Coinbase has made its seventh acquisition of 2025, bringing on board the founders of Sensible in a move aimed at simplifying decentralized finance (DeFi) for everyday users. The crypto exchange announced on September 9 that it has hired Jacob Frantz and Zak Salmon, co-founders of the yield-earning platform Sensible, to lead consumer-focused product teams.
Sensible, which launched in 2022 with backing from Coinbase Ventures and Dragonfly, will shut down operations in October. The startup was known for building intuitive tools that combined staking rewards with decentralized finance protocols, offering users a streamlined way to earn yields without navigating complex interfaces.
By joining Coinbase, Frantz and Salmon will take the lead on the company’s onchain consumer strategy, a core pillar of its ambition to become a one-stop “everything exchange” where users can trade, stake, borrow, and spend digital assets.
Jacob Frantz
This latest acquisition is part of an aggressive expansion streak for Coinbase in 2025, following previous deals involving teams from Deribit, Spindl, and Iron Fish. The company has made clear that its priority this year is not just expanding its product lineup, but also bridging the gap between powerful blockchain tools and practical usability for mainstream audiences.
In a joint statement, Frantz and Salmon described the move as an extension of their original mission rather than an exit.
“When we connected with the team at Coinbase — initially Aklil Ibssa, Max Branzburg, and Ben Shen — we learned that they shared our ambition,” they said. “The prospect of being able to bring this vision to bear alongside an amazingly talented group of people was too much to ignore.”
Before launching Sensible, the duo experimented with platforms for creators and advanced trading tools for crypto-native users. Their eventual pivot to DeFi yield products was driven by shifting market sentiment, with more users looking for sustainable asset growth instead of short-term speculation.
With their experience and Coinbase’s scale, the partnership is designed to accelerate the integration of DeFi into a platform already serving millions worldwide. For Coinbase, the deal underscores its belief that usability is just as critical as innovation in shaping the future of crypto adoption.
