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Maven11 Capital
Maven11 Capital was founded in 2017 in Amsterdam by Joost van der Plas and Balder Bomans.
Maven11 Capital
Maven11 Capital was founded in 2017 in Amsterdam by Joost van der Plas and Balder Bomans. Van der Plas had senior management experience in the telecom industry and early exposure to Bitcoin in 2012; Bomans brought a career in traditional finance trading European cash equities at Kempen & Co. The pair built the firm to invest in what they call ownership redefined by open, permissionless crypto networks. The firm concentrates on early-stage equity and token investments across four crypto-native verticals: blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance, Web3 middleware, and crypto-AI convergence. Confirmed portfolio positions include the modular data availability network Celestia, privacy protocol Anoma, MEV-focused infrastructure BloXroute, DeFi credit marketplace Maple Finance, and computational protocols Gensyn and RiscZero. Maven11 also operates as a Pool Delegate on Maple Finance, directly underwriting on-chain credit to screened institutional borrowers. Geographic deployment spans Europe and North America, with a secondary operational presence in the Cayman Islands. Maven11 reports seven investment partners and analysts, with deal leads distributed across Mathijs van Esch, who drove rounds into Celestia, Astria, and Nym; Pim Swart, who led investments in Gensyn, RiscZero, and Chainbound; and Mads Mathiesen, who joined in 2022 to publish public-facing technical theses on rollups and MEV. The firm has not publicly disclosed AUM. Maven11 is not known to operate adjacent philanthropic or real-asset vehicles. The firm differentiates through its internal research capability — partners produce and publish open-source protocol analysis rather than relying on external diligence — and its dual posture as both LP and active on-chain participant, lending directly through the Maple pool it governs. This merges venture equity exposure with live protocol-level engagement, making the firm structurally closer to a specialized technical operator than a generalist crypto fund.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2017
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Netherlands
City
Amsterdam
Corporate office
Herengracht 136, 1015 BV Amsterdam, Netherlands
Additional offices
89 Nexus Way, Camana Bay, Grand Cayman KY1-9009, Cayman Islands
Principals
Balder Bomans
CIO & Managing Partner
Joost van der Plas
Managing Partner
Mathijs van Esch
General Partner
Darius Rugys
Investment Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Maven11 Capital source deal flow?
Maven11 sources through its partners’ technical research and deep network of protocol builders. Mathijs van Esch, Mads Mathiesen, and Pim Swart lead primary diligence and publish public theses on rollups, zero-knowledge technology, and MEV. The firm also acquires allocation through active protocol participation, including serving as a Pool Delegate on Maple Finance.
Is Maven11 a venture capital firm or a proprietary trading operation?
Maven11 operates as a venture capital firm that makes early-stage equity and token investments in crypto protocols and companies. It also maintains a trading desk under trader Ruben van den Eshof, which uses on-chain data analysis to inform investment decisions. The firm’s primary vehicle is venture, not proprietary trading.
What stages does Maven11 target?
Maven11 invests at the earliest stages — typically seed and Series A rounds of blockchain protocols and crypto-native companies. Its portfolio shows lead and participation roles in rounds for Celestia, Anoma, Astria, and Sovereign Labs, all at the pre-launch or early-mainnet phase.
Does Maven11 write token-only checks or equity as well?
Maven11 writes both equity and token checks, depending on the project structure. Infrastructure plays like Celestia and Anoma involved equity and token warrants, while DeFi positions like OlympusDAO and Maple Finance were accessed via token sales. The firm does not restrict itself to a single instrument.
How is Maven11 structured from a regulatory standpoint?
Maven11 Capital operates out of Amsterdam and maintains a Cayman Islands entity, likely for fund structuring. The firm employs a CFO/COO, Arun Rambocus, responsible for compliance, fund finance, and legal. Specific fund vehicles and regulatory filings have not been publicly disclosed.
Which sectors does Maven11 explicitly avoid?
Maven11’s portfolio is concentrated in crypto-native infrastructure, DeFi, and Web3 middleware. There are no public indications of investments in traditional fintech, biotech, consumer, or general enterprise software. The firm has signaled thematic focus but not published formal exclusion criteria.
Does Maven11 co-invest alongside other venture firms?
Yes — Maven11 co-invests regularly. Its rounds in Celestia and Anoma included other crypto VCs such as Polychain Capital and Paradigm. The firm’s deal-flow model depends on syndication with peer funds and angel operators, consistent with the collaborative origination structure of crypto venture.
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