Exclusive Interview: Manuel Stotz, the leader of the first TON reserve enterprise "VERB": 558 million raised in 30 days through a lightning round.

TON Strategy (NASDAQ: VERB) completed $558 million in PIPE financing in just 30 days, attracting over 110 international institutions to place their bets. The correspondent from Dongqu reported that VERB's captain Manuel Stotz was invited to the program. (Background: Verb Technology raised $558 million to establish the '$TON treasury': optimistic about the deep integration of Telegram and TON, VERB surged by 55%) (Background supplement: Exclusive interview with TAC: TON EVM connects 1 billion Telegram ecosystem users to unlock the future of TON DeFi ecosystem) The listing frenzy of crypto strategic reserve companies is sweeping the global capital market. From Michael Saylor's MicroStrategy pioneering the way, to Tom Lee's Bitmine skyrocketing, capital is eagerly searching for the next 'coin stock' explosion point. TON Strategy (NASDAQ: VERB) was born under the spotlight: it completed $558 million in PIPE financing in just 30 days, attracting over 110 international institutions to place their bets. Leading this fundraising frenzy is the seasoned financial expert Manuel Stotz from London. From a Goldman Sachs investment partner to the founder of Kingsway Capital, and now the executive chairman of TON Strategy, he is referred to as 'the Michael Saylor of the TON world'—leading top Wall Street institutions to enter the market, positioning TON as the core financial engine of Telegram's global digital new continent. This article is a summary of the highlights from the institutional interview program 'TON of Alpha', delving into Manuel Stotz's career, the vision for Bitcoin and 'Satorica', and the strategic layout and growth potential of TON Strategy. Host: Mr. Z (@69420MrZ) · Guest: Manuel Stotz (@ManuelStotz) TON of Alpha (@TONofAlpha) is an open interview program aimed at institutions and builders, dedicated to connecting a billion user ecosystems, co-produced by TONX and KTON—both early TON miners and core builders since 2021. The entrepreneurial spirit of Wall Street elites: from frontier markets to the crypto industry Manuel Stotz's career began as an investment partner at Goldman Sachs (GSIP) around the time of the financial crisis, portfolio manager and partner at THS Partners LLP, and he accumulated rich experience at top financial institutions like Blackstone, Fortress, and Rothschild. In the early 2010s, he founded Kingsway Capital, managing over $1.5 billion in assets, focusing on investments in frontier and emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Bangladesh. 'The turning point in my career was witnessing currency instability in emerging markets,' Stotz shared in the interview, 'I still remember that 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar bill in my pocket, which was nearly worthless. This made me understand the significance of Bitcoin's birth, and the potential for cryptocurrencies to solve real problems—the future already exists, it just hasn't been evenly distributed.' It is this entrepreneurial spirit of 'making the world a better place through technology' that has kept Kingsway focused on investing in emerging and frontier markets, with investments in over 50 blockchain companies including Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com, and CoinDCX. Now, he brings the same spirit to the TON and Telegram ecosystem—bringing the liquidity of the largest U.S. capital market into TON, pushing the narrative of crypto Mass Adoption to unprecedented heights. Discovering the 'digital new continent': Telegram is the Americas, TON is the economic layer Relative to the concept of a Network State, Stotz views blockchain as a 'Network Continent' and proposed the concept of 'Satorica' (Satoshi + America) as early as 2020. 'The emergence of Bitcoin is like humanity discovering the Americas over 500 years ago—finding new land on the internet to establish new lives, freedoms, and property rights. It's akin to the 'Mayflower', these pioneers were not nobles, but ordinary people, who rebuilt a better system in the new continent with faith and Proof of Work. Today, the crypto world is doing the same.' In the blockchain future world described by Stotz, 'TON's role for Telegram is like the dollar's role for the United States. In the vision of Satorica, Telegram is more like the 'American continent', TON is its blockchain, and Bitcoin serves as a valuation standard similar to gold.' Telegram is most likely to become a super app, while TON is an 'N-of-1 asset.' Since the establishment of the TON Foundation, Manuel Stotz has served as a board member for a long time and will serve as chairman from January 2025 until the end of his term, during which he plays a key strategic role in promoting TON into the U.S. and global capital markets. 'TON is an N-of-1 asset, unique in the world,' Stotz pointed out. Although Ethereum and Solana have advantages in stablecoins and infrastructure, TON's backing by Telegram's distribution capabilities is an advantage that no public chain can replicate. Telegram currently has over 1 billion monthly active users, making it the second-largest messaging platform in the West after WhatsApp. However, to date, there has been no true super app like WeChat in the Western world. 'Among global social platforms, only WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, and TikTok surpass Telegram, but none of these platforms can touch blockchain at present. Telegram is the only super app that is large enough and capable of doing cryptocurrency,' Stotz stated. The miracle of fundraising in 30 days: why did 110 institutions scramble for TON Strategy (VERB)? On August 4, 2025, Verb Technology announced its name change to TON Strategy Co., completing an unprecedented $558 million PIPE financing, including heavyweight capital such as Kingsway Capital, Blockchain.com, and Vy Capital (the biggest supporter of Elon Musk). The driving force behind this lightning fundraising was Manuel Stotz. He officially took office as the executive chairman of TON Strategy and was hailed by the industry as 'the TON world...'