Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business.
Corporate Information
We were organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of Florida on March 12, 2014 under the name “PGP Holdings V, Inc.” On May 5, 2014, we changed our name to Eyenovia, Inc. On October 6, 2014, we reincorporated in the State of Delaware by merging into Eyenovia, Inc., a Delaware corporation. On July 1, 2025, we changed our name to Hyperion DeFi, Inc. Our principal executive office is located at 23461 S. Pointe Drive, Suite 390, Laguna Hills, CA 92653, and our telephone number is (833) 393-6684. We maintain a website at www.hyperiondefi.com, to which we regularly post copies of our press releases as well as additional information about us. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this report. We have included our website address in this report solely as an inactive textual reference.
Disclaimer
Certain information contained in this Item 1 relate to or are based on studies, publications, surveys and other data obtained from third-party sources and Hyperion DeFi’s own internal estimates and research. While Hyperion DeFi believes these third-party studies, publications, surveys and other data to be reliable as of the date of this report, it has not independently verified, and makes no representation as to, the adequacy, fairness, accuracy or completeness of any information obtained from third-party sources. In addition, no independent source has evaluated the reasonableness or accuracy of Hyperion DeFi’s internal estimates or research and no reliance should be made on any information or statements made in this report relating to or based on such internal estimates and research. You should conduct your own investigation and analysis of Hyperion DeFi, its business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. In furnishing this information, Hyperion DeFi does not undertake any obligation to provide you with access to any additional information (including forward-looking information and any projections contained herein) or to update or correct the information, except as may be required by law.
Overview
Hyperion DeFi, Inc. is the first U.S. publicly listed company building a long-term strategic treasury of Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE, in addition to being a pioneering digital ophthalmic technology company. Hyperion DeFi is working to provide its shareholders with simplified exposure to the Hyperliquid ecosystem, which we believe to be one of the highest revenue-generating blockchains in the world, according to information provided by various blockchain data tracking sources, including Artemis Analytics and DefiLlama. When we refer to HYPE tokens, we may also be referring to the HYPE liquid staking tokens described more fully herein. At the same time, we continue to execute on our planned completion of development and registration of our Optejet ophthalmic liquid delivery device.
HYPE Treasury
Hyperliquid is a layer one (L1) blockchain engineered for transparent high-frequency finance. The blockchain hosts fully on-chain perpetual futures and spot order books, with every order, cancel, trade and liquidation occurring within 70 millisecond block times and offering up to 200,000 transactions per second, resulting in near-instant trade settlement. The Hyperliquid blockchain also hosts the HyperEVM, a general-purpose smart contract platform that, like Ethereum, supports permissionless decentralized financial applications such as perpetual futures trading platforms.
Hyperliquid supports non-custodial trading via its performant HyperCore order books, with perpetual futures trading for a range of digital assets with Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Solana (SOL) and Sui (SUI) driving its utilization.
Perpetual futures are a type of cryptocurrency derivative contract that allows traders to speculate on the price of an asset without owning the underlying asset itself. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures have no expiration date, allowing traders to hold positions indefinitely, as long as they meet margin requirements. Hyperliquid utilizes a traditional order book system. This approach allows traders to place bids and asks for various assets, more akin to a centralized cryptocurrency exchange than other decentralized exchanges that rely on automated market makers to fulfill orders. The Hyperliquid blockchain is available to any potential user with a compatible cryptocurrency wallet such as MetaMask, Phantom, and Coinbase Wallet. However, Hyperliquid interface operators can choose to block persons in certain jurisdictions or sanctioned wallets as required via solutions such as geo-blocking and address screening.
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HYPE serves multiple purposes: users can stake HYPE to earn staking rewards, use staked HYPE inventory to reduce their trading fees, use HYPE to conduct transactions on the HyperEVM, and use HYPE as collateral on various DeFi applications. Our HYPE Asset Use Service (HAUS) agreement with Felix, one of the earliest HyperEVM protocols, is one such example, in which staked HYPE tokens can enable additional on-chain utility.
HYPE is the native token of Hyperliquid. The initial total supply of HYPE was set at 1 billion, which has been subsequently reduced to approximately 959 million as of February 28, 2026, as further described below, with 31% of the initial total supply issued in November 2025, and 38.88% of the initial total supply reserved for future community emissions. Hyperliquid has a unique network mechanism that autonomously purchases and removes HYPE tokens from circulation into the “Assistance Fund”. This is done by using the trading fees generated on the network’s order books to buy back available HYPE. Approximately 99% of daily fees are allocated to this mechanism, which creates consistent open market demand for the token. As of February 2026, approximately 41 million HYPE have been acquired by the Assistance Fund. In December 2025, the Hyperliquid Foundation initiated a network-wide validator governance vote to formally recognize all HYPE tokens held in the Assistance Fund system address as permanently burned. The validators approved (via a majority vote) that the tokens were mathematically irretrievable and must be treated as removed from both the circulating and total supply of HYPE.
The Hyperliquid L1 is a proof-of-stake blockchain, in which validators that have staked the threshold number of HYPE tokens are selected to produce blocks, and will receive rewards when they successfully validate blocks. Holders of HYPE can delegate to validators who then are able to vote on certain decisions regarding the platform, such as the listing and de-listing of new markets. Any holder of HYPE can delegate HYPE to a validator to earn staking rewards, should the validator successfully participate in network consensus. Staked HYPE is locked until un-staked, and subject to a seven-day un-staking queue before HYPE is released back to the user. Staking also provides revenues to the Company in the form of staking yields; however, the required seven-day unlocking period may limit the Company’s liquidity while its HYPE remains staked. The Company anticipates operating with sufficient cash and cash equivalents to cover its expenses and any debt obligations during these periods. In addition, all HiHYPE, kHYPE and kmHYPE owned by the Company (as described further below), and other future liquid staked HYPE which may potentially be owned by the Company, will be subject to the same seven-day unlocking period. The Company initialized the staking process on July 1, 2025, and as of December 31, 2025, it had approximately 939,074 HYPE native staked directly to the Kinetiq x Hyperion validator, described further below. The Company intends for staking to become a primary revenue generation strategy in the coming fiscal year.
Key Metrics of Hyperliquid and HYPE as of February 28, 2026
● Ranked #11 market cap (excluding stablecoins)
● Hyperliquid generates annual fees of approximately $1.0 billion, based on an observed monthly run-rate of $81 million
● Approximately 99% of Hyperliquid revenues are used by the Hyperliquid Assistance Fund, which has cumulatively purchased and owns approximately 41 million HYPE tokens with a market value of $1.2 billion
● There have been approximately 1.1 million cumulative Hyperliquid marketplace users since inception
● The Hyperliquid Token’s maximum supply is 959 million, of which the circulating supply is 258 million, corresponding to a market capitalization outstanding of approximately $7.5 billion
● Monthly trading volume on Hyperliquid exceeded $240 billion in the thirty days ended February 28, 2026
● Cumulative Hyperliquid fees have exceeded $1.1 billion since inception
● Cumulative cryptocurrency perpetuals trading volume on Hyperliquid has exceeded $3.9 trillion since inception
Digital Assets Business Activities
Since the Company first pivoted to its Hyperliquid DeFi strategy, we have continued to emphasize that our business is “more than just HYPE”. The accumulation of HYPE is the first step in a broader DeFi monetization roadmap that continues to accelerate.
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As part of its broader onchain engagement strategy, on October 27, 2025 the Company entered into a Joint Validator Operators Agreement with Kinetiq Research Pte. Ltd. (“Kinetiq Group”) and Pier Two Pty Ltd (“Pier Two”), that established a co-branded Hyperliquid validator, referred to as “Kinetiq x Hyperion”. Validator operations are further supported by infrastructure provided by Pier Two, an institutional staking services provider. Under this agreement, staking commissions and other validator-level rewards are allocated among Hyperion (50%), Kinetiq Group (25%) and Pier Two (25%), with specific overrides for referred delegations. By running our own validator, the Company can directly access HYPE staking yield in addition to supporting Hyperliquid’s network stability and security. Our Kinetiq x Hyperion validator has experienced rapid growth and has over 11 million in delegated HYPE as of February 28, 2026, (including HYPE tokens owned by the Company), HYPE holdings are required to participate in ecosystem governance, and we aim to support the growth of the of the Hyperliquid ecosystem.
The Company currently stakes a majority of its HYPE tokens as part of its broader participation in the Hyperliquid ecosystem. Under its operational policy, the Company utilizes staked HYPE to serve as the foundation for certain revenue-generating strategies, including the Company’s proprietary HAUS product. These strategies are made possible through technical infrastructure unique to Hyperliquid, which can deploy staked HYPE across various utilities in the Hyperliquid ecosystem, such as significantly reduced trading fees and the ability to support new non-crypto markets on the Hyperliquid platform, both of which the Company has productized and offered to clients as services.
More recently, the Hyperliquid network implemented the HIP-3 (Hyperliquid Improvement Proposal 3) upgrade, which enables any user with 500,000 HYPE staked at a deployer address to launch a custom on-chain perpetual futures market for non-crypto assets such as equities, commodities and indices. These network upgrades expand both Hyperliquid’s product suite and its potential user base, further establishing it as a premier on-chain destination for financial activity. To support HIP-3, the Company provided Felix with the HYPE required to launch a perpetual futures market and earns a share of the fees earned from trading activity through its HYPE Asset Use Service Agreement, described in more detail below. This perpetual futures market is operated and maintained by Felix and is accessible only to non-U.S. persons. Because the perpetual futures market is not currently subject to regulation by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and perpetual futures are not permitted for unrestricted trading in the United States, this perpetual futures market is operated outside the United States and is not made available to or marketed to U.S. persons. Beyond engaging with Hyperliquid’s flagship exchange product, users can also deploy HYPE into the HyperEVM for various strategies such as lending and liquidity provisioning. The Company is the first public company on HyperEVM, staking a significant portion of its native HYPE into Kinetiq Group’s uniquely designed iHYPE (institutional HYPE) product. This enabled the Company to earn staking yield on its HYPE while also gaining access to a unique liquid receipt token, HiHYPE (Hyperion iHYPE), which is used for various on-chain and off-chain strategies. The Company has also earned kPoints, a participation-based incentive that qualified the Company to receive a portion of the airdrop of Kinetiq Group’s KNTQ token. This reflects yet another DeFi strategy that translates into additional yield from and ownership of key products built on Hyperliquid.
Anchorage Digital Bank National Association (“Anchorage Digital”), which recently rolled out full support asset custody on HyperEVM, provides custody and trade execution services for HYPE. Anchorage Digital is a federally chartered cryptocurrency bank in the United States, serves as a custodian for digital assets, and is licensed and regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Anchorage Digital has institutional-grade security required by institutional investors and employs HSM (Hardware Security Module) for a unique security model for secure digital assets. We believe that Anchorage Digital’s public support for Hyperliquid by prioritizing development of infrastructure uniquely for Hyperliquid is a testament to the future prospect of the Hyperliquid ecosystem.
Because Anchorage Digital does not currently support the HyperCore infrastructure required for the Company’s strategy to stake HYPE and operate on-chain, HYPE used for those purposes must be held in self-custodied wallets. The Company holds its HYPE in self-custodied cold wallet addresses using infrastructure provided by regulated custodians, including Porto by Anchorage Digital, and hardware wallet providers such as Ledger. These arrangements provide the Company flexibility to reallocate HYPE among its wallet addresses, and holdings may be concentrated with a single infrastructure provider from time to time. To support security of its self-custodied cold wallets, the Company utilizes the Porto security infrastructure as well as additional protections such as a HyperCore-native multi-signature configuration that requires multiple Company-owned addresses as additional signers. The Company will periodically evaluate additional custody infrastructure providers to support operational flexibility as its HYPE strategy evolves.
In addition to security infrastructure, Anchorage Digital, through which the Company maintains an account, provides certain enterprise-level insurance policies that apply to assets held in its custodial accounts, including crime insurance with a $100 million limit, general liability coverage with a $4 million limit, cyber and technology errors and omissions coverage with a $1 million limit, and other standard liability coverages. Currently, the Company self-custodies all its digital assets, and digital assets that the Company self-custodies are not covered by these insurance policies.
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By prudently building and deploying a treasury of HYPE, the Company believes that it can rapidly accelerate the growth of the Hyperliquid ecosystem and further its adoption, potentially creating a powerful flywheel effect that may drive platform usage, increase protocol value and strengthen the long-term position of both the Hyperliquid ecosystem and the Company.
Overview of the HYPE Token Lifecycle
HYPE Creation
The circulating supply of HYPE is approximately 258 million tokens as of February 28, 2026. The first token generation event occurred on November 29, 2024, with approximately 310 million tokens created and circulated. Approximately 389 million HYPE tokens were initially reserved for future community rewards and emissions. Approximately 238 million HYPE tokens are reported to be vesting to core contributors of the Hyperliquid blockchain beginning November 29, 2025 and continuing over a multi-year vesting schedule. The amounts reported to have been vested include approximately 1.75 million HYPE in November 2025, 1.2 million HYPE in December 2025, 140,000 HYPE in January 2026 and 173,000 HYPE in February 2026. The initial total supply of HYPE was set at 1 billion, which has been subsequently reduced to approximately 959 million as of February 28, 2026 due to purchases by the Assistance Fund which are deemed permanently burned.
HYPE Acquisition and Sale Process
Our management team continually reviews the Company’s short-term obligations and the excess cash available for dedication to our HYPE treasury strategy. When we determine that the Company has excess capital available to deploy, we work with institutional digital asset trading venues and counterparties to acquire HYPE from institutional sellers. Our HYPE acquisition process is designed to maximize the quantity of HYPE that we acquire with the capital that we have, while minimizing market impact and execution risk. While we have never resold any of our HYPE tokens as of March 23, 2026, we would anticipate only selling our HYPE tokens to institutional counterparties and trading venues.
HYPE Token Custody
We hold our HYPE in self-custodied cold wallet addresses, including using infrastructure provided by Porto by Anchorage Digital Bank (a regulated custodian), as well as hardware wallet providers such as Ledger. In light of the significant amount of HYPE that we hold, we continually evaluate additional custody infrastructure providers (such as BitGo and Fireblocks) to potentially pursue a greater degree of diversification in the custody of our HYPE, as the extent of potential risk of loss depends, in part, on the degree of diversification.
HyperEVM
HyperEVM is a general-purpose Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) execution layer natively integrated into the Hyperliquid Layer-1 blockchain. It provides a high-performance, Ethereum-compatible smart contract environment that operates directly alongside Hyperliquid’s on-chain trading engine, HyperCore, while sharing the same consensus and validator set. A defining feature of HyperEVM is its deep integration with HyperCore’s on-chain spot and perpetual order books, allowing dedicated smart contracts to access real-time exchange data and trading functionality natively. This architecture enables composable designs such as vaults, automated trading strategies, structured products, and other advanced DeFi systems that interact directly with live on-chain market primitives within a single unified blockchain.
HYPE Native Staking & Validating
On the Hyperliquid Network, staking rewards are determined by the protocol and are distributed to validators and their associated stakers based on the proportion of their stake relative to the total active HYPE staked in the network. The rewards come from Hyperliquid’s future emissions reserve. The staking reward rate formula is inspired by Ethereum’s model, where the reward rate is inversely proportional to the square root of total HYPE staked. As of February 28, 2026, the annual reward rate is approximately 2.1% per year (net rate after validator commission, which varies among individual validators). Rewards are accrued continuously (every minute) and are automatically distributed and compounded daily with automatic redelegation to the staked validator. This means that Hyperion DeFi’s staking balance grows automatically, without requiring manual intervention or claiming transactions.
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Hyperion DeFi operates a dedicated validator node on Hyperliquid in partnership with Kinetiq and Pier Two, under its Kinetiq x Hyperion Joint Validator Operator Agreement. Through the Kinetiq x Hyperion validator, Hyperion DeFi participates directly in Hyperliquid’s consensus and block production. The validator receives validator rewards proportional to its total delegated stake, generates validator commission income from HYPE stakers who delegate to it, and contributes to Hyperliquid Network decentralization by operating a professional validator node.
On November 27, 2025 we received 1,918,478.78 KNTQ through the Kinetiq token generation event of that date. In addition, we secured the right to stake 28,888 liquid staking “kmHYPE” tokens with Markets by Kinetiq, a decentralized exchange enabled by Hyperliquid’s HIP-3. The Company owns 28,888 kmHYPE as of December 31, 2025.
As noted above, the Company currently stakes a majority of its HYPE tokens. Staking provides revenues to the Company in the form of staking yields, but creates liquidity risks given that staked tokens are not sellable until a seven-day un-staking queue is completed. The Company anticipates operating with enough cash, cash equivalents, and USDH (a US dollar-pegged stablecoin native to the Hyperliquid ecosystem), to cover its expenses and any debt payments.
HYPE Liquid Staking
Liquid staking allows Hyperion DeFi to earn staking rewards while maintaining liquidity and accessing additional yield opportunities. Through liquid staking, we deposit HYPE to a non-custodial liquid staking protocol and receive liquid staking tokens in return that represent our staked position and accrued rewards. These liquid staking tokens may be used throughout the HyperEVM ecosystem in decentralized finance applications, while the underlying HYPE remains staked and earning consensus-layer rewards. Hyperion DeFi participates in liquid staking through Kinetiq, a non-custodial liquid staking protocol built on Hyperliquid.
When Hyperion DeFi deposits HYPE to Kinetiq for staking, we receive liquid staking tokens such as “HiHYPE”, “kHYPE” or “kmHYPE”, which represent a proportional claim on the underlying staked HYPE and accrued staking rewards, remains liquid and tradeable on HyperEVM’s decentralized exchanges, automatically accrues staking rewards with the token balance increasing daily, can be redeemed for HYPE at any time (subject to liquidity and redemption queue conditions), and can be held, traded, or deployed in DeFi strategies without unstaking the underlying HYPE. The Kinetiq protocol operates non-custodially, meaning Kinetiq does not take possession or control of user HYPE; instead, users retain cryptographic control and can verify that their HYPE is staked to designated validators on HyperCore at all times.
HYPE Asset Use Service (HAUS) and Protocol Partnerships
Beyond core staking, Hyperion DeFi supplies HYPE inventory to third-party DeFi protocols including structured agreements known as HYPE Asset Use Service (HAUS). Under HAUS agreements, the Company’s partners use the HYPE inventory to enable unique on-chain utility, and the Company receives compensation in the form of fees on transaction volume, revenue share from protocol earnings, additional HYPE or other tokens as incentive payments, and potentially equity or governance tokens in the protocol. These arrangements are contractually documented and operate within specified risk parameters managed by Hyperion DeFi’s treasury and risk policies.
The Company entered its first HYPE Asset Use Service Agreement on September 12, 2025 with Credo Cayman. The Company linked 100,000 of its owned and staked HYPE tokens to the trading wallet of Credo Cayman, allowing Credo Cayman to receive reduced trading fees on the Hyperliquid decentralized exchange, and entitling the Company to earn a portion of those fee savings as income.
On October 28, 2025, Hyperion DeFi entered into a HAUS agreement with Felix, pursuant to which we supply HYPE inventory to support custom markets and derivative trading strategies. The Company is entitled to earn a portion of the trading fees generated on these markets as income.
On November 19, 2025, the Company entered into a Temporary Use Agreement with Native Markets, Inc. Under this agreement, 300,000 of the Company’s HYPE tokens are staked at a deployer address to meet certain requirements of the Hyperliquid blockchain which unlocks more favorable economics for the USDH stablecoin. In return, the Company receives a fee for the use of its tokens by Native Markets, Inc., and the Company is entitled to receive all staking rewards on the tokens.
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Hyperliquid Governance
Governance of the Hyperliquid protocol is conducted through a decentralized, token-based voting system. Holders of HYPE tokens can propose and vote on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and treasury allocations. Governance decisions are executed on-chain via smart contracts, ensuring transparency and immutability. The governance framework is designed to align incentives among stakeholders and promote long-term protocol sustainability.
The Optejet
Hyperion DeFi is also developing the proprietary Optejet User Filled Device (the “Optejet UFD”), which is designed to work with a variety of topical ophthalmic liquids, including artificial tears and lens rewetting products. The Optejet UFD is especially useful in chronic front-of-the-eye diseases due to its ease of use, enhanced safety and tolerability, and potential for superior compliance versus standard eye drops. Together, these benefits may result in higher treatment compliance and better outcomes for patients and providers.
The ergonomic and functional design of the Optejet UFD allows for horizontal drug delivery and eliminates the need to tilt the head back or the manual dexterity to squeeze a bottle to administer medications. Drug is delivered in a microscopic array of droplets that is comfortable and matches the amount of fluid that the front of the eye can hold. The precise delivery of a low-volume columnar spray by the Optejet UFD helps ensure instillation success while minimizing contamination risk with a non-protruding nozzle and self-closing shutter. In clinical trials, the Optejet UFD has demonstrated that its targeted delivery achieves a high rate of successful administration, with 98% of sprays being accurately delivered upon first attempt compared to the established rate reported with traditional eye drops of approximately 50%.
A more physiologically appropriate volume of medication in the range of seven to ten microliters is delivered by the Optejet UFD, which is approximately one-fifth of the 35 to 50 microliter dose typically delivered in a single eye drop. Lower volume of medication exposes the ocular surface to less active ingredients and preservatives, potentially reducing ocular stress and surface damage and improving tolerability. The lower volume also minimizes the potential for drug to enter systemic circulation, with the goal of avoiding some common side effects that are related to overdosing of the eye.
We anticipate registering the second generation of the Optejet UFD as a liquid drug delivery device, based on our experience with MydCombi®. MydCombi was the only Food and Drug Administration-approved fixed combination of the two leading mydriatic agents, tropicamide and phenylephrine, in the United States delivered with technology that is nearly identical to the first generation of the Optejet UFD. In the first quarter of 2026, we executed a non-binding Letter of Intent to monetize the Optejet UFD, and we expect the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2026.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had nine employees, all of which are full-time employees. On January 12, 2026, Robert Rubenstein joined the Company as General Counsel and Secretary. We also engage various consultants and contractors.
We consider our relations with our employees to be good. To successfully operate our business, we must be able to attract and retain highly skilled personnel. We continually evaluate our business needs and opportunities, and balance in-house expertise and capacity with outsourced expertise and capacity.
We believe that our future success largely depends upon our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled employees. Digital asset treasury companies both large and small compete for a limited number of qualified applicants to fill specialized positions. To attract qualified applicants, we offer a total rewards package potentially consisting of base salary and cash target bonus, a comprehensive benefit package and equity compensation. Bonus opportunity and equity compensation increase as a percentage of total compensation based on level of responsibility. Actual bonus payout is based on performance.
Our success is rooted in the diversity of our teams and our commitment to inclusion. We value diversity at all levels. We believe that our business benefits from the different perspectives a diverse workforce brings, and we pride ourselves on having a strong, inclusive and positive culture based on our shared mission and values.
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Information About Our Directors and Executive Officers
Name
Position
Michael Geltzeiler
Director
Rachel Jacobson
Director
Ellen Strahlman, M.D., MHSc
Director
Happy Walters
Director
Hyunsu Jung
Director and Chief Executive Officer
David Knox
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Robert Rubenstein
General Counsel and Secretary
Available Information
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are available free of charge on our website at www.hyperiondefi.com as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing or furnishing such material to the SEC. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that includes our reports, proxy statements and other information.