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Zora names Dee Goens CEO and sets token buybacks as priority
Zora says fees on its Base deployment fell 99.4% year over year to $14,768 in August 2025, according to DefiLlama data.
Dee Goens, a co-founder, has taken over as CEO of Zora, replacing co-founder Jacob Horne, who is departing after more than six years, Goens said in a post on Wednesday. Goens also said Zora has cut its headcount earlier this year and is now fewer than 10 people.
In the update, Goens described a product shift away from Creator Coins on Base toward trading pairs on other networks. DefiLlama data cited by The Defiant shows fees on Zora’s Base deployment totaled $14,768 in August, down from $2.51 million in August 2025, a 99.4% decline.
Over the past 30 days, the DefiLlama-tracked Base deployment generated $14,971 in fees, of which $6,165 went to Zora itself, and its pools traded $551,284, according to the outlet. Goens added that Zora opened Custom Pairs on Aug. 20, letting users set what asset a new token is paired against, with a 1% trading fee.
Goens listed five priorities for the smaller team, starting with aligning the business with ZORA token holders by implementing buybacks or rewards. He also pointed to rebuilding community trust, onboarding new users with emphasis on the mobile app, restarting community incentive distribution, and acting on feedback as Zora looks toward year end, The Defiant reported.