Steven Wasserman
About Steven Wasserman
Steven M. Wasserman, age 64, has served as an independent director of BYNO since February 2022. He is a licensed attorney with a multi-decade investing and special situations background, including principal at MSP Sports Capital (2019–present), Vice Chairman at The Roosevelt Investment Group (2018–2021), and CEO of Seaport Investment Management (2014–2018). He has extensive SPAC and credit opportunity experience and has been a senior advisor to a New York hedge fund since 2017 and advisor to BlockWorks Group; he previously led Alpha Acquisition Corp (SPAC) as CEO (2008–2010) and served as managing partner at AMT Ventures (2004–2008) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSP Sports Capital, LP | Principal | 2019–present | Sports investments; principal investing leadership |
| The Roosevelt Investment Group, Inc. | Vice Chairman | 2018–2021 | Led advisory firm governance; strategic oversight |
| Seaport Investment Management, LLC | Chief Executive Officer | 2014–2018 | Developed new investment strategies during tenure |
| New York hedge fund (name not disclosed) | Senior Advisor (special situations/credit) | Since 2017 | Special situations and credit opportunity advisory |
| BlockWorks Group, LLC | Advisor | Since 2017 | Blockchain/crypto communications advisory |
| The Beige Group, LLC | Senior Managing Director | 2011–2014 | Family office: investment identification and execution |
| Alpha Acquisition Corp (SPAC) | Chief Executive Officer | 2008–2010 | SPAC leadership; sponsor/transaction execution experience |
| AMT Ventures LLC | Managing Partner | 2004–2008 | Principal investments in public/private equity and debt; portfolio included Ktech, Nanodetex, Agent Science Technologies, Link One |
External Roles
| Organization | Capacity | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSP Sports Capital, LP | Principal | 2019–present | Professional sports investment fund |
| NY-based hedge fund | Senior Advisor | Since 2017 | Special situations/credit opportunities |
| BlockWorks Group, LLC | Advisor | Since 2017 | Blockchain/crypto communications |
| Licensed Attorney | — | Ongoing | Legal qualification (licensed attorney) |
Board Governance
- Committees: Audit Committee member; Compensation Committee member. Audit is chaired by Fredrik Elmberg; Compensation is chaired by Fredrik Elmberg; all members are independent (Audit: Elmberg, Norlin, Wasserman; Compensation: Elmberg, Wasserman, Bickenbach) .
- Nominating/Governance: No standing nominating committee; independent directors, including Wasserman, recommend nominees under Nasdaq Rule 5605 .
- Independence: Board determined Wasserman is an independent director under Nasdaq standards and SEC rules .
- Years of service: Director since February 2022 .
- Attendance: Meeting attendance rates not disclosed in the DEF 14A/10-K .
- Lead Independent Director: Not disclosed .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount/Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $0 | BYNO (as a SPAC) pays no director compensation prior to consummation of an initial business combination . |
| Meeting fees | $0 | No director meeting fees paid pre-business combination . |
| Committee membership/chair fees | $0 | No director committee compensation paid pre-business combination . |
| Equity grants (RSUs/Options/DSUs) | None | No equity-based director compensation pre-business combination . |
| Other payments | $10,000/month to Sponsor (admin services) | Company pays Sponsor for admin support; not director pay but relevant related-party cash outflow . |
Performance Compensation
| Element | Status | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| At-risk pay (bonus/equity) | None pre-business combination | Compensation committee primarily reviews arrangements tied to a future business combination; no ongoing director performance pay disclosed . |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Role | Period | Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Acquisition Corp (SPAC) | CEO | 2008–2010 | Prior SPAC leadership experience . |
| Energy Infrastructure Acquisition Corp. | Advisor | Not disclosed | Advisor to SPAC; potential network interlocks . |
| Seanergy Acquisition Corp. | Advisor | Not disclosed | Advisor to SPAC; potential network interlocks . |
| Starbulk Acquisition Corp. | Advisor | Not disclosed | Advisor to SPAC; potential network interlocks . |
| Sponsor/Insider group (Water by Nordic AB) | Not a role; context | Ongoing | Sponsor is controlled by certain officers/directors; concentrated voting power influences governance and raises conflict considerations . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial literacy: Audit committee member; Board identified audit committee financial expert (Elmberg); all audit members financially literate .
- Legal training: Licensed attorney .
- SPAC and investment expertise: Extensive experience in SPAC formation/advisory, principal investing, special situations/credit .
- Sector exposure: Sports investments, fintech/blockchain advisory, principal investments in defense tech and analytics through AMT Ventures .
Equity Ownership
| Security Class | Shares Beneficially Owned | Approximate % of Class | As-of Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class B Common Stock | 133,460 | 3.6% | February 28, 2025 / June 30, 2025 tables . |
| Class A Common Stock | — | — | No Class A directly listed for Wasserman in tables . |
| Total Shares Outstanding (A + B) | 7,697,796 | — | Reference baseline for ownership table . |
- Notes: Beneficial ownership tables explicitly present percentage of Class B; pledge/hedging, option holdings, and vested/unvested breakdowns are not disclosed for directors .
Related Party Transactions (Conflict Indicators)
- Monthly fee: $10,000 per month paid to Sponsor for administrative support services; audit committee reviews these payments quarterly .
- Sponsor/affiliate loans: Convertible promissory notes (e.g., $1,725,000 Initial Extension Loan; $775,000 Initial Working Capital Loan; $625,000 Additional Extension Loan; $710,000 Additional Working Capital Loan) and multiple non-convertible promissory notes from DDM Debt AB (Sponsor affiliate) in 2023–2025, all non-interest bearing and due upon a Business Combination; up to $1,500,000 convertible into Private Shares at $10.00/share .
- Sponsor voting/ownership: Sponsor and insiders control ~72.5% of voting power; intend to vote for extension and re-election; can purchase public stock to influence voting/redeem dynamics, increasing potential conflicts with public holders .
- Affiliate combinations: Company will not consummate an initial business combination with an affiliate of the Sponsor or officers/directors unless a fairness opinion is obtained from an independent advisor .
Governance Assessment
- Positive signals:
- Independent committee membership and adherence to charters; audit committee reviews related party transactions and independence of external advisors .
- No director compensation pre-business combination minimizes pay-for-performance misalignment in the SPAC phase .
- Requirement for independent fairness opinion for affiliate transactions mitigates related-party risk .
- Red flags:
- Sponsor/insider voting control (~72.5%) effectively determines outcomes without public stockholder support, undermining minority protections .
- Extensive Sponsor affiliate financing (convertible/non-convertible notes) creates economic incentives to extend and close any deal, potentially misaligning with public shareholder value .
- Absence of a standing nominating/governance committee; director nominations managed by independent directors, but no chartered oversight body .
- Company disclosed delisting to OTC Pink in 2025, indicating liquidity/governance challenges impacting investor confidence (company-level risk) .
- Independence: Board has determined Wasserman is independent, but economic alignment via Sponsor interests across the board necessitates ongoing scrutiny of committee oversight and related party reviews .
Data gaps: Board meeting attendance rates, director-specific equity award details (none pre-combination), hedging/pledging disclosures, and insider Form 4 transaction details for Wasserman are not disclosed in the DEF 14A/10-K. Section 16(a) compliance indicates timely filings in 2023 but does not enumerate transactions .