Early cryptocurrency investor Mike Novogratz has hired Goldman Sachs executive Richard Kim as the new chief operating officer for his merchant bank, Galaxy Digital, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Kim, whose LinkedIn profile says he was an executive director based in the bank's London office, joins Luka Jankovic, a former Goldman Sachs hedge-fund analyst, among the bank's alumni now at Galaxy Digital.

Kim's exit, first reported by Bloomberg News, is among a handful of high-profile transitions from Goldman Sachs to cryptocurrency start-ups.

BlockTower Capital recruited former Goldman executive Michael Bucella in January. Former Goldman vice president Matt Goetz founded BlockTower last year.

James Radecki was a managing director at the bank and left in 2016 to work in strategic investing at another cryptocurrency firm, according to his LinkedIn page. He's now global head of business development at Cumberland Mining, one of the largest traders of cryptocurrencies.

A Galaxy spokesperson declined to comment on the hiring. Novogratz, who worked at Goldman Sachs during the 1990s, told reporters at The New Yorker that the firm "hired Goldman's best guy in blockchain," in an April issue. It's unclear whether he was referring to Kim or another executive.