Welcome to Episode 4 of Safary’s Revenue Series! 🦁
We’re interview the growth operators behind the companies that are *actually* making money in crypto. We’ll break down their growth strategies, challenges, and tech stacks to give you the insights you need to grow your business in crypto & beyond.
In this episode, Justin sits down with Chris (“Flow”), Head of BD at Ostium, a DeFi protocol creating the RWA (real-world assets) liquidity layer for both institutions and onchain traders.
Flow began in tradfi and eventually made his way to crypto during the 2020 volatility boom. What started as personal trading evolved into full-time work in DeFi, where he built a name for himself across Crypto Twitter and transitioned into growth and BD.
At Ostium, the mission is clear: to become the most liquid onchain venue for trading RWAs like equities, gold, oil, and indices. By serving both institutions and retail degens, Ostium bridges traditional markets with crypto native trading infrastructure.
How Ostium Makes Money
Ostium generates revenue through trading fees, but unlike most DEXs that charge both opening and closing fees, Ostium charges only on entry. Liquidations and volatility spikes also contribute significantly to protocol revenue. Over time, the goal is to push costs closer to zero (mirroring Robinhood’s innovation) while maintaining sustainable revenue through institutional partnerships.
The Road to First $1M in Revenue
Instead of competing directly with other perpetual DEXs by listing the same altcoins, Ostium differentiated itself by offering unique RWA assets (S&P 500, Nasdaq, commodities) at moments of macro volatility. This timing, paired with their focus on sales-driven growth, led to their first million in revenue.
Key tactics included:
Outbound Sales: Manually building lists of 1,000+ active traders on Twitter, doing cold outreach, setting up one-on-one calls, and white-glove onboarding.
Whale Focus: Prioritizing large traders who drive 80% of volume, then cultivating relationships to grow their activity.
Branded Launches & Contests: Consistent, recognizable asset launches and trading competitions created both trust and ROI-positive volume spikes.
Lessons on Growth
Flow contrasts crypto’s marketing-first culture (narratives, hype, broad messaging) with Ostium’s hybrid marketing + sales-led approach, which he argues is critical for any revenue-generating DeFi business.
Some takeaways:
Double down on what works; don’t get distracted by every new marketing trend
Be willing to spend on contests/incentives when ROI is clear
Track real activity metrics (volume-to-OI ratios, capital efficiency) instead of vanity numbers
Focus on revenue as a core KPI, not just TVL or social metrics
Watch the full episode for all of Flow’s growth insights!
Episode Timeline
00:00 Introduction to Ostium and Flow's Background
03:11 Understanding Ostium's Business Model and Revenue Streams
06:42 Growth Strategies: From Zero to First Million
10:49 Sales-Led vs. Marketing-Led Approaches in Crypto
14:53 Unlocking Revenue: Insights and Strategies
17:56 Trading Contests and User Engagement Strategies
20:09 Ongoing Growth Methodologies and Metrics
22:24 Navigating Market Volatility and Revenue Strategies
27:03 Advice for DeFi Founders on Revenue Generation
31:36 Future Business Models and Success Metrics for Ostium
Looking for more insights from top growth experts? Sign up for the Safary Certification—a hands‑on crypto marketing course taught by the growth minds behind Berachain, EigenLayer, Kraken, and more (spots are limited).
