RockawayX, a global digital asset investment platform with approximately $2 billion in assets under management, today announced the acquisition of Relayer Capital, a digital asset hedge fund founded by Austin Barack. Following the transaction, Relayer will become the RockawayX Liquid Opportunities Fund, with Barack joining RockawayX as CIO of the Fund and continuing to lead its investment strategy.
The Fund, which is open to new external investors, is a directional long/short hedge fund strategy focused on identifying undervalued liquid tokens and crypto-related equities. The acquisition adds a liquid fundamental strategy to RockawayX’s existing investment platform and expands the firm’s presence in the US, where Barack is based in the New York area.
“We have always been disciplined about adding new strategies to RockawayX. We only expand when we have the right people and investment approach, and conviction we can outperform,” said Viktor Fischer, CEO of RockawayX. “This is the right moment for the strategy. There are now crypto businesses with real revenues and strong fundamentals that we can underwrite, yet the market is still inefficient and misprices them. That is a great setup for active investors. We’ve known and invested alongside Austin for six years, and he has consistently shown the judgment to find those opportunities early.”
Fundamental approach to increasingly mature onchain markets
Relayer's liquid strategy has delivered strong performance in 2026, delivering an estimated net return of approximately 70% year to date, outperforming an equal-weighted basket of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana by 86% (as of Aug 21, 2026). Performance has been driven by early, high-conviction investments across two of the market’s major themes: AI and the growth of 24/7 onchain real world asset (RWA) trading. Positions in Venice AI, Hyperliquid, Grass Network, Pump.fun, and Zcash have been significant performance contributors.
The strategy uses long and short positions, including pair trades, to express fundamental views on crypto tokens while reducing broader market exposure when appropriate.
Crypto Markets Regaining Momentum
The launch comes as investor interest in digital assets is increasing again. Bitcoin posted its strongest weekly gain in two and a half years, rising approximately 20% in the week to August 21st, as digital assets benefited from renewed demand for risk assets and a more constructive U.S. regulatory backdrop, including advancement of proactive SEC and CFTC digital asset focused rule-making, that would establish market structure for digital assets.
Austin Barack commented, “I believe we have seen clear signs that crypto markets have bottomed. The fund is focused on growth, value, and category leaders with durable market share. The market is ripe for this strategy as these assets remain meaningfully undervalued. The current setup presents opportunities similar to the emergence from prior bear markets in 2020 and 2023 when we saw major positive price re-ratings.”
Joining RockawayX gives the Relayer strategy access to a broader institutional platform while preserving continuity of its investment process. RockawayX also operates dedicated digital asset infrastructure and onchain liquidity divisions, giving its investment teams an advantage in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities across onchain markets.
The acquisition broadens RockawayX’s offering to investors and crypto companies. Across its venture, market-neutral and now directional liquid strategies, the firm provides investors with different risk-return profiles within digital assets. For crypto founders, RockawayX can provide capital across a company’s lifecycle, from early-stage venture investment through liquidity provisioning and into public markets following token launch.
About RockawayX
RockawayX is a global digital asset investment platform with approximately $2 billion in assets under management and 60 team members globally. The firm invests across venture, market-neutral and liquid strategies and operates dedicated infrastructure and onchain liquidity divisions. RockawayX works with digital asset companies and protocols across their full lifecycle, from venture funding and providing initial liquidity, to designing and scaling vault products, and supporting tokens in public markets. Learn more at www.rockawayx.com
DISCLAIMER
This press release is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security, investment product or interest in any fund. Any such offer or solicitation will be made only pursuant to the applicable fund’s definitive offering documents and only in jurisdictions where permitted by law and to investors who satisfy applicable eligibility requirements.
Any performance information presented herein is estimated, unaudited and subject to change, including any performance for the current month or other period that has not yet ended. Final performance may differ materially from the estimates presented. Performance figures may reflect reinvestment of gains and losses and should be considered together with the applicable fund’s fees, expenses and other terms as described in its offering documents. Comparisons to digital assets, indices or other benchmarks are provided for illustrative purposes only; such comparisons may not represent an appropriate benchmark for the strategy and may differ materially in volatility, risk, liquidity and other characteristics.
Past performance is not indicative of, and does not guarantee, future results. Investing involves substantial risk, including the possible loss of some or all invested capital. Digital assets and related investments may experience significant volatility and involve additional risks, including regulatory, technological, liquidity, custody and market risks.
Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, including statements regarding market conditions, investment opportunities, regulatory developments, anticipated growth, future performance and the expected benefits of the acquisition. Such statements reflect current views and assumptions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances. Actual outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied, and RockawayX undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by applicable law.
