#5: Brane Inc.
In the unpredictable world of cryptocurrency, Brane has become a safe haven. The financial-technology company’s mission is to demystify the confusing and ever-changing landscape of digital assets—blockchain, crypto and non-fungible tokens included—for its largely conservative clientele.
Since regulators have struggled to keep up with the pace of digital assets, institutional investors have been wary of developing their own infrastructure to protect their crypto portfolios. Brane brings to the table a flexible and easy-to-use platform of custodial services, bolstered by advanced cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. It’s not just the services Brane provides that make the company innovative. It’s how they do it. While most people associate the crypto market with risk-chasing day traders, Brane focuses on serving big-ticket investors like banks, pension plans, and hedge funds, which can no longer ignore the popularity of crypto and don’t want to miss out on early-stage adoption.
“We’re really following a 200-year history of custody in traditional securities markets,” says Jerome Dwight, who recently ended his tenure as president of Brane. “And institutional investors are starting to see the mainstream potential.”
Brane’s exec team is stacked with Bay Street, tech, and government veterans. (Entrepreneur Adam Miron, the company’s executive chair and interim CEO co-founded the cannabis giant Hexo Corp.) Their focus is on offering clients a salve for their market jitters by providing the seasoned advice, reporting, and security they seek.
This approach has been key in securing a dozen or so early clients, and Brane is betting it will drive future growth too. The firm expects to generate $10 million in revenues this year. In Dwight’s words: “We’re still early innings in this game.”
