Evgeny Gokhberg is a finance professional and entrepreneur who is the founder of Re7 Capital, a quantitative investment firm that specializes in decentralized finance (DeFi) and digital asset strategies. After a career in traditional finance (TradFi) at institutions including UBS and Deutsche Bank, he transitioned to the cryptocurrency sector. Gokhberg focuses on developing yield-generating, market-neutral, and risk-managed investment approaches within the DeFi ecosystem. ^[2]​

Education

Gokhberg’s higher education began in 2008 with an international entrepreneurship program at the Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. He then studied at Northumbria University from 2008 to 2009, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance and Investment Management. Following his undergraduate studies, Gokhberg attended Imperial College London from 2009 to 2010, completing a Master of Science degree in Finance. Later in his career, he also completed a certificate program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University. ^[3]

Career

Gokhberg began his professional career in 2008 as an intern at Société Générale, gaining early exposure to financial markets and banking operations. In 2009, he worked as a research assistant at Northumbria University, supporting academic research projects related to finance and investment. From July 2010 to November 2012, Gokhberg served as a junior fund manager at Griffin Capital Management. In this role, he was involved in portfolio management, investment analysis, and supporting senior fund managers in asset allocation decisions.

He joined UBS in November 2012 as a Director in Wealth Management, a position he held until June 2018. During this period, he worked with high-net-worth clients, providing investment advisory services and managing diversified portfolios. In June 2018, Gokhberg moved to Everledger, where he served as Head of Europe and Head of Commercials until October 2020. His responsibilities included overseeing regional operations and developing commercial strategies for the company’s blockchain-based solutions. In early 2020, he briefly acted as a mentor for ETHGlobal, supporting participants in blockchain-focused hackathons. From October 2020 to July 2021, he worked at Deutsche Bank as a Senior Investment Manager, focusing on institutional investment management.

Gokhberg has been involved with several industry and community initiatives alongside his primary roles. Since January 2017, he has served as a mentor with Techstars, advising early-stage startups. In August 2020, he joined MetaCartel, a decentralized autonomous organization supporting Web3 projects. In July 2021, he founded Re7 Capital, an investment firm focused on digital assets. In 2022, he participated in the Gitcoin Kernel KB5 fellowship program, completing an apprenticeship centered on Web3 governance, community building, and decentralized finance. ^[1]

Re7 Capital

Gokhberg founded Re7 Capital in July 2021 to focus exclusively on digital asset investment strategies. The firm is described as an investment and operations entity dedicated to decentralized ecosystems. The firm's primary investment approach centers on DeFi yield generation through liquidity provisioning in peer-to-peer capital markets. This market-neutral strategy is designed to perform in volatile conditions and is distinct from the venture capital models common in the crypto industry. Gokhberg has compared these liquidity provision activities to the core functions of traditional banking, but executed within a decentralized framework. A secondary "alpha-enhancing" strategy involves liquid venture investments in DeFi and its enabling infrastructure.

Re7 Capital also operates Re7 Labs, a research and development arm that curates on-chain risk, advises DeFi protocols using proprietary tools, and contributes to ecosystem design and development. The firm developed its own risk management framework called "Re7 DeFi Ratings," which assigns traditional credit-style ratings (e.g., AAA, AA) to DeFi protocols. These ratings are a key input for the firm's asset allocation models and combine conventional risk assessment with methods for quantifying software-specific risks. ^{[2] [5]}​

Interviews

Managing Risk

In a December 2025 interview on the BitcoinYield podcast, Gokhberg discussed his transition from roles at UBS and Deutsche Bank into decentralized finance and outlined structural differences between traditional financial institutions and open blockchain systems. He explained how conventional firms tend to use private blockchains for internal efficiency, contrasting this with the transparent, permissionless nature of DeFi. Gokhberg described key risks in decentralized finance, particularly smart contract vulnerabilities, and emphasized the importance of evaluating investments based on risk-adjusted returns rather than headline yields. He noted that no asset in DeFi is truly risk-free, comparing stablecoins to traditional low-risk instruments while acknowledging their potential weaknesses. The discussion covered Re7 Capital’s approach to Bitcoin yield strategies, including staking, lending, and options-based methods designed to diversify risk exposure. Gokhberg also clarified the function of DeFi vaults and the need for investors to understand their underlying mechanics. Additional topics included market conditions during downturns, the implications of blockchain companies pursuing public listings, and the importance of token utility beyond speculation. He concluded by stressing responsible investment practices and cautioning against reliance on hype or superficial performance indicators. ^[6]

Generating Strategies in Crypto

In December 2025, Gokhberg participated in a fireside chat with Pierre Henry (EXPAAM) at Solana Breakpoint, where he discussed the nature of yield in cryptocurrency markets and how institutional-grade yield varies across blockchains and financial mechanisms. He outlined different yield sources, including staking, lending, and trading, and noted structural differences across ecosystems such as Solana and Ethereum-based networks. Gokhberg explained that yield levels do not always directly reflect risk, emphasizing the need to distinguish between asset risk and protocol or software risk. He addressed challenges institutions face due to a limited understanding of decentralized finance, particularly the tendency to apply traditional financial risk frameworks to software-driven systems. The conversation explored parallels between DeFi risk and credit risk, highlighting the importance of assessing existential threats when constructing portfolios. Gokhberg also discussed the role of liquidity providers in maintaining market efficiency and the importance of understanding supply-and-demand dynamics. Reflecting on lessons from the 2022 market downturn, he emphasized risk management and platform selection as key factors in preserving capital. He concluded by discussing the long-term outlook for crypto yields, the impact of market commoditization, and the role of market-neutral strategies in providing stable returns and diversification for institutional investors. ^[7]

TradFi to DeFi

In a July 2025 episode of the Angels to Allocators podcast, Gokhberg discussed his transition from traditional to decentralized finance, describing the professional skepticism he encountered along the way. He outlined his background in conventional financial institutions and explained how his interest in DeFi developed between 2019 and 2020, ultimately leading to the founding of Re7 Capital. Gokhberg described his investment approach as distinct from the venture capital models common in the crypto sector, focusing instead on yield generation and market-neutral strategies that perform well in volatile conditions. He explained Re7 Capital’s liquidity provision activities, comparing them to traditional banking functions within a decentralized framework, and detailed the operational and technical complexities involved. The conversation also covered the firm’s risk assessment framework, which evaluates platform security and operational reliability before capital deployment. Additional topics included the management of limited partner investments, expectations for convergence between decentralized and traditional finance, and reflections on entrepreneurship and decision-making under uncertainty. ^[4]

DePIN, SocialFi & DeFi Vaults

In a June 2025 episode of the Alt Funds Network podcast, Gokhberg discussed his transition from traditional finance to cryptocurrency and decentralized finance, describing his early involvement with Ethereum and experience developing DeFi investment strategies. He explained the function of DeFi “vaults,” comparing them to conventional financial products used for risk management and capital allocation across multiple protocols. The conversation covered key risk categories in decentralized finance, including asset, platform, and blockchain risks, and outlined the importance of structured risk assessment frameworks. Gokhberg described the development of proprietary risk evaluation tools at Re7 Capital, designed to assess DeFi platforms using methodologies similar to institutional credit analysis. He also reflected on the maturation of the DeFi sector, noting improvements in risk management practices over time. Additional topics included probabilistic approaches to portfolio construction, potential intersections between DeFi and social finance, and ongoing challenges related to user experience, such as wallet functionality and cross-chain accessibility. ^[5]