Ryan Watkins

Ryan Watkins is a co-founder of Syncracy Capital, a thesis-driven crypto hedge fund based in New York and founded in 2022.^[2][6][7] Before founding Syncracy Capital, Watkins served as a Senior Research Analyst at Messari and as an Investment Banking Analyst at Moelis & Company.^[2][6] His professional path moved from traditional investment banking into cryptocurrency research and management, following an academic background in finance and computer science.

Early Life and Education

Ryan Watkins attended Seton Hall Preparatory School from 2010 to 2014, completing his secondary education there.^[2] He then studied at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business from 2014 to 2018, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Computer Science.^[2][3]

Career Prior to Syncracy

Watkins’ interest in cryptocurrencies developed during college, particularly after attending the Consensus conference in 2016 and during the 2017 Ethereum bull market.^[4]

After graduation, Watkins joined Moelis & Company in July 2018 as an Investment Banking Analyst, where he worked until October 2019, covering deals in the technology, telecom, and fintech sectors.^[5]

In fall 2019, Watkins moved into full-time crypto research by joining Messari as a Research Analyst (October 2019–September 2020) and was later promoted to Senior Research Analyst (September 2020–December 2021). During this period, he was among the early analysts to explore and explain emerging on-chain data, contributing to the firm’s research efforts.^[5][2]

Syncracy Capital

In 2022, Ryan Watkins co-founded Syncracy Capital with Daniel Cheung.^[2] The New York-based firm is described as a thesis-driven hedge fund making concentrated investments in selected cryptocurrency projects.^[6][7] Per independent reporting, Syncracy launched with approximately $85 million in seed funding, backed by investors including Bain Capital.^[5]

As part of this investment approach, the firm has published research theses on projects including Solana and Hyperliquid that argue for their long-term positioning in the cryptoeconomy. In his commentary, Watkins has referenced and built on the Solana Foundation's "Internet Capital Markets" thesis, arguing that Solana is well-positioned to capture growth as capital markets and payments use cases move on-chain.^[4][1]

Public Presence and Media

Watkins maintains a public presence through podcast appearances and published research, including long-form analysis on DeFi and crypto markets and interviews discussing his transition from investment banking into cryptocurrency research.^[8] He has appeared on The Block’s podcast "The Scoop" to discuss Solana, Ethereum, and the search for "generational winners" in crypto markets, and on the Solana Foundation’s Lightspeed podcast to outline Syncracy’s Solana investment thesis and views on the broader crypto cycle.^[9][10]

He also participates in public speaking and industry collaborations that address the potential and challenges associated with blockchain and cryptocurrencies.^[6] As of 2026, Watkins continues to serve as co-founder of Syncracy Capital, focusing on investment research and long-term strategy for the fund.^[6][2]