Strive named Ben Werkman its chief investment officer on October 6, 2025, hiring him away from Swan Bitcoin to run the company's Bitcoin treasury strategy under Chairman and CEO Matt Cole1. Werkman's new title carried a second change. “With his appointment as CIO of Strive, Mr. Werkman will become a board observer,” the company's filing said.
The second executive hire at Strive on the record since 2025
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 7, 2025 | Cole became CEO. Matt Cole was named Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Strive |
| Sept. 15, 2025 | Rochard joined the board. Pierre Rochard joined the board of Strive |
| Sept. 16, 2025 | Walton became Chief Risk Officer. Jeff Walton was named Chief Risk Officer, Strive, and Chief Executive Officer, True North of Strive |
| Oct. 6, 2025 | Werkman became Chief Investment Officer. Ben Werkman was named Chief Investment Officer of Strive |
59 executive hires on the record in 2025, the most of any year
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2025: 59
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
| 2026 | 45 |
The move
Strive's own release described Werkman's prior post at Swan Bitcoin by its most concrete result. “Most recently, he served as CIO at Swan Bitcoin, where his focus has been on capital-raising initiatives and the implementation of the first treasury services partnership with a public Bitcoin treasury company, Sequans Communications S.A.,” the filing said1. Before Swan, Werkman founded NumerisX, "a boutique Bitcoin treasury advisory firm". He spent more than nine years at KPMG before that, on governance and corporate strategy. His career began in commercial banking, during the global financial crisis.
Werkman described the timing of the hire in his own terms. “I'm thrilled to join Strive at this pivotal moment in Bitcoin's history where digital credit is emerging as the next frontier of corporate finance,” he said. “Strive has the vision, the capital structure, and the expertise to be a leader in this transition, and I'm excited to help advance our mission forward.”1
Cole answered with his own read on what the hire added to a team he already called strong. “Bringing Ben onboard full time at Strive as our Chief Investment Officer is a large talent boost to our already strong Bitcoin treasury team,” Cole said. “I'm confident in our team's ability to lead in strategic decision making and communications for the years to come in pursuit of our goal to increase Bitcoin per share for common equity shareholders and outperform Bitcoin over the long run.”1
Before and after the hire
Werkman had a connection to Strive before the hire took him full time. Strive's board filing from September 15, 2025, three weeks earlier, had already listed him as a director identified by his Swan role: "Ben Werkman, CIO of Swan, Inc."3. October 6 moved him from an outside board seat tied to a different company into an executive post inside Strive itself, trading that board seat for the board-observer status the new role carried1.
In his new job, Werkman will “oversee the Company's investment strategy, with a focus on capital deployment, risk management frameworks, and advancing Bitcoin initiatives,” the filing said1. Strive's own asset management arm had grown to manage over $2 billion in assets since launching its first ETF in August 2022.
What to watch
The test for Werkman's hire is capital deployment, the activity his own title names. Watch how much Bitcoin Strive adds to its balance sheet under his investment strategy. Bitcoin per share, the figure Cole's statement names as the goal, matters too, measured against Bitcoin's own price over the next several quarters. Strive's SEC filings will carry its next disclosure of Bitcoin holdings, a number to compare against the $2 billion in assets the company reported managing at the time of Werkman's hire.
Sources
- Strive, Inc., "Strive Appoints Ben Werkman as Chief Investment Officer to Advance Bitcoin Strategy," Strive, Inc. (SEC Exhibit 99.1), Oct. 6, 2025, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1920406/000121390025096276/ea026032801ex99-1_strive.htm
- citybiz staff, "Strive Appoints Ben Werkman as Chief Investment Officer," citybiz, Oct. 6, 2025, https://www.citybiz.co/article/754799/strive-appoints-ben-werkman-as-chief-investment-officer/
- Strive, Inc., "Strive Announces Board of Directors and Initial Bitcoin Strategy," Strive, Inc. (SEC Exhibit 99.1), Sep. 15, 2025, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1920406/000121390025087413/ea025732701ex99-1_strive.htm