About Us

Castle Labs is a research and advisory firm built on one conviction: the best insights come from real experience.

The research landscape is saturated: too much content, not enough perspective. Our response is human-centric research backed by direct experience, with claims that can be traced, tested, and held to the standard that serious allocators demand.

The Founders

Atomist

Co-Founder & Head of Advisory

Atomist built Castle Labs into one of Arbitrum's most prominent service providers, winning research and advisory mandates over firms ten times its size. He built that reputation while pulling double duty, leading marketing and growth at Rysk Finance. He now heads up Castle's advisory practice, where his background in process engineering and analytics shapes a first-principles, evidence-driven approach.

Francesco

Co-Founder & Head of Research

Francesco spent his early career at the United Nations and INSEAD, producing research built for institutional scrutiny. He carried that standard into roles at IntoTheBlock, Brahma (Polymarket), and Sentora, working across analytics, marketing, and go-to-market strategy before co-founding Castle Labs. He now leads Castle's research arm, applying the kind of analytical discipline that resonates with both crypto-native teams and institutional entrants.

The Team

Noveleader

Research Analyst

Previously: The Block

TradFiHater

Principal Writer

Previously: Family Offices

Chi Anh

Operations & Distribution

Previously: Tiger Research

Schizoxbt

Newsletter Owner

Previously: Fluid

NDW

Grants & Due Diligence

Previously: Co-founder, Investment & Trading Education

Chilla

Grants & Due Diligence

Previously: DeWhales Capital

What Partners Say

Mantle Team

Mantle

Deep crypto expertise, outstanding research, and the kind of close, dedicated support that feels like having a trusted friend on your team. Castle Labs delivers on all fronts.

Dan

Co-founder at Rysk Finance

I've known Castle since the early days of Rysk. Atomist played an important role, helping us connect with a network of builders and OGs and challenging our thinking from the perspective of someone truly onchain native. The community around Castle became one of the strongest assets we had while searching for PMF: builders, researchers, and power users who were engaged, honest, and willing to challenge ideas. The work coming out of Castle reflects the people behind it: technically sharp, intellectually honest, and guided by a strong ethical compass.

Jonathan Chang

Growth at Starknet

Castle has been organized, thoughtful, and flexible throughout time working with them. It's rare to find team players. Whether it's KOL management or research, would definitely recommend.

Pedro

Arbitrum OAT Council

Having worked with Castle Labs on several Arbitrum DAO incentive and grant programs, I can vouch for their expertise and professionalism. They are a highly experienced team, fully dedicated to delivering results on every project they take on.

OpenEden Team

OpenEden

At OpenEden, we value partners who combine real protocol experience with high-quality, opinionated research. Castle Labs brings a strong understanding of both crypto-native dynamics and institutional expectations, translating complex market shifts into clear, actionable insights.

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Mantle Team

Mantle

Deep crypto expertise, outstanding research, and the kind of close, dedicated support that feels like having a trusted friend on your team. Castle Labs delivers on all fronts.

See How We Can Help

Every protocol is different. Tell us about yours and we'll share how we'd approach it.

Get in Touch