About

Our Team

An image of Christopher Smalley, the CIO of the company
Christopher Smalley
Founding Partner, CIO

Chris is a Founding Partner at 1881 Capital Partners. He was a Vice President in investment banking at Truist Securities working on initial public offerings and follow-on equity offerings. He has been personally investing in the digital asset space since 2017 and has worked in the hedge fund and venture capital industries within Web3. He graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce as an Echols Scholar with a degree in Finance and Management. Chris also finished his MBA at the Wharton School of Business. He holds the FINRA Securities Industry Essentials(SIE), and Series 7, 79, and 63

An image of Nitin Manivasagan, the CTO of the company
Nitin Manivasagan
Founding Partner, CTO

Nitin is a Founding Partner at 1881 Capital Partners. He has been working in the digital asset space since 2018. Before coming to Wharton, he was a software engineer at Coinbase Institutional and worked on building security infrastructure for institutions. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Nitin also finished his MBA at the Wharton School of Business, graduating in the Top 5% of the class as a Palmer Scholar. Nitin worked for endowment funds and fund of funds, researching blockchain and cryptocurrency investment opportunities and institutional use cases

An image of Maggie Moore, a summer associate
Maggie Moore
Summer Associate

Maggie is a student currently attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. She specializes in AI and networking engineering. She has been following the digital asset space since 2017 and takes interest in Web3 and the metaverse

Our Advisors

An image of Michael Maloney
Michael Maloney

Michael is a leading blockchain technology and strategy expert and has been active in the blockchain space since 2011. He has extensive technology, advisory, architecture design, and blockchain experience, and is frequently on panels to discuss the future of the asset class. Michael is serving as interim CTO and advisor for several early-stage ventures

An image of Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy

Brian is an investment management professional with a focus on quantitative investment strategy evaluation and formulation, as well as entrepreneurial endeavors. He specializes in strategic asset allocation, security selection, income-generating investment strategies, security industry compliance, and performance analysis. He is Co-Founder and CEO of an online financial advisory platform focused on unbiased, high-quality investment recommendations and is a CFA holder

Lisa Francoeur

Lisa Francoeur is the full-time CRO of Crypto Tutors and is a decorated technologist in blockchain, a self-professed futurist, and a proud Haitian American.  Lisa is ranked in the Top 30 Most Influential People in Crypto, #5 Crypto Females, and #5 Top Black Founders Driving Innovation in Web3. Lisa is known as the "Oprah of Tech'' and is a LinkedIn Content Creator in emerging tech, AI, Blockchain, Digital Assets, and Web3. Lisa's thought leadership is in high demand having spoken at Harvard Kennedy School, Carnegie Hall, Meta, Block, Cash App, Gemini, a16z Cultural Leadership Summit, Essence Festival of Culture, and Earn Your Leisure's Invest Fest. Lisa is celebrated as "One to Watch" from the Haitian Roundtable 1804 list

Nina Blankenship

Nina Blankenship is a National Science Foundation, SBIR recipient, and full time CEO of Crypto Tutors and Crypto For The Culture. Since 2020, Crypto Tutors has been award-winning and known for providing trustworthy Web3 education. Nina is passionate about financial freedom, inclusion, and Web3. While working at LinkedIn for over five years, Nina became the top-ranking media executive and has a course on LinkedIn Learning. Nina is now focused on helping students and professionals understand their pathways to Web3’s lucrative careers

An image of Evan Karnoupakis
Evan Karnoupakis

Evan is an influential blockchain strategist and author working at the intersection of business, technology, and education. He has four publications with O'Reilly Media, including "Blockchain Success Stories" (2021) and "NFTs, the Metaverse, and Everything Web 3.0: the 2023 Guide to the Blockchain and Digital Asset Industry," and contributes to Bitcoin Market Journal. A frequent speaker at companies, conferences, universities, and international delegations, he also provides insights into the regulatory space for government leaders and legislators through his collaborations with Coinbase and The Digital Chamber

Shimon Kogan

Shimon is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Wharton School. He has held several investment management positions and board advisory roles. Shimon enjoys understanding how information is processed in markets and his approach is interdisciplinary, integrating tools and insights from machine learning and AI. His research has appeared in Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Finance, and American Economic Review

Our Value Proposition

Digital Asset Expertise

Deep technical and fundamental knowledge of digital asset ecosystems, coupled with a principled, long-term investment approach

Client Education

Build an understanding of the economic principles driving the digital asset sector, while proactively providing transparency into the value of our investment decisions

Experienced Team

Seasoned professionals with extensive backgrounds in investment banking, venture capital, portfolio management, and computer science, complemented by 14 years of experience in digital assets