Wall Street Bitcoin Pioneer Quits Wedbush for Blockchain Startup

Sheri Kaiserman was Wedbush Securities Inc.’s head of equities in 2013 when she made a bold call, granting permission to publish the first Wall Street analysis of Bitcoin’s value. The report didn’t explicitly recommend buying the cryptocurrency, but it did say huge gains were possible -- and investors who dove in that day have seen a more than 600 percent return.

Now, she’s in the midst of another big leap: After 18 years at Wedbush, Kaiserman left this year and co-founded Maco.la Management, a blockchain-focused investment fund and advisory firm. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles-based company announced it has raised $6 million toward a $40 million goal.