YZi Labs, the rebranded venture capital arm of crypto exchange Binance, made its first investment following founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao's release from prison, Fortune reported on Wednesday.

The company formerly known as Binance Labs led a $16 million funding round into Sign, a startup that seeks to simplify token distribution and bring verification of credentials on-chain

A venture capital firm spearheaded by Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, the founder of crypto exchange Binance, has made its first investment since his release from U.S. prison in September, Fortune reported on Wednesday.

The company formerly known as Binance Labs led a $16 million funding round into Sign, a startup that aims to simplify token distribution and bring verification of credentials on-chain, according to the report.

“Proper distribution builds trust, and verification is an essential part of it. As more people move on-chain, this is a critical part of the foundational infrastructure,” Zhao said in an email, according to Fortune's report.

The rebrand to YZi Labs signifies a shift from being the exchange's venture capital arm to the family office of Zhao and Binance co-founder Yi He, with Zhao taking a hands-on approach in investments.

Zhao was released from U.S. prison in September following a four-month prison sentence for violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to set up an adequate know-your-customer program at Binance.

He also agreed to pay a $50 million fine and step down as Binance CEO as part of his guilty plea.

YZi Labs did not immediately respond to CoinDesk's request for comment.