In the heart of Wyoming, far from the stereotypical technology epicenters of America, Matt Kaufman has emerged as an unexpected visionary helping reshape Wyoming's economic future.
A fifth-generation Wyoming native, Matt embodies the frontier spirit that defined his family heritage and Wyoming’s history.
Matt’s frontier isn't in the physical landscape of the West, but rather the digital landscape known in terms like blockchain, crypto currency, and digital assets.
Over the past decade, Matt’s contributions to this evolving industry have played a part in Wyoming emerging as a worldwide leader in the space.
Matt grew up on his family's ranch near Chugwater, Wyoming (population 200). As a boy, he helped when his parents joined five other families to found Chugwater Chili, purchasing the recipe from the State Championship Chili Cookoff winner and scaling it for production.
Product packaging initially took place on the Kaufman ranch, so Matt and his brothers labeled and packaged containers sold in those early days.
Beyond developing an affinity for the smell of garlic and cumin, Matt absorbed the gritty lessons of hard work, self-sufficiency, risk-taking, and pride in your work—lessons that have defined his life and successful career.
The Wyoming Blockchain Pioneer
Aside from an early attraction to Bitcoin, Matt’s formal journey into blockchain began when Governor Matt Mead appointed him to the Wyoming legislative blockchain task force, ironically as a skeptic.
Within months, Matt's skepticism transformed into conviction. He quickly recognized blockchain not merely as another technological fad but as a fundamental reimagining of economic transactions. He came to see it as a way to "reduce transaction friction between people" by eliminating costly intermediaries and establishing trust through code.
What sets Matt apart is his ability to see what's coming and translate this vision into tangible policy advances.
Under his quiet guidance and effort, Wyoming has achieved remarkable milestones: establishing the first comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets as property, creating specialized financial institutions for digital assets, and helping develop pioneering business structures like the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO, LLC) and its nonprofit sister, the DUNA (Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association).
A little-known piece of Wyoming history is that the Wyoming pioneered the LLC as a legal framework in 1977. Matt suggests the groundwork being laid for digital business structures today is just as significant as that prodigious development.
He credits the nature of Wyoming politics: “We’re all so connected, and we’re all so close to the policy and decision makers. It’s easier to educate people and have meaningful conversations to advance new policy ideas than it is in many other places.”
"Most people would be shocked at the digital asset reputation of Wyoming at the national and global level," he said. "Many of the statutes passed by the Wyoming Legislature are now being used as model language for bills in the US Congress and even for countries around the world."
Trails forged on the frontier often represent opportunity and hard work. But it isn’t until the next generation travels these trails that they are tested for their durability and integrity.
The next generation will have a lot to celebrate in the way Matt has helped influence the policy and practices of digital assets in Wyoming.
In the early days of blockchain, Matt was inundated with requests to assist companies wanting to do token and crypto asset offerings in Wyoming.
Matt says in those early boom years he evaluated upwards of 70 different proposals, yet initially he chose to represent one. While few witnessed this choice to forgo personal profits for the greater good of Wyoming, it's the path he chose and continues to choose.
"I take my role as a gatekeeper for the Wyoming economic ecosystem very seriously. I don’t want to see ventures that might harm Wyoming's reputation or take advantage of regulatory gaps in this evolving industry," he said.
While Matt’s practice since those early days has exploded to include all kinds of new companies and projects coming to Wyoming for digital assets, he still also remains committed to thoughtfully vetting these companies.
Wyoming on Purpose
Years ago, a friend jokingly suggested Wyoming might be too small for Matt’s legal practice. Matt brushed the comment off then, and he has instead defined his career by helping bring the world to Wyoming instead of leaving to find success.
His firm, Hathaway & Kunz, although small by national standards, rivals major law firms in blockchain expertise as they attract clients from Wall Street to major capital centers across the United States and beyond.
Matt proudly calls Cheyenne home, where he and his wife Reagan have raised their daughter and son. For Matt, his family and faith are important pieces of his life’s work.
"Obviously, I have professional and business goals that drive me, but supporting my wife and kids in everything they do is most certainly a top priority. It took time for me to learn how to self-assess in this area and learn to re-balance when needed, but I don't miss much when it comes to them. I work hard to show them they are my priority."
With his oldest daughter is now in college and his son is a sophomore at Central High School, both kids appreciate the conversations they have as a family.
From debating ideas to technology to politics and life, nothing is off the table. Just as in his own life, Matt encourages his children to be mission-driven and goal-focused.
"One thing I've learned the hard way is that if you don't have a plan, or a way to hold yourself accountable, you will drift. This has become something of a mantra in my life," he said.
Perhaps one more lesson his young adult children can glean from their dad goes back to a lesson Matt learned when he wasn’t much older than they are now.
Yes, and Here's How…
While getting an advanced law degree, Matt found a mentor who told him, "Most lawyers make their living telling people no and all the reasons something can’t be done. But you have a chance to be a lawyer who makes their living telling people, ‘Yes, and here's how we can build it together.’"
Matt sees his job as helping clients build ventures, create companies, and execute new ideas.
There is an art to harnessing passion and enthusiasm while recognizing and assessing risk and legal compliance to find the best path forward. Matt is excellent in this artform, and working in digital assets has provided ample opportunity for Matt to do what he loves.
Matt Kaufman represents a new narrative for Wyoming—one where innovation and tradition coexist. One where being from a small town like Chugwater doesn't limit one's global impact, and where Wyoming's small size becomes an advantage.
When asked what his 12-year-old self would say to him today, Matt said, "I think he would be excited to know that I somehow stumbled into a career that consistently has a front row seat to exploring new ideas and opportunities and seeing them come to fruition. He might raise his eyebrows in surprise that I'm a crypto lawyer who wears cowboy boots. But my younger self would definitely stand proud knowing that I love Wyoming with every ounce of my being. Oh, and he might get a chuckle out of hearing I still consider the smell of Chugwater Chili powder to be one of the best smells in the world."
Mandy Fabel serves as the Executive Director of Leadership Wyoming
