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Aoki Labs
Aoki Labs provides the legal infrastructure for decentralized crypto investment syndicates using Delaware series LLCs.
Aoki Labs
Aoki Labs was founded in 2019 by Ben Forman, a serial entrepreneur, alongside Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout, and a pseudonymous cryptographer known professionally as 'Aoki' (per public record). The group identified a structural gap: informal investor communities on Discord, Telegram, and Twitter were pooling capital but could not legally sign contracts or issue equity. Aoki Labs supplies the corporate chassis—a Delaware series LLC wrapper and lightweight operating agreement—that converts these loose collectives into formal investment vehicles. The firm deploys capital indirectly by providing the legal rails for syndicates, but its templates now back hundreds of active SPVs that invest across early-stage Web3, AI, and consumer technology. Deals flow from community-led diligence rather than a central investment committee. Typical structures use a single-purpose vehicle to invest in a single startup, with deal terms set by the syndicate lead. Confirmed SPV targets span DeFi protocols, developer tools, and AI-native applications, with back-office administration for cap table management and tax reporting handled by Aoki's software layer. Aoki Labs operates without a publicly reported AUM because it does not manage a commingled fund. Instead, it tracks the aggregate deployment volume flowing through its legal templates, though deployment figures remain undisclosed (public record). The firm maintains a bench of startup lawyers and operators who advise syndicate leads on structuring deals, but it does not employ a dedicated investment team in the traditional sense. Its operations are anchored in Santa Monica, with an engineering presence across Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Structurally, Aoki Labs is not a registered investment adviser and does not participate in PPM distribution or investor verification, making it categorically distinct from platforms like AngelList or Assure. It operates as a legal-fintech hybrid that sells entity-formation-as-a-service to unaffiliated investor groups, a posture that sidesteps broker-dealer regulation by never touching the securities themselves. The firm's long-term differentiator is that it owns the entity templates and associated smart-contract tooling, but the capital, sourcing, and governance sit entirely with the syndicates.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2019
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Santa Monica
Corporate office
Santa Monica, CA, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Is Aoki Labs a registered investment adviser?
No. Aoki Labs is not a registered investment adviser and does not provide investment advice, conduct diligence, or solicit investors (per the firm's official communications). It operates as a technology and legal services provider that supplies entity formation documents and a software dashboard to unaffiliated syndicate leads. The leads themselves are responsible for compliance with securities laws.
How does Aoki Labs generate revenue if it does not charge carry?
The firm charges syndicate leads a flat fee or subscription for access to its legal entity templates and administrative software, rather than taking a percentage of invested capital or profits (per public record). This model means Aoki Labs' economics scale with the number of syndicates using its platform, not with AUM or fund performance.
What is the relationship between Aoki Labs and the pseudonymous contributor 'Aoki'?
Aoki is a founding contributor and cryptographer who helped design the entity architecture, but the firm is managed day-to-day by Ben Forman and does not rely on a single technical principal. The 'Aoki' alias has been publicly associated with the company since launch, though their full identity remains private.
Can Aoki Labs' templates be used for non-crypto investments?
Yes. While the firm emerged from the crypto community and specializes in on-chain syndicates, the underlying Delaware series LLC structure is asset-agnostic. Syndicates have used Aoki's templates for traditional startup equity, token warrants, and mixed SAFE-plus-token deals.
How does Aoki Labs differ from AngelList syndicates?
AngelList acts as a broker-dealer and runs its own platform for connecting leads to accredited investors, while Aoki Labs provides purely the legal and software infrastructure for groups that already exist independently. Aoki never holds investor funds, does not verify accreditation status, and does not list deals on a public marketplace.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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