Arthur Hayes and the degen crypto for the investors of the Maelstrom fund

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of the crypto exchange BitMEX, is planning to introduce investors in the Maelstrom fund, where he serves as CIO, to the world of "degen crypto." This strategy will involve investing in shitcoins related to decentralized science (DeSci).

In a blog post, Hayes announced that he will be turning investors into "crypto degens" as part of a "degen crypto mode," aiming to bet on shitcoins in the trending sector of DeSci.

“In my role as Chief Investment Officer of Maelstrom, I will encourage the fund’s investors to turn the risk dial to DEGEN. A first step in this direction is our decision to enter the burgeoning field of decentralized science shitcoins. We love undervalued shits and have purchased $BIO; $VITA; $ATH; $GROW; $PSY; $CRYO; $NEURON.”

The first shitcoins that Maelstrom purchased in "Degen crypto mode" include BIO, VITA; ATH, GROW, PSY, CRYO, NEURON.

Maelstrom, an investment fund managed by Hayes's family office, is designed to build a long-term portfolio of infrastructure companies that will serve as the foundation for the next wave of trustless decentralization.

The fund typically invests in the venture stage at the $100,000 to $250,000 range (equity + token) and brings differentiated value to the capital tables: experience, relationships, and resources from having built one of the first profitable unicorns in the space from the ground up.

However, Maelstrom is now aiming to embody the spirit of "degen crypto" participants who enthusiastically pursue new coins and tokens with the hope of achieving substantial gains. The term "degen" is derived from impulsive behavior in gambling.

Degen Crypto by Maelstrom Fund: the Decentralised science – DeSci

Hayes is specifically guiding investors in the Maelstrom Fund to become "crypto degens" in the realm of DeSci projects (Decentralized Science).

In another post on X, Hayes delved into DeSci, commenting on the Bio Protocol token (BIO) that debuted on Binance’s Launchpad on January 3, 2025. Two minutes after listing, BIO saw incredible success, achieving a performance of +2400%.

Moreover, Hayes is highlighting the developments within the DeSci ecosystem, where the inaugural BioDAOs (VitaDAO for longevity, CryoDAO for conservation, etc.) are unlocking rewards in BIO for believing in the ecosystem from the beginning. These rewards for the BioDAOs are massive in scale.

While the e BioDAOs are set to make money with BIO rewards and the market has missed out on those, Hayes argues that DeSci is one of the few new narratives in the space that many market participants have not yet heard about. According to Kaito’s precise, highly scientific, and foolproof calculations, DeSci mindshare increased by 2640% (lol, I know) in 2024, but it remains tiny compared to other themes monitored by Kaito. The situation is about to change… we are ready for a sector rotationContinuing on, Hayes mentions how key crypto figures are also entering the DeSci space, including Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum, Changpeng CZ Zhao of Binance, Brian Armstrong of Coinbase, and more.

Is Kucoin the preferred exchange for degen crypto?

Back in July 2024, it was reported that KuCoin had emerged as the favorite crypto exchange for "degen crypto." The platform offers attractive investment tools that appeal to this category of trader or user. On KuCoin, one can trade a vast selection of memecoins and low market cap coins, all with competitive fees and high security.