- CoinDesk’s Consensus 2026 closing party was held at Miami strip club E11even, drawing sharp criticism from industry figures.
- Critics, including Blockus CEO Jess Zhang, called the venue choice inappropriate and harmful to the industry’s push for institutional maturity.
- The defense from a ConsenSys manager escalated into legal threats against Zhang on social media.
- The club has prior crypto ties, having previously partnered with the now-collapsed FTX US.
- E11even was also the site of a 2022 arrest involving cocaine and World Liberty Financial founder Zach Witkoff.
The 2026 Consensus cryptocurrency conference concluded with a controversial closing party hosted by CoinDesk at Miami’s E11even nightclub this May. This venue choice, however, was immediately condemned by prominent industry voices as a setback for professional credibility.
Blockus founder Jess Zhang described the club as a “strip club” and argued the event was a “massive step backward.” She stated it “diminishes women to sexual objects and enforces a stale, exclusionary culture” in a series of public posts. Consequently, former federal prosecutor Amanda Wick told Bloomberg the party was “horrifying” from a gender equality perspective.
Meanwhile, Consensys executive Michael Khekoian defended the event on social media, sarcastically posting, “i never knew the women working there are forced sex slaves.” This disagreement eventually escalated to Khekoian threatening to sue Zhang. The club itself has a history with crypto, as E11even Partners had decided to partner with FTX US before its collapse.
Additionally, E11even was where World Liberty Financial founder Zach Witkoff was arrested with cocaine in 2022. During his arrest, Witkoff repeatedly insisted he was friends with club operator Marc Roberts, though he was not ultimately prosecuted.
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