Key Highlights:
- Bitcoin proponent Ben Werkman was hired by Strive as its Chief Investment Officer to enhance its Bitcoin-based investment strategy.
- Werkman, the former CIO at Swan Bitcoin, will be in charge of capital deployment, risk management, and Bitcoin initiatives at the firm.
- This announcement comes after Strive’s all-stock merger with Semler Scientific, which makes the company one of the largest corporate stock Bitcoin holders.
Strive, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASST) has announced that Ben Werkman has been appointed as the new Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the company, who reports directly to the Chairman and CEO, Matt Cole. The action highlights the company’s increased focus on Bitcoin as the foundation of its corporate investment and treasury strategy.
Why Strive Chose Ben Werkman As Its CIO
Werkman has a long-standing name in the digital asset industry due to his experience in Bitcoin treasury and corporate finance. He has been the CIO at Swan Bitcoin, a company where he had a major role in amplifying the capital-raising activities of the company and organizing its first Bitcoin treasury deal with a publicly traded firm, Sequans Communications S.A.
At Strive, Werkman will drive the investment business within the company with special attention to capital deployment, risk evaluation, and reinforcement of its initiatives in Bitcoin businesses. According to the announcement of the company, he is also appointed as a board observer.
“I’m thrilled to join Strive at this pivotal moment in Bitcoin’s history where digital credit is emerging as the next frontier of corporate finance,” Werkman said. Further, he added, “Strive has the vision, the capital structure, and the expertise to be a leader in this transition, and I’m excited to help advance our mission forward.”
For context, Werkman came to Swan Bitcoin after establishing NumerisX, a boutique advisory firm that focused on assisting corporations in constructing and deploying Bitcoin treasury solutions. Up to the present time, he has been in the commercial banking sector and dealt with bad credit portfolios during the global financial crisis. He subsequently worked for almost 10 years at KPMG, where he worked in governance, strategic planning, and risk management advice to institutional clients.
Strive CEO Matt Cole explained the hiring of Werkman as an important move towards expanding the firm’s Bitcoin treasury. “Bringing Ben on board full-time at Strive as our Chief Investment Officer is a large talent boost to our already strong Bitcoin treasury team,” Cole said. “I’m confident in our team’s ability to lead in strategic decision-making and communications for the years to come in pursuit of our goal to increase Bitcoin per share for common equity shareholders and outperform Bitcoin over the long run.”
Strive Acquires Stake in Semler Scientific
The news follows a short period following the announcement of the acquisition of Semler Scientific by the company Strive in an all-stock deal, which will bring two of the most aggressive corporate purchasers of Bitcoin together. Both companies have accepted the deal by their boards and are subject to customary closing conditions.
Semler shares were exchanged under the agreement at a 210% premium, which is 21.05 Strive Class A shares per share, which is based on the value of Semler Scientific shares at around $90.52 on September 19. It would give the resulting company over 10,900 BTC, which would concentrate their stakes in the top publicly-traded companies of Bitcoin treasury.
Previous reports indicate that Strive has already purchased 5,816 BTC with an average price of $116,047.04 and invested a total of approximately $675 million in buying BTC. After this purchase, the firm reported holding a stash of 5,886 BTC. Semler, in its turn, has accumulated one of the largest Bitcoin holdings among publicly-traded American companies, owning more than 5,000 BTC by July.
About Strive, it was established by Vivek Ramaswamy and was the first publicly traded asset management company to concentrate on a Bitcoin-based treasury model. In 2022, the subsidiary, Strive Asset Management, which was established in August 2022, has been able to control more than $2 billion of assets under management (AUM).
The company has highlighted an approach of “preferred-equity-only,” which is aimed at avoiding the risk of debt maturation, showing an indication of a capital structure that is structured to focus on long-term Bitcoin accumulation and performance.
Also Read: Grayscale Launches First U.S. Staking Spot Ethereum and Solana ETPs
Source: https://www.cryptonewsz.com/strive-ben-werkman-cio-expand-bitcoin-strategy/
