Investment Thesis
Optic Capital operates under two core independent investment theses. While we share a common focus on early-stage technology, our crypto and non-crypto investments are driven by separate convictions and evaluated independently.
Thesis I: The Onchain Evolution of Traditional Finance
Optic Capital’s primary thesis going into 2026 is the convergence of traditional finance and blockchain technology.
We believe the next phase of crypto adoption will be driven by the onchain evolution of real financial systems. Traditional assets such as equities, commodities, and other financial instruments remain constrained by legacy infrastructure, such as long settlement cycles, fragmented liquidity, and high operational costs. Blockchain technology offers a fundamentally better financial rail, enabling faster settlement, programmability, and global accessibility.
The Onchain Future of Traditional Finance
We have strong conviction that traditional financial assets will increasingly move onchain. Tokenization is not about replacing existing markets, but enhancing them by unlocking efficiencies, enabling composability, and expanding access for both institutional and retail participants.
As infrastructure matures, we expect continued growth in institutional adoption, with blockchain becoming an integral part of how financial markets operate rather than a parallel system.
Crypto as Infrastructure
We believe many of the most impactful applications will not appear “crypto-native.” Instead, traditional financial products will increasingly leverage blockchain technology in the background for settlement, transparency, and market design, while maintaining familiar user experiences.
In this model, crypto becomes infrastructure and not always the end product.
Unlocking the Next Wave of Retail Participation
As traditional financial products move onchain and usability improves, we believe this shift will usher in the next major wave of retail participation. Onchain equities, commodities, and financial primitives will open global access to markets historically limited by geography, cost, and complexity.
Thesis II: Automation of the Modern Corporation
Separately, Optic Capital invests in AI and robotics companies focused on the automation of large organizations and industrial systems.
We believe many corporations remain burdened by unnecessary human labor embedded in repetitive, manual, or process-heavy work. Advances in AI and robotics now make it possible to perform many of these tasks more efficiently, reliably, and at lower cost than human-driven systems.
Our conviction is that the next decade will see a structural shift toward software- and machine-driven operations across enterprises – spanning back-office workflows, logistics, manufacturing, and physical operations. Companies that enable this transition stand to deliver step-function improvements in productivity, margins, and operational resilience.
This thesis is not predicated on crypto adoption or financial infrastructure, but on the direct replacement of legacy human-centric processes with automated systems.
Our Focus
We invest in early-stage companies (pre-seed through Series A) via our crypto thesis and later round (Series-B+) via our AI/Robotics thesis – with check sizes ranging from $100k to $1M across core global geographies.
We do not invest in GameFi, metaverse, or NFT-focused projects.