Maelstrom
Investment vehicle managed by the family office of BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes; backs crypto infrastructure via venture, liquid, private equity and public-market positions.
USEFUL FOR Founders · Business owners seeking a long-term partner · Co-investors
Family & background
- FAMILY
- Hayes
- HEADQUARTERS
- Hong Kong
Investment approach
- SECTORS
- Crypto & Web3
- STAGES
- Seed
- ROUTES
- Direct investments
- STRATEGIES
- Venture capitalPrivate equityPublic equitiesDirect investments
- INBOUND
- Accepts submissions
Overview
Maelstrom is managed by the family office of Arthur Hayes, co-founder and former CEO of BitMEX. It builds a long-term portfolio across venture, liquid, private equity and public markets, backing early-stage equity and token deals in infrastructure for decentralized networks. Its site lists more than 30 portfolio companies, including Ethena, ether.fi, Obol, Nillion and Pendle, and it runs a Bitcoin Grant Program funding open-source Bitcoin developers. Separate units Maelstrom Liquid and Maelstrom Equity handle liquid trading and private equity.
Investment thesis
Invests in trustless decentralization and new models to monetize the internet, on a 10/20/50-year horizon, focusing on infrastructure start-ups powering the next wave of decentralization.
Holdings & investments (33)
- AethirCrypto & Web3
- Auki LabsCrypto & Web3
- D3Crypto & Web3
- EthenaCrypto & Web3
- ether.fiCrypto & Web3
- StanCrypto & Web3
- INIT CapitalCrypto & Web3
- Ion ProtocolCrypto & Web3
- KhalaniCrypto & Web3
- KolibrioCrypto & Web3
- NoxxCrypto & Web3
- ObolCrypto & Web3
- RatedCrypto & Web3
- SolayerCrypto & Web3
- SpotCrypto & Web3
- Term FinanceCrypto & Web3
- time.funCrypto & Web3
- Rio NetworkCrypto & Web3
- UpsideCrypto & Web3
- BilbyCrypto & Web3
- CytonicCrypto & Web3
- GenLayerCrypto & Web3
- gun.funCrypto & Web3
- HyperlineCrypto & Web3
- Juice FinanceCrypto & Web3
- NillionCrypto & Web3
- OurWalletCrypto & Web3
- OylCrypto & Web3
- PendleCrypto & Web3
- PerenaCrypto & Web3
- Primus LabsCrypto & Web3
- QuasarCrypto & Web3
- SquidCrypto & Web3
People
- Arthur HayesCIO and Co-Founder · source
- Milan ThakkarHead of Investor Relations & Operations, Maelstrom Equity · source
- Akshat VaidyaManaging Partner & Co-Founder · source
- Nick AndrianovPartner, Maelstrom Liquid · source
- Adam SchlegelPartner, Maelstrom Equity · source
- Lukas RuppertResearch Analyst · source
- Max GrenertAnalyst, Maelstrom Equity · source
Classification
Single Family Office. Manages one family's own capital, with no outside investors. The family bears every loss. How family capital is classified →
FAQ
Maelstrom is a single family office based in Hong Kong.
Maelstrom invests on behalf of the Hayes family.
Maelstrom invests directly in companies. Its stated asset mix includes venture capital, private equity, public equities and direct investments.
Maelstrom invests at Seed stage in Crypto & Web3.
Key people at Maelstrom include Arthur Hayes (CIO and Co-Founder), Akshat Vaidya (Managing Partner & Co-Founder), Nick Andrianov (Partner, Maelstrom Liquid) and Adam Schlegel (Partner, Maelstrom Equity).
Maelstrom's holdings and investments include Aethir, Auki Labs, D3, Ethena, ether.fi, Stan, INIT Capital and Ion Protocol, among others.
The most recent publicly reported investment by Maelstrom is Ethena ($6M round (with Dragonfly)), announced in Aug 2023.
Maelstrom states that it accepts submissions through its official contact page.