Startup Advisory for Web3 Founders Who Play to Win
Riverstone is a Web3 first startup advisory. We help startups raise smarter, tell sharper stories, and scale.
Driving Impact Through Financial Expertise
Case studies showcasing bespoke strategies, actionable insight, and proven outcomes.
Equity Investor
BD Partnership
Fundraising & GTM
M&A Advisory
$10M RaiseEquity InvestorThe Challenge
Polli had a genuinely differentiated product — a staking optimisation and liquidity platform solving real inefficiencies in the validator market — but lacked the marketing infrastructure, community presence, and investor narrative to match its technical ambition. The founders needed a partner who could own growth end-to-end while they stayed focused on building.
The Solution
- • Full-stack GTM execution: KOL campaign management across 30–50 influencers in crypto trading and alpha communities
- • Alpha group partnerships and onboarding across Solana, Cosmos, and Avalanche ecosystems
- • Social media ownership, narrative development, and co-marketing campaigns with Lava, Kii, and Osmosis
- • Conference strategy and on-the-ground execution at Cosmoverse and Breakpoint 2025
- • Investor materials, fundraising positioning, and warm introductions to institutional targets
The Impact
A growing investor pipeline, an activated KOL network, and a community presence built from scratch. After an extended embedded partnership, Riverstone’s conviction in the founders and the market led to a direct equity stake in Polli — the kind of outcome that only happens when advisory becomes genuine alignment.
BD PartnershipThe Challenge
Bolt needed more than a business development hire — it needed someone with the ecosystem relationships and commercial instincts to move fast, open the right doors, and turn conversations into live integrations. In DeFi, growth is won on partnerships, and the window to establish position doesn’t stay open long.
The Solution
- • End-to-end sales strategy and pipeline ownership
- • Active sourcing of protocol integrations across the DeFi ecosystem
- • Liquidity partnership facilitation with foundations and institutional players
- • Performance-linked deal structure ensuring Riverstone’s incentives are tied directly to outcomes generated
The Impact
An active engagement where Riverstone operates as an embedded BD partner — not an external advisor. The pipeline continues to grow.
Fundraising & GTMThe Challenge
Zynta (formerly GlobaChain) is building regulated stablecoin rails for cross-border payments across Africa, Canada, and the EU — a credible business in a large and underserved market. To reach their next phase, they needed both a sharper institutional narrative and the right capital partners behind them.
The Solution
- • Full institutional narrative and messaging architecture across enterprise, regulated FI, and public sector audiences
- • Pitch materials, investor positioning, and outreach strategy built end-to-end
- • Curated introductions to strategic and corporate investors
- • Full process management across the fundraising process
The Impact
Riverstone secured strategic and corporate investment for Zynta’s raise — and continues to support the business as it scales its GTM and corridor expansion.
M&A AdvisoryThe Challenge
An Andreessen Horowitz portfolio company bringing debt infrastructure on-chain faced a pivotal decision: acquire a target company to accelerate its roadmap, or build the capability internally? They needed more than an opinion — they needed a structured framework, a defensible valuation, and someone to sit in the room and guide the negotiation.
The Solution
- • Full business valuation and multi-scenario sensitivity analysis
- • Dynamic acquire-vs-build decision modelling
- • Mediation between buyer and seller through the full negotiation process
- • Data room coordination and legal team alignment
- • Strategic guidance through to transaction close
The Impact
Riverstone delivered a clear, confident decision aligned with long-term strategic goals. What started as M&A advisory became a standing partnership — Brilla continues to work with Riverstone on research, strategy, and special projects.
$10M RaiseThe Challenge
A high-potential Web3 gaming startup in the TON ecosystem needed to justify a $100M valuation to professional investors — and needed it done in under a week. The ask was complex: model both token dynamics and product revenue, benchmark against Web2 and Web3 comparables, and present it all in a way that sophisticated investors would find credible rather than inflated.
The Solution
- • Full valuation discovery: revenue-based, asset-based, and hybrid modelling
- • Web2 and Web3 comparable benchmarking across key metrics
- • Dual revenue model covering product revenue and token dynamics
- • Dynamic, investor-ready financial model built for real-time scenario adjustments
- • Narrative integration — valuation findings woven directly into the investor pitch
The Impact
Delivered in seven days. The financial model became a core component of the investor pitch, helping the founders move conversations forward with clarity and confidence — supporting the path to a $10M raise.
Strategic Advisory That Drives Growth
We shape fundraising and go-to-market plans that deliver revenue, users, and market presence.
- Tokenomics & revenue modeling
- Strategic business cases
- Board-level financial analysis
Finance is Evolving, and So Are We
Riverstone isn’t an agency — we’re a high-conviction advisory. We combine deep traditional finance experience with hands-on execution in Web3, helping founders tie every strategic thread — PR, go-to-market, fundraising, and valuations — into one cohesive story.
Most firms offer fragmented support across marketing, comms, and capital; we ensure these elements are tightly aligned so nothing falls through the cracks when it matters most.
Our edge is execution with precision. We don’t just “make intros” — we coach founders on how to present, pitch, and follow up with investors. We prepare your decks, hone your messaging, sit with you on investor calls, and guide the negotiation. We know what investors need to hear, when they need to hear it, and how to move deals from interest to commitment.
Where others forward a deck and hope for the best, we train you to win the second meeting — because that’s when the real opportunity begins. We protect our investor network by only sharing quality. We train founders to avoid rookie mistakes. And we don’t just care about deliverables — we care about outcomes.
Riverstone was built for founders who are serious, coachable, and ready to grow. We take on a small number of clients at a time, integrate deeply into each team, and deliver work that turns brand equity into real-world traction. Our partners — from investors to media to ecosystems — trust our name. We guard that trust by only backing teams we believe in, and putting everything behind them.
Traditional Finance Meets Web3 Innovation
Partnered since 2021, we bring 10+ years of TradFi and Web3 expertise across major markets worldwide.
Brings a foundation in equity research, corporate finance, and venture capital to lead Riverstone's global advisory practice. Maintains relationships with 400+ VCs while specializing in crypto infrastructure and institutional capital formation.
Former private equity consultant who now pioneers systematic investment approaches in crypto markets. Combines theoretical physics background with institutional-grade quantitative methodologies for emerging digital assets.
After over a decade in London and NYC private equity, partnering with firms like KKR, Vista Equity, and Welsh Carson, Mike now leads Riverstone's institutional practice, helping Web3 funds develop the professional standards and documentation frameworks required by traditional investors. His expertise bridges the gap between crypto innovation and institutional capital requirements.
Orchestrates complex multi-jurisdictional investment structures across Latin American crypto markets. Brings a structured engineering approach to DeFi transactions and cross-border investment facilitation.
Brings a foundation in equity research, corporate finance, and venture capital to lead Riverstone's global advisory practice. Maintains relationships with 400+ VCs across the ecosystem while specializing in crypto infrastructure and institutional capital formation. Combines traditional finance expertise with hands-on Web3 experience to guide early-stage growth companies through strategic positioning and investor relations.
Former private equity consultant with deep M&A and strategy experience who now pioneers systematic investment approaches in crypto markets. Develops algorithmic trading strategies with superior risk-adjusted returns while combining theoretical physics background with practical Web3 execution. Brings institutional-grade quantitative methodologies to emerging digital asset opportunities.
After over a decade in London and NYC private equity, partnering with firms like KKR, Vista Equity, and Welsh Carson, Mike now leads Riverstone's institutional practice, helping Web3 funds develop the professional standards and documentation frameworks required by traditional investors. His expertise bridges the gap between crypto innovation and institutional capital requirements.
Orchestrates complex multi-jurisdictional investment structures while maintaining strategic networks across Latin American crypto markets. Specializes in revenue-sharing agreements and international partnership development with systematic operational precision. Brings structured engineering approach to DeFi transactions and cross-border investment facilitation.