Updated:
Nascent
Founded in 2020, Nascent exists to build, expand, and capture opportunity, in open markets and open technologies. Building from a base of permanent capital, we...
Nascent
Founded in 2020, Nascent exists to build, expand, and capture opportunity, in open markets and open technologies. Building from a base of permanent capital, we deploy assets across a range of both liquid and long-term strategies that ensure we are among the most active users of the open financial system we are helping to build. We’ve made venture investments in 50+ early-stage teams that we believe have the potential to create substantive change, expand boundaries, and find new horizons. We are consistently on the hunt for the most competitive and curious minds exploring the edges of the crypto ecosystem and leverage our hyper flexible structure to accelerate ideas into fully deployed strategies.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
2017
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
San Francisco, CA, United States
Principals
Dan Elitzer
Co-founder
Rebecca
Performance and Culture
Jack
Venture team
Joe
Quantitative Developer
Peter
Venture Partner
Brock
Venture Partner
Altss tracks 1 additional named team member for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
Book a demoSector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Nascent?
Investment decisions are led by co-founders Dan Elitzer and Josh Felker. Elitzer previously co-founded IDEO CoLab Ventures and helped launch YAM Finance. Felker founded Chopper Trading. Venture partners Peter (ex-Polychain Capital) and Brock (YAM Finance co-launcher) also contribute to deal sourcing and portfolio support (per firm website).
How does Nascent source proprietary deal flow?
Nascent sources opportunities by operating as an active participant in the crypto markets it invests in. The firm runs a liquid trading book and builds internal tooling — including quantitative systems developed by its in-house team — which generates onchain intelligence and direct protocol relationships that feed the venture pipeline.
Is Nascent structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Nascent is an asset manager, not a family office. It operates as a generalist crypto investment firm with both a venture arm and a liquid trading operation called Nascent Markets. The firm self-describes as a collective of builders and investors rather than a traditional fund structure.
Does Nascent participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Nascent's known activity centers on direct venture deals and liquid token positions. Its public portfolio page lists over 60 companies and protocols, and it also maintains liquid positions in tokens such as Morpho and Ethena (per Altss estimate). There is no public evidence of fund-of-funds commitments.
What investment stages does Nascent typically target?
Nascent invests primarily at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A stages (per firm website). Its portfolio includes early-stage rounds in projects like Ethena (Seed), Morpho (Seed), and Optimism (Series A). The firm aims to back founders at the earliest stages of building crypto infrastructure and primitives.
How is Nascent related to Nascent Markets?
Nascent Markets is a dedicated unit within Nascent that focuses on microstructure, latency, and repeatable trading edge in crypto markets. It exists alongside the venture team and shares the parent organization's brand, but operates with a distinct mandate around liquid-market competition (per firm website).
Where does Nascent's underlying capital come from?
Nascent has not publicly disclosed the source of its capital. It is structured as an asset manager rather than a single-family office, and does not attribute its funding to a specific individual or family wealth origin.
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.
Need institutional-grade insight on asset managers?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: