms, and will lead Valory’s next phase of growth as user-owned AI reaches broader audiences.
Hirschhorn joins Valory from CoinDesk, where she served as COO & President of Media, operating at the intersection of crypto and AI. Her background in scaling media-driven platforms and translating complex technology into accessible narratives positions her to expand Valory’s reach across both consumer and enterprise markets.
Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Valory. Following its $13.8 million raise, the successful launch of the Mech Marketplace, and significant Q2 2025 updates to Olas, Valory is bringing user-owned AI to market at scale. Together, Pearl and the Mech Marketplace enable everyone to run AI agents they own, rather than rent from centralized platforms.
“I joined Valory because the team is solving one of the most important questions in AI today: who owns the systems that increasingly act on our behalf? Pearl and the broader Olas ecosystem show that powerful AI doesn’t have to come at the cost of user control. My focus is on helping convey and translate that vision of compelling, useful user-owned AI products to a much broader audience that values personal freedom, privacy, and transparency as well as utility and entertainment,” Hirschhorn said.
CEO David Minarsch added, “Ellie joins Valory at a moment when Olas products are ready to scale and the need for user-owned AI is becoming increasingly clear. Her experience building and growing platforms at the intersection of technology and media makes her an ideal partner as we expand Pearl and the Olas ecosystem to new users.”
Hirschhorn holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in History from Yale. At Valory, she will focus on driving holistic growth by aligning brand, product marketing, revenue strategy, audience growth and go-to-market, supporting Valory and Olas’ missions to build human-first AI systems.
As a pioneer of agents in crypto, Valory remains focused on building open, decentralized systems that put people first. From product design to ecosystem growth, the company’s work is guided by a simple principle: user-owned AI for a human-first future.
With Hirschhorn leading growth, Valory is doubling down on this human-first approach across product, community, and brand. As AI agents move from experimentation to everyday use, Valory is working to ensure they are understandable, ownable, and aligned with the people who rely on them — bringing user-owned AI to new audiences without sacrificing control, transparency, or trust.
