Early Riders Leads Seed Round in Argo to Build Out Sound Money Infrastructure Focus

Early Riders Leads Seed Round in Argo and Takes a Board Seat in Order to Offer Investors Safety and Security Through a Time of Expected Monetary Debasement and Return to Sound Money

WIMBERLEY, TEXAS / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / What many still frame as a "debasement trade" is a deeper, structural transition: Value will increasingly be measured against sound money - bitcoin and gold - rather than fiat. As allocations move beyond the 60/40 template, we expect rapid growth in sound-money funds, structured products, and supporting infrastructure. Providers that deliver best-in-class custody and financial services will capture outsized value.

Early Riders is proud to back Argo, a modern platform that restores direct, sovereign ownership to scarce assets, starting with fully allocated, insured physical gold. Our thesis is simple: In an era of monetary and data abundance, investors will migrate toward apolitical, scarce assets that preserve purchasing power. Argo delivers that exposure with the speed, transparency, and control today's allocators expect. Unlike ETFs or paper gold products, Argo customers hold direct title to their metal outside the banking system, yet can trade instantly and take physical delivery on demand.

Execution capability matters. Argo's co-founders include Peter Grosskopf (former CEO of Sprott Inc.) and Larisa and Eric Sprott, whose four decades in metals include multibillion-dollar mandates and deep relationships with top custodians and the Royal Canadian Mint. This combination of technology DNA and metals pedigree positions Argo to set the standard for sound-money investing. CEO Michael Petch adds multiple successful fintech exits to the team's four decades of metals market leadership.

Argo offers 24/7 trading, B2B integration and API offerings for large online brokerages, as well as physical custody, segregated accounts, and on-demand delivery. The platform's upcoming integration with Onramp will allow seamless movement between physical gold and bitcoin through a single interface.

"Argo fits naturally within our portfolio as we back the companies building critical infrastructure for sound money," said Michael Tanguma, Partner at Early Riders. "It offers the only platform where investors can hold physical gold with true ownership, instant liquidity, and physical settlement."

Argo's model combines the trust of vaulted bullion with the usability of best-in-class fintech. Client assets are titled in each customer's name, held outside the banking system, tradable 24/7, auditable in real time, and redeemable on demand. The platform charges zero transaction fees and offers ultra-competitive storage, institutional-grade security, third-party audits, and full insurance, available via a clean web and mobile experience or white-label APIs for private banks, RIAs, and fintechs.

We invested because Argo is building the default rails for scarce assets, simple, secure, and sovereign by design.

Read more:

• Argo Investment Memo [link]

• Industry Report: Demystifying the Debasement Trade [link]

About Early Riders

Early Riders is a bitcoin-denominated venture capital firm investing in the infrastructure that powers Bitcoin financial services and sound money infrastructure. Learn more at EarlyRiders.com.

SOURCE: Early Riders