Trump Crypto Advisor David Bailey Raises $300M for Public Bitcoin Firm ‘Nakamoto’
David Bailey, CEO of BTC Inc. and a key crypto advisor to former President Donald Trump, has secured $300 million to launch Nakamoto, a publicly traded Bitcoin investment company. CNBC has confirmed the fundraise, which consists of $200 million in equity and $100 million in convertible debt. The Information first reported the development.
The company, named after Bitcoin’s mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto, plans to acquire and hold Bitcoin, merging with a Nasdaq-listed firm in a deal set to be announced next week. A public listing is expected this summer.
Nakamoto also plans to invest globally, targeting firms in Brazil, Thailand, and South Africa, and injecting Bitcoin into their operations, according to a source familiar with the matter. An advisory board featuring high-profile industry names will help guide the venture.
The move echoes a growing trend among Bitcoin investment vehicles positioning themselves as proxies for BTC exposure in traditional capital markets. These firms often mirror strategies first implemented by Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy (now Strategy), which began converting reserves into Bitcoin in 2020 and became one of the largest institutional holders of the cryptocurrency.
This model is gaining traction globally. Japan’s Metaplanet Inc. announced on Tuesday that it added 555 BTC to its treasury, spending $49.6 million (¥7.67 billion). The Tokyo-listed firm now holds 5,555 BTC, worth over $482 million at current prices. Metaplanet’s ongoing Bitcoin accumulation is part of a broader corporate pivot to convert capital into BTC amid increasing global macroeconomic uncertainty.
Their latest purchase came just as China confirmed it would resume trade talks with the U.S., signaling renewed diplomatic engagement while warning against “coercive and blackmailing tactics.” The geopolitical backdrop may further validate Metaplanet’s Bitcoin-heavy strategy, as companies hedge against sovereign risk and fiat currency volatility.
Meanwhile, Jack Mallers, CEO of Strike, has launched Twenty One, a similar Bitcoin-holding venture backed by SoftBank and Tether, raising billions in capital.
“What we really pride ourselves on is being blue-chip credibility with startup upside,” Mallers told CNBC Crypto World. “We feel like we’re big enough to win entering the market with billions of dollars of capital upon launch, but we’re small enough to grow and we’re small enough to post bitcoin-denominated returns in what’s becoming a really competitive capital markets appetite for bitcoin exposure.”
As firms like Nakamoto and Metaplanet commit large-scale capital to Bitcoin, they are shaping a new institutional blueprint—one that sees Bitcoin not just as a speculative asset, but a core corporate reserve and macro hedge.
