Panther Hollow Merchant Bank Launches Today, Blending Venture Capital and Compliant RWA Strategies Across Ethereum, Solana

According to The Block, Panther Hollow Ventures, a New York-based investment firm founded by former crypto attorneys Eric Swartz and Jacqueline Escobar, officially launched its multi-strategy merchant bank today (July 1). The firm combines venture capital, liquid yield strategies, and protocol incubation, focusing on compliant RWA (real-world asset) rails and traditional finance-aligned derivatives protocols across Ethereum, Solana, Canton, and StarkNet.

Panther operates three core vehicles: a pre-seed venture fund targeting crypto and AI infrastructure, a liquid yield fund blending RWA private credit with institutional-grade DeFi strategies, and a dedicated StarkNet strategy available exclusively to liquid yield investors. The firm is currently incubating Stark Rates, an onchain lending and derivatives protocol operating across multiple blockchains, and plans to host accelerators for applications on each supported network.