Solana Agency SOL Methods Hits the Nasdaq: 'Being Underestimated Is an Benefit', Says CEO – Decrypt

Solana infrastructure and treasury agency SOL Methods sees itself as an underdog in an more and more crowded market of publicly traded crypto companies and digital asset treasuries—nevertheless it doesn’t thoughts. 

Shares within the Canadian-based enterprise went dwell for buying and selling on the Nasdaq Change on Tuesday, growing its publicity to buyers past the Canadian Inventory Change and OTC markets the place it beforehand traded.

Although shares completed the buying and selling day up 7.5% to $7.37 on Friday, they ended the week down 43% from the debut.

“I do see us as an underdog,” SOL Methods CEO Leah Wald informed Decrypt. “We’re a tiny expertise firm on the market in a sea of expertise corporations.”

Wald, who turned the agency’s CEO in July 2024 after years of working within the crypto business, stated she appreciates the chance to take the struggle to bigger and higher established companies within the area.

“Being underestimated is totally a bonus. It offers us room to execute and give attention to constructing with out the distractions that include being overhyped,” she stated. “In crypto, being underestimated usually means you’re doing one thing proper. The market rewards substance over hype in the long term, and that’s precisely the place we wish to be positioned.” 

In that effort, the agency has positioned itself as a core contributor to the Solana ecosystem, working a validator enterprise that earns yield from property delegated or staked to its validators. 

Based mostly on its August enterprise replace, it now has 3.6 million SOL delegated to its validators or higher than $820 million in property underneath delegation, serving to it greater than double its annualized revenues in Q2 when in comparison with This fall of final 12 months.

From these delegated property, it earns round an 8% yield, a proportion just like what it earns for staking the property held in its Solana treasury through its owned validators, offering it a dual-income stream it known as “market-agnostic” in a current investor presentation. 

In different phrases, it can earn a proportion on the property delegated to its validators no matter whether or not SOL’s value goes up or down. 

Constructing an efficient enterprise is the successful technique that can finally permit the agency to succeed the place others could fail,” stated Wald, who characterizes SOL Methods as a “digital property treasury (DAT)++.” 

“It’s the three-to-five 12 months technique to be the digital asset treasury (DAT)—plus, plus,” Wald informed Decrypt.

“The market likes the DAT story,” she stated. “We’ve got a large SOL treasury and it’s an specific mandate of mine to develop it… however the plus being the enterprise—that’s the place I believe others will fail.” 

Wald says the extra plus comes from the alignment of its treasury and validator enterprise. 

Along with the three.6 million SOL delegated to its validators, the agency additionally holds greater than 435,000 SOL—practically $100 million price—on its steadiness sheet as a part of its treasury technique, putting it among the many largest publicly traded Solana treasury corporations. 

It wasn’t all the time centered on Solana although. 

It solely obtained its new title a 12 months in the past this month, rebranding from Cypherpunk Holdings to SOL Methods to align its model with the speedy layer-1. Previous to the change, the agency had already begun cementing its give attention to Solana although, promoting off Bitcoin holdings and shares of Animoca Manufacturers to assist bolster its treasury. 

Regardless of being early to the Solana treasury pattern, accumulating SOL lengthy earlier than the asset made its new all-time excessive of $293 in January, Wald stated she’s “solely turn into extra bullish” on Solana, citing the community’s group and developer exercise.