Charles Wismer

Charles has a history of identifying industry trends at their earliest stages and building innovative systems to capture value and growth. In the decade before joining Diode Capital, he founded and scaled companies across diverse industries, including telecom, real estate, and blockchain software development. Two of these companies sold, and two continue to grow today. Beyond his own endeavors, he has consulted in several other industries and is considered an expert in designing blockchain products to modernize traditional sectors.

His investment career began in real estate, where after the mortgage crisis, Charles developed an automated system to identify underpriced property assets flowing through foreclosure auctions and tax deed sales. Using this strategy, Charles attained a 92% average annual growth for his first real estate portfolio.

In 2016, Charles gained an interest in blockchain and used the technology to co-found a real estate referral network. By 2017, this network established a presence in all 50 states and reduced industry-average commission costs by one-third. Using the technology developed, Charles co-founded Ledger Leap, a preferred blockchain technology partner for both startups and enterprise applications. Ledger Leap has delivered software, architecture, and designs utilized in over a dozen industries that continue to expand. The growth of Ledger Leap led Charles to found Ledger One, a hedge fund focused on blockchain technology. Ledger One returned 380% in its first two years of operation, leading to Charles being asked to become a founding partner of Diode Capital.

Charles brings a rich diversity of industry experience and an ability to build systems, processes, and technologies to make data-driven decisions in investment markets programmatically. His ability to merge cutting-edge technology with proper product design is critical to optimizing portfolio company operations and returns for Diode.