Valentine Zlenko

Self-custody AA wallet for onchain treasury management. Backed by Y Combinator (YC S22) and 1kx.

• Built outbound GTM and sales motion from scratch — ICP definition, positioning, messaging, and full tooling setup (Apollo, Clay, Sales Navigator)
• Led PMF discovery through 100+ structured conversations with founders, finance leads, and operators across treasury management, payments, and FinOps
• Closed 5+ pilot partnerships; coordinated with Engineering and Product on integration scoping and roadmap priorities

Advising and leading BD, sales, and GTM functions for early-stage Web3, DeFi, and crypto infrastructure companies. Across 4 engagements: $18M+ TVL onboarded, $5M+ in AVS commitments, and 50+ deals closed.

• Gasp.xyz (EigenLayer trading protocol, Polychain-backed) — Secured ~$5M in AVS commitments from 10 EigenLayer operators. Onboarded $2M+ TVL, closed 7 integrations across wallets and aggregators.
• Coinshift.xyz (Onchain treasury infrastructure) — Onboarded $10M+ TVL for csUSDL yield-bearing stablecoin across LP funds, DAOs, and institutional allocators.
• Aegis.im (Institutional DeFi yield protocol, Riverside Hedge-backed) — Onboarded $3M+ TVL. Shaped institutional LP offering and supported DeFi expansion across money markets.
• Enflux.io (Market making infrastructure) — Built commercial and sales function from zero. Outbound setup, deal flow, and 50+ sales engagements across institutional and crypto-native counterparties.

Cross-chain liquidity aggregator covering 40+ chains and 100+ bridges & DEXes. Backed by Arrington Capital. Led BD and sales across Dev API (B2B integrations) and Galaxy.exchange (retail distribution).

• Built and led BD and sales function from scratch: hired and managed 4-person team (3 SDRs + 1 BD rep); built outbound sales motion — Apollo, Clay, Sales Navigator, ICP targeting, sequences
• Closed 50+ API and platform integrations with wallets, DeFi protocols, fintech teams, and infrastructure providers — running full sales cycle from outbound and qualification through commercial negotiation and technical onboarding
• Launched Galaxy.exchange retail interface via 20+ distribution partnerships; generated $400M+ in attributed on-chain volume over 15 months

DeFi lending protocol with value-capture economics. Backed by JUMP and CMS. Joined as the first BD hire to build the entire BD and sales function from zero.

• Onboarded $5.5M+ in institutional TVL through direct sales to funds, family offices, and crypto-native LPs; closed 15+ integrations with aggregators, wallets, and oracles
• Secured Mantle ecosystem grant and drove L2 expansion; led CEX listing negotiations and market-maker sales

Top-10 European CEX with 4M+ users providing crypto trading, fiat payments, and on-ramp services globally. Joined as a founding team member to build the commercial and sales function from zero.

• Generated $10M+ in total revenue — $5M+ from 150+ listing sales (avg. $35K ACV) and $5M+ in institutional trading fee streams from 40+ onboarded counterparties (market makers, OTC desks, prop trading firms, exchanges)
• Drove $10B+ in institutional trading volume through structured outbound pipeline and key account management
• Led institutional sales to market makers, OTC desks, exchanges, and payment on-ramps — building relationships at C-suite level across Europe and Asia
• Built and managed 20+ person sales team from scratch — SDRs, BD reps, institutional sales; implemented CRM workflows and outbound playbooks
• Closed 30+ ecosystem partnerships with L1/L2s, exchanges, OTC desks, and on-ramps
• Scaled user acquisition to 500K+ new users via KOL and affiliate partnerships