Casper Johansen

Casper B. Johansen is a Danish lawyer-turned-investment-banker-turned-entrepreneur. He began his career at the Danish law firm Kromann Reumert after earning a BA in Law and a Master of Laws (LL.M.), graduating magna cum laude from a dual-degree program at Aarhus University, Denmark. He also served as a First Lieutenant (R) in the Royal Danish Air Force, where he was a valedictorian, and is a self-described polyglot who has worked across Europe and Asia since 2004.

He spent roughly a decade in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, working out of the firm's London, Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore offices, where he led and executed more than $20 billion of M&A and capital-markets transactions. In 2008 he co-founded Seravia, a business-records and company-intelligence startup launched in Hong Kong and relocated to Beijing in 2009 — described in the press as "Google Analytics meets Dun & Bradstreet," where Johansen held the dual role of CFO & COO. The venture eventually wound down around 2012, and his old company email ([hidden]) still trails from that chapter.

After Seravia, Johansen held executive roles in the natural-resources and energy space in Asia, including at SunEdison, as a Partner at The Osiris Group, and as an Independent Director at Summit Power International. In 2017 he co-founded The Spartan Group alongside fellow Goldman Sachs alumni Kelvin Koh and Melody He, becoming one of Asia's most prominent crypto advisory and venture franchises. He co-heads Spartan Advisory, the M&A and capital-raising arm, while the firm's venture arm (Spartan Capital) deploys capital. The Spartan Group reportedly manages over $350 million across its hedge and venture funds.

• Stage & approach: Backs projects primarily at seed and early stage, using a research-driven, fundamentals-first process that the firm frames around "valuation rigor, deep due diligence and institution-grade risk management."
• Sectors: Concentrated in crypto/Web3 — blockchain infrastructure, decentralized exchanges (DEX), DeFi, asset management, derivatives, NFT/gaming, and increasingly tokenization / real-world assets (RWA).
• Advisory + capital combination: Spartan is unusual in pairing an advisory practice (M&A, token launches, fundraising, restructuring) with a venture/hedge fund arm, giving Johansen visibility into deals from both sides.
• Founder-tested mindset: Johansen has publicly emphasized resilience through volatile cycles — commenting during a crypto downturn that "it's times like these where entrepreneurs really get tested" — signaling a preference for founders who can operate through bear markets.
• Personal angel activity: Separately from Spartan, his earlier angel investments have spanned consumer and edtech, including (per his Seravia bio) a children's learning platform and a nightlife/"discotech" venture.