At Grey Area Consulting

We build frameworks that deliver measurable results. These case studies reflect the depth and versatility of our work across asset management, blockchain, fintech, and mission-driven organizations.

Each project reflects Grey Area’s signature blend of strategic execution, operational excellence, and narrative design — tailored to unlock long-term impact for both for-profit & nonprofit clients.

Case 1 - DEX’s Dive into Crypto Derivatives

Client: A Decentralized Exchange (DEX) launching crypto derivatives to expand their ecosystem.

Industry: DeFi, Crypto Derivatives, DEX Trading

Service Provided: Product Market Fit Analysis, Client Discovery, Custom Institutional Deals; Sales & Distribution Pipeline

Timeframe: 6 months

  • 1️⃣ Design Product & Service offerings through product market fit analysis.

    2️⃣ Expand AUM by identifying & onboarding institutional traders and early investors

    3️⃣ Establish the DEX as a leading derivatives venue.

  • 🔹 Proprietary Client Discovery Matrix – Ranked institutional investors based on likelihood of adopting or trading crypto derivatives, filtering by AUM size, risk appetite, & product alignment.

    🔹 Cold Outreach & Warm Introductions – Initiated direct engagement campaigns targeting hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and crypto-native funds.

    🔹 Liquidity Incentive Structures – Designed institutional-grade fee discounts & trading rebates to improve volume & market depth.

  • 🚀 $250M+ in new AUM onboarded, increasing overall liquidity.

    🚀 7 out of 10 targeted hedge funds onboarded as early liquidity providers.

    🚀 DEX derivatives trading volume grew 5x, establishing the platform as a serious competitor in DeFi markets.

Case 2 - ETF Seeking Market Leadership

  • 1️⃣ Protect market share and maintain dominance amid competition.

    2️⃣ Expand investor adoption through targeted distribution & partnerships.

    3️⃣ Enhance ETF narrative & positioning to counter low-cost alternatives.

  • 🔹 Strategic Partnerships – Secured exclusive agreements with major RIA platforms & institutional custodians to ensure ETF adoption.

    🔹 GTM & 30,60, 90 Execution Plan –
    Built a repeatable outbound + inbound pipeline to target allocators, hedge funds, crypto desks, and RIAs.

    🔹 Sales & Distribution Expansion –Designed a high-touch institutional sales strategy, prioritizing UHNW investors & hedge funds.

    🔹 Narrative Evangelism & KPI Forecasting – Reframed the ETF as a “premium access vehicle” to digital assets, reinforcing crypto native expertise and performance differentiation over fee competition.

  • 🚀 Maintained $26B+ AUM in defensive sales despite increasing competition.

    🚀 50% growth in new institutional investor adoption, expanding reach to global wealth managers.

    🚀 Increased ETF liquidity by 4x, reducing bid-ask spreads & improving market efficiency.

Client: A Crypto ETF Issuer facing competition from low-fee rivals

Industry: Asset Management, ETF Markets, TradFi to DeFi

Service Provided: Inbound Sales & Investor Relations, Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy, CRM Optimization, Thought Leadership

Timeframe: 9 months

Case 3 - Sustainability: From Boardrooms to Farming Fields

Our founder’s deep passion for sustainability has expanded from advising institutional investors…to also advising sustainability NGOs & grassroots organizations in the field of regenerative agriculture.

Grey Area applies growth-building frameworks from her business background, empowering organizations to scale their impact through operational clarity, strategic fundraising, and narrative resonance.

A 501c3 focused on regenerative agriculture had a strong mission of supplying organic produce to local food pantries experiencing federal funding cuts.

However, they were limited by operational inefficiencies, a fragmented donor strategy, and an underdeveloped digital presence. The organization needed to improve its internal systems, communicate impact more effectively, and significantly grow its fundraising base.

Client: Regenerative Agriculture & Food Systems 501c3
Industry: Nonprofit / Sustainability / Food Access Service Provided: Operational Diagnostic, Donor Advised Fund, Social Media Campaign
Timeframe: 3 months

  • 1️⃣ Evangelize the narrative of the Organization via strategic social media campaigns & digital marketing.

    2️⃣ Incorporate new systems & SOPs for operational efficiency.

    3️⃣ Increase donor base and annual fundraising milestones.

  • 🔹 Fundraising & Grant Strategy: Developed a full-cycle fundraising and grant writing strategy, including calendarized outreach, custom pitch decks, and direct coaching on high-touch donor conversations.

    🔹 Digital Marketing & Social Media Campaigns: Launched a refreshed brand identity across all digital platforms, including 3-month content calendar highlighting success stories, community impact, and calls to action.

    🔹 Narrative Strategy & Board Enablement: Helped craft mission-aligned messaging for newsletters, grant applications, and board-level storytelling tools.

  • Raised $400,000+ in grant funding and donor contributions within 6 months

    60% + in social media engagement and 3x growth in Instagram followers during campaign period.

    Secured 5 institutional partnerships in creating Donor Advised Funds to increase funding channels.

    20% + in donor conversion driven by new digital storytelling content.

    30% + in operational efficiency, freeing internal staff to focus on mission delivery.

Case 4 - Insitutional Adoption of L1 Blockchain

Client: A Layer‑1 blockchain company cutting-edge DeFi infrastructure but struggling to convert institutional interest into committed capital.

Industry: Blockchain / Institutional Crypto Investments

Service Provided: Custom Multi-Product & Service Deals, Biz Dev, GTM

Timeframe: 1 year

  • 1️⃣ Attract institutional capital by designing investments that meet the standards of hedge funds, family offices, and asset managers.


    2️⃣ Increase on-chain activity and TVL by incentivizing institutional trading and long-term commitment through liquidity pools & rewards.


    3️⃣ Build a go-to-market (GTM) strategy and sales pipeline tailored specifically to institutional allocators.


    4️⃣ Elevate regulatory readiness and operational trustworthiness to remove adoption barriers across multiple jurisdictions.

  • 🔹 Custom Deal Structuring:
    Designed compliant and appealing investment vehicles—discounted token sales, OTC derivatives, and institutional liquidity pools with risk-adjusted features (e.g., vesting, APYs, governance rights) tailored to institutional risk appetites.

    🔹 GTM & Direct Sales Build-Out:
    Built a repeatable outbound + inbound pipeline to target allocators, hedge funds, crypto desks, and RIAs.

    🔹 Institutional-Grade Marketing:
    Created whitepapers, pitch decks, tokenomics sheets, risk disclosures, and ROI calculators that met the needs of compliance officers and investment committees.

    🔹 Ops Regulatory Readiness:
    Led reviews on smart contract compliance, on-chain governance audits, vendor legal assessments, and jurisdictional readiness—especially across US, EU, and offshore hubs.

  • 🚀 $250M+ in new AUM onboarded, increasing overall liquidity.

    🚀 7 out of 10 targeted hedge funds onboarded as early liquidity providers.

    🚀 DEX derivatives trading volume grew 5x, establishing the platform as a serious competitor in DeFi markets.

Explore how we’ve partnered with startups, funds, and NGOs…

  • Design and execute go-to-market strategies

  • Build high-performing sales funnels

  • Secure institutional adoption and capital commitments

  • Align operations with compliance, storytelling, and growth

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