Arthur Hayes, CIO and Co-Founder
Former: Co-Founder and CEO @ BitMEX
Arthur sets the strategic direction and vision for Maelstrom. He co-founded BitMEX in 2014 and invented the perpetual swap — the most widely traded crypto financial product of all time. Arthur began his career as an equity derivatives trader for Deutsche Bank and Citigroup. He holds a BS in Economics from UPenn’s Wharton School of Business.
Akshat Vaidya, Managing Partner & Co-Founder
Former: Head of Corp Dev @ BitMEX
Akshat runs the deal team for Maelstrom across all deal strategies: 1) Venture; 2) Liquid; and 3) Buyouts. He previously led the M&A team at BitMEX before departing in 2022 to co-found Maelstrom. Initially trained as a management consultant, he began his investing career executing LBOs at Granite Creek Capital Partners. Akshat holds a BS in Economics from UPenn’s Wharton School of Business.
Nick Andrianov, Partner, Maelstrom Liquid
Former: Head Trader @ BitMEX
Nick is responsible for managing Maelstrom Liquid, which hedges and trades liquid positions for Maelstrom. Previously, he led the team at BitMEX responsible for managing and generating returns on firm inventory. Nick began his career trading equity derivatives and structured products for Deutsche Bank. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University.
Adam Schlegel, Partner, Maelstrom Buyouts
Former: Investor @ Haveli Investments
Adam is responsible for launching and managing Maelstrom Buyouts. Previously, he led Enterprise SaaS buyouts and growth equity deals at Haveli Investments under Brian Sheth (Co-Founder, Vista Equity Partners). Prior to that, he focused on cross-border deals across industries at Baring Private Equity Asia (now EQT). Adam began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley. He holds a MA in International Finance from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Kushagra Aryal, Venture Capital Analyst
Kushagra is responsible for supporting the full life cycle of research, diligence and transaction execution for Maelstrom. Previously, he interned as a product manager at PayPal, focused on B2B enterprise payments and e-commerce. In addition, he has interned in investing capacities at ArkStream Capital, Big Brain Holdings, and Evernew Capital and served on the boards of directors of Penn Blockchain and FranklinDAO. Kushagra holds a BS in Economics from UPenn’s Wharton School of Business.
PenguinRoi, Research Advisor
PenguinRoi conducts in-depth, technical research — including on everything from macroeconomic topics to new protocols — that feeds into Maelstrom’s thesis generation and diligence functions. PenguinRoi began his career at McKinsey as a management consultant, and is currently attaining his J.D. at Harvard Law School. He holds a BS in Economics from UPenn’s Wharton School of Business.
Lukas Ruppert, Research Analyst
Lukas conducts research supporting deal sourcing, diligence and research functions for Maelstrom. Previously, he interned at Areta, focused on crypto M&A and brokering secondaries. In addition, he has interned at Plug and Play Tech Center, Global Founders Capital, and performed research on the crypto industry at Cambridge University. He holds a BS in Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich.
Ekoyo Atkins, Public Policy Director
Former: Founder and CEO, Intergenerational Management
As Public Policy Director, Ekoyo oversees Maelstrom’s financial education initiatives. Ekoyo brings a decade of experience developing pathways and curricula to ensure equitable access and opportunities for marginalized communities within the realm of politics and philanthropy. She holds a BA from Hampton University and an MA from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.