The Hurdle Rate Podcast Episode 30 - Focus on the Future
Oct 7, 2025
Ben Workman, the newly announced Chief Investment Officer at Strive, shares insights from his experience in building treasury companies focusing on Bitcoin. He discusses the importance of maintaining a calm decision-making environment under pressure. The conversation highlights how institutional adoption of Bitcoin is accelerating, and he explains the potential of digital credit to improve retirement portfolios. Ben also addresses Bitcoin tribalism and the evolution of corporate treasury strategies, suggesting we are still in the early stages of this market.
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Team Size And Strategic Depth Matter
- Building a Bitcoin treasury company needs a small but high-productivity team that balances operations and strategic thinking.
- Ben Workman joined Strive as CIO to add depth for rapid execution and long-term strategy.
Design Products With Time To Think
- Spend time to analyze transactions, macro markets, and then intentionally design products for target investors.
- Build operational depth so executives can be 70% operations and 30% think tank, says Ben Workman.
CalPERS Morning Focus Routine
- Jeff describes a CalPERS rule: protect market-watching time by banning meetings in the morning.
- That practice supported disciplined thinking and outperforming the benchmark for 11 years.
