The new investment fund, called Maximum Frequency Ventures (MFV), aims to invest in Web3 infrastructure projects, consumer crypto, and AI-native networks in Asia.
Former Aptos CEO Mo Shaikh launches $50 million investment fund focusing on Web3 and AI in Asia
From Aptos to Maximum Frequency Ventures
- According to information from The Block , Mo Shaikh and three former senior leaders of Aptos Labs have successfully raised $50 million for Maximum Frequency Ventures' first fund.
I can count on one hand the number of crypto VCs with operator experience.
— Mo Shaikh (@moshaikhs) October 14, 2025
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great investors in the space right now. But too many funds write checks and too few help founders actually build. And it's holding the industry back. @neilhar_ … https://t.co/F6Y5Dt2bD3
- The founding team includes:
Neil Harounian – Aptos' first employee, held the position of Head of Ecosystem.
Alexandre Tang – former Head of APAC Institutions.
Jerome ONG – former Ecosystem Lead Asia-Pacific region.
- The quartet Chia that MFV is “the fund we wish had existed when we were building Aptos,” both a Venture Capital and focused on supporting founders “from day one to global scale.”
- Unlike the traditional VC fund model that only invests Capital, MFV is operated by people who have developed products (operator-led capital), so they understand the startup process and are willing to participate deeply in the project development process.
- The fund combines the strategic thinking of a VC, the speed of an accelerator, and the commitment of a studio, accompanying founders throughout the journey, from product testing to scaling.
- Selected startups will participate in the “founder residency” program, receiving direct support from the team that built Aptos.
- Mo Shaikh Chia :
“Our goal is to prove that operator-led Capital outperforms passive Capital . Five years from now, I want to see successful startups saying that MFV helped us create a truly viable and sustainable company.”
Asia Priority
- According to a representative of Maximum Frequency Ventures (MFV), more than half of the investors (LPs) and more than 50% of the fund's current portfolio are of Asian origin, including many family offices in the US, East Asia and Southeast Asia.
- As of the time of publication, MFV has disbursed approximately $5 million to its first six startups, spanning across strategic regions — from Texas to Abu Dhabi to Seoul.
- MFV's investment strategy aims to connect global innovation hubs with booming markets in Asia, where product development is fast and crypto users are active.
- MFV's founding team believes that Asia will be at the epicenter of the next wave of Web3, not only because of its abundant tech talent, but also because governments in the region, from Singapore, South Korea, Japan to the UAE, are increasingly open to crypto regulatory frameworks.
- Mo Shaikh said:
“About half of our LPs are from Asia, and so is the majority of our portfolio. This is not a coincidence, but a result of our belief that Asia is the intersection of Web3 and AI.”
Mo Shaikh's Post- Aptos Journey
- Prior to launching MFV, Mo Shaikh had a solid finance career at KPMG and BlackRock, then joined Meta to lead strategic partnerships for the Libra/Diem project.
- When Meta abandoned its stablecoin ambitions, Mo and his partner Avery Ching split off to found Aptos, a Layer-1 blockchain using the MOVE language.
- Under his leadership, Aptos Labs raised over $400 million from major funds such as a16z, Jump Crypto , and FTX Ventures, making Aptos one of the most notable Layer-1 Token .
- In December 2024, Mo Shaikh announced his resignation as CEO to start a new chapter, before reappearing as the founder of MFV.
- The launch of MFV comes amid a decline in crypto investment funds. According to Pitchbook, total Capital in crypto startups globally fell by 55% in the second quarter of 2025 alone, to $6.8 billion, the lowest level since 2020.
- However, Mo Shaikh believes that it is during this “cold Capital” period that funds with real operational capacity can prove their value.
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