Chain Inc. has hired a senior technology executive from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Tom Jessop, to boost its efforts deploying the technology behind bitcoin.

Mr. Jessop, who spent about 17 years at Goldman Sachs, most recently led global technology business development at the Wall Street firm. At Chain, which started in 2014 and is based in San Francisco, he’ll be president, working closely with Chief Executive Adam Ludwin, the company said Monday.

Mr. Jessop is the latest in a steady stream of bankers with a technology bent leaving to work at younger fintech startups, particularly those focused on the so-called blockchain, a broader term for the type of peer-to-peer network that was first used by digital currency bitcoin.

Early on, some fintech startups dreamed of disrupting Wall Street and displacing traditional banks. But many startups now say it will be more effective, and lucrative, to join with the incumbents. Mr. Jessop, who aims to open a New York office for the firm, is expected to work on such partnerships.

“On Wall Street, there’s a lot of good work happening, but it’s going to take a long time for things to evolve,” he said. “You are dealing with a regulatory regime and legacy technology.”