David Bailey, CEO of crypto media company BTC Inc. and a close adviser to US President Donald Trump on digital assets, has reportedly raised $300 million to launch a new Bitcoin investment firm.
The venture, named Nakamoto after the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, aims to become a publicly traded company focused on acquiring and holding the cryptocurrency, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The Information was first to cover the story.
The funding round, which has been quietly in motion since January, includes $200 million in equity and $100 million in convertible debt, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
While the firm has not officially announced the raise, an official reveal and merger with a Nasdaq-listed company is expected as early as next week. The combined entity is set to go public this summer, per the report.
“No comment,” Bailey wrote in a May 7 post on X, apparently in response to the news about the Bitcoin (BTC) investment firm.
Related: Texas House committee passes Bitcoin reserve bill for full floor vote
New Bitcoin firms are launching
Nakamoto’s strategy is modeled on that of companies like Strategy, which transformed itself into a Bitcoin-holding powerhouse under Michael Saylor.
The firm will invest in and acquire businesses globally, in countries such as Brazil, Thailand and South Africa, while deploying Bitcoin as part of its capital structure.
The venture is reportedly backed by high-profile investors and includes an advisory board featuring several prominent figures from the financial and crypto sectors.
Bailey’s move comes amid renewed enthusiasm for institutional Bitcoin investment, following a series of major fundraising announcements from firms like Twenty One and Strive Asset Management.
Related: Trump-linked Strive files for ‘Bitcoin Bond’ ETF
On April 24, Twenty One Capital, led by Strike founder Jack Mallers with the support of Tether, SoftBank and Cantor Fitzgerald, said it was looking to supplant Saylor’s Strategy to become the “superior vehicle for investors seeking capital-efficient Bitcoin exposure.”
On May 7, Strive Asset Management, founded by entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, also revealed plans to transition into a Bitcoin treasury company.
The firm is going public through a reverse merger and plans to use the combined company’s stock to accumulate Bitcoin. Once the deal closes, Strive plans to issue about $1 billion in equity and debt and use the proceeds to accumulate BTC.
“The pace of these new BTC companies launching is accelerating,” crypto influencer TylerD said in a post on X.
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