Christopher Erwin

Founder

LinkedIn

Chris is a 20-year veteran of the media, technology, and commerce industries. His executive experience spans investment banking, venture capital, and new Hollywood. Chris was named by Variety as one of Hollywood’s New Digital Leaders, and earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. He also likes to chase international surf, hike into backcountry powder, interview founders for his podcast, and go to estate sales.

Michael Booth

Director

LinkedIn

Mike is a business strategist with experience in business operations, product launches, deal structuring, M&A, and capital raises. Mike spent his last three years at The VOID, a VR film studio / exhibitioner, where he led the company’s nine figure Series B capital raise and oversaw 10x revenue growth during his tenure. When away from his laptop, you can find Mike socializing at rooftop wine bars, setting new records at the gym, relaxing to downtempo music by the pool, skimming GQ, and exploring the path less traveled.

Eyan Majeed

Analyst – Intern

LinkedIn

Eyan loves to think about and help solve interesting problems in the media space. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Finance at Wake Forest University. Before RockWater, Eyan worked in the Strategic Alliances and Investments group at ZS Associates where he supported business and corporate development efforts. In his personal life, Eyan enjoys training submission grappling, watching mixed martial arts, and listening to electronic dance music.

Naomi Namboodiripad

Analyst – Intern

LinkedIn

Naomi is a student at Columbia University studying Film and Media Studies along with Business Management. Her past experience includes working in business development at various startup firms in the tech space, acquisitions for an independent film production and distribution company, and life sciences investment at a boutique VC firm. In her free time, Naomi enjoys dancing, watching movies, and exploring NYC with friends.

Matt DeMott

LinkedIn

Matt is a sophomore at Fordham University studying finance and economics. Before joining Rockwater, he was a strategy intern at Arlite–a tech consulting startup. Matt helps perform in-depth analyses of media, tech, and entertainment companies to support strategic business decisions. In his free time, you can find him playing the guitar, reviewing movies, completing crossword puzzles, and exploring New York City.

Nicole Staple

Advisor – Omnichannel Retail & Growth

LinkedIn

Nicole Staple is an entrepreneur and consultant for consumer and social impact businesses. In 2012 she co-founded Brideside, a direct-to-consumer retailer in the bridal industry, leading the company as CEO and growing from concept to national e-commerce brand with six retail stores. During her tenure, Brideside became one of the largest woman-owned venture businesses headquartered in Chicago. Previously, Nicole held positions as a venture capital investor and investment banker. She serves on the Board of Directors for the cancer support nonprofit Gilda’s Club NYC and holds several advisory board positions. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, where she is also a guest lecturer.

Max Polisar

Advisor – Revenue Strategy

LinkedIn

Max is a recognized leader across the media, entertainment, and consumer sectors.  In the past 20 years, Max has served as President of RevUp Partners, a company he founded to support digital businesses with growth strategies and investment, Chief Revenue Officer of both AdQuick and Awesomeness, and Max has held various revenue focused roles with companies including Big Frame, Total Immersion, Buongiorno, and WhittmanHart Interactive. 

Max holds a BA in Public Communication from American University and, in his free time, is an avid traveler, skier, and adventurous hiker.  Most recently, Max completed a 100-mile expedition on New Zealand’s “TA” trail.  

Jordan Pascasio

Advisor – Sports / Betting / eGaming

LinkedIn

Jordan is a tech enthusiast with extensive experience working in Investment Banking at Deutsche Bank & MUFG Securities, in a financial strategy role at venture-backed startup, Inspire, and as the founder of sports betting startup, TRNDS Sports, which eventually sold to Fansure. He currently leads product at Fansure where his team provides betting intelligence APIs and content automation solutions to media platforms and sportsbooks. Jordan spends his free time writing about trending themes within early-stage tech, playing basketball, and surfing.

Golem #3552

Solanart, Rude Golems Official Website

Rude Golems are a NFT collection of 8888 3D monster artifacts that launched on November 30, 2021 and are akin to the many other “profile picture” projects, like Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks.

As part of the RockWater Digital Goods Investment Fund that was launched in December 2021, Golem #3552 was our second acquisition. What we loved about this collection:

1. It’s badass. Does your Golem have a gold chain and a sombrero?
2. Leadership’s ambitious vision of a fantasy / lore metaverse and games built around the Rude Golems IP
3. Integrations into IRL events and access to a broader digital goods investment community and access to exclusive airdrops
4. Liquidity (10+ sales / day, on average)

“Wish I Was Pink”

OpenSea, Zed Run Official Website

Zed Run launched in 2019 as a Play-to-Earn (P2E) horse racing game. Players can enter their horses to compete for prizes or can charge other players to mate with their horse. Every horse has unique attributes that increases / decreases its rarity.

As part of the RockWater Digital Goods Investment Fund that was launched in December 2021, “Wish I Was Pink” was our fourth acquisition. What we loved about this collection:

1. Investment de-risked by renting out house to other players
2. Ambitious vision with capital to execute, owner Virtually Human Studios raised $20M from a16z in 2021
3. Well-known collection that aligns with our sports and video game coverage verticals
4. Liquidity (200+ sales / day)