Polymarket makes moves to get house in order before expected boom times for prediction markets this fall

Prediction market platform Polymarket is preparing for what’s expected to be a busy fall season for event contract exchanges by making high-profile hires and restructuring its marketing strategy.

Polymarket hired Travis VanderZanden, founder of E-Scooter startup Bird in 2017, its chief growth officer. VanderZanden previously worked at Uber Technologies and Lyft as well.

Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan “is the visionary of the prediction market space, and this is a massive market opportunity,” VanderZanden said in a statement to CNBC. “It’s an exciting time to come in as we build out the executive team to help guide the next stage and make sure we’re buttoned up for the long haul.”

Bloomberg first reported VanderZanden’s appointment last week.

VanderZanden will also oversee Polymarket’s marketing, a person familiar with the matter said. That’s an area of the company’s business that came under scrutiny following a Wall Street Journal investigation that claimed the company conducted misleading marketing campaigns.

The Journal said Polymarket ensured it looked as though content creators it used were winning on the platform when, in fact, they were not using any of their own money. That report led to an investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission — the federal regulator for prediction markets.

Polymarket has implemented a new organizational structure for the marketing team set to be led by VanderZanden, updated its guidelines for promotional partners and conducted training sessions with staff to inform them of new policies, the person familiar with the matter said. The company is now working with AlixPartners, a consulting firm, to monitor content released by promotional partners and confirm that it follows the new guidelines, the person said.

Other prominent managers have been added to strengthen Polymarket in 2026 as well.

Megan McGrath, formerly of Robinhood, is now the chief compliance officer of Polymarket’s U.S. exchange, and Natalie Oblazny, formerly at Coinbase, heads regulatory affairs for the domestic platform. Polymarket’s U.S. exchange debuted in May andoperates separately from the international market.

Polymarket also hired Shana Bautista, a former FBI official who worked at Coinbase, as its global head of investigations and intelligence, while Paul Jordan joined from Nasdaq and will serve as the chief risk officer for Polymarket U.S.

All of the new staff come as prediction market platforms prepare for two major drivers of traffic this fall. The start of the NFL season in September and the runup to midterm elections in November are expected boost trading volumes after domestic and international activity dipped following the end of the World Cup in July.

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