A London startup has raised $2.8 million to build a range of cryptocurrency funds for professional investors.
Old Street Digital, which aims to bring the best of active, fundamental research-driven portfolio management to crypto, has been backed by a network of top executives in the European asset management industry.
The funding round was led by Draper Associates and included participation from Plassa Capital as well as venture capital and angel investors across Europe, Asia and the US.
“There is enormous opportunity for institutional investors in digital assets but they need a credible product offering from experienced professionals they can trust,” said Paul Ridley, CEO.
“We’re building a crypto asset manager to fill this gap with a range of actively-managed funds in an accessible fund structure.”
Old Street Digital’s first fund launches this quarter and the firm expects to open another in Q4.
Chief investment officer Gary Clarke is one of Europe’s most prominent equity portfolio managers. An investor for 27 years, Clarke previously held senior roles at leading fund managers including head of global equities at Blackrock, where he oversaw $31 billion in client assets, head of European equities at Schroders and head of thematic investing at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
“Old Street Digital’s unique approach applies traditional fund-management expertise to the world of crypto,” said Tim Draper, founding partner, Draper Associates.
“The Old Street Digital team is well-positioned to provide access to a range of research-backed, crypto-based investment funds, and we at Draper Associates are excited to support them.”