In a recent conversation with Bitcoin MagazineEric Semler, chairman of Semler Scientific, shared how the company transformed its course through a Bitcoin Treasury strategy.
Semler Scientific (SMLR) is not your typical Bitcoin Treasury Company. With a strong cash position, but years of undergoing stock benefit, the company turned to Bitcoin – not as a gamble, but as a strategic catalyst. What followed was a radical shift in valuation, shareholder engagement and long -term positioning.
“We were the second US public company that adopted Bitcoin as a primary treasury reserve strategy. Michael Saylor is clearly the most important pioneer, but we are in that group.”
Activism meets Bitcoin -Overdessing
Semler joined Semler Scientific’s board of directors just two years ago. “I became an activist on the Semler Board. I was actually not involved in the company until two years ago,” he said. What he found was a company that generated cash but was not rewarded for it – “a zombie company” as he expressed it.
“We had all of these cash. It looked like creepy micro -strategy in August 2020. We had a very similar profile. A lot of cash. A lot of our market capital was cash. We didn’t really grew.”
Instead of pursuing a acquisition, Semler helped manage the business towards Bitcoin. “We had to find out a way to jump to start our growth, and we settled on Bitcoin, which was a big decision.”
A transformational trait
Since advertising his Bitcoin Treasury strategy, Semler Scientific has experienced a significant shift – not only in valuation but in momentum and perception.
“Our stock was at one point quadrupled. Now it’s basically doubled … It did nothing for years, and it actually went down for years,” Semler said. For a company that was long seen as stagnant despite constant profitability, Bitcoin Move catalyzed a market re -evaluated and brought renewed visibility to a previously overlooked business.
The internal response has been just as strong. “Everyone is full on board,” Semler said. “It’s just been nice to get this kind of electricity into our stock, into our company.”
What began as an activist -led effort to escape a “zombie” equity profile has become a strategic unlocking. For companies with strong basic elements, but no growth narrative, Bitcoin offers more than asset value it offers signal power, capital preservation and a way to engage the market on new terms.
From under the radar to the limelight
For a company that had spent years overlooked by the market, Semler Scientific’s Pivot switched to a Bitcoin Treasury strategy not just financial basic – it dramatically raised the company’s profile.
“I had a strong conviction in Bitcoin, but I didn’t know what I was coming into … the whole social media aspect of it was really appalling to me,” Semler said.
A former journalist and spicy investor, Semler is used to working behind the scenes – ask the questions and not answer them. “I’m more an introvert. I’m unable to expose myself to social media,” he admitted.
But Bitcoin has a way of changing a company’s relationship with visibility. Semler Scientific has attracted a new, vocal shareholder base, and Semler himself has become a reference point for other leaders weighing the Bitcoin path. It is not always comfortable, but it is effective.
“At the end of the day, what matters is that we own a lot of Bitcoin and that Bitcoin appreciates … What matters most is … that we create shareholder value.”
For Semler Scientific, Bitcoin has not just changed the balance – it pulled the company into the limelight and into the conversation.
Why institutions take notice
While retail investors can access Bitcoin through Spot-ETFs or self-defense, many large institutional foundations remain limited by mandates prohibiting direct exposure. This dynamic creates a unique opening for listed operating companies with Bitcoin in their balance.
“Most investment funds can’t buy ETFs,” Semler explained. “For a large number of the huge funds in this country, we are really their only way to get exposure to Bitcoin in the stock market.”
This restriction – little known outside institutional circles – has transformed companies such as Semler Scientific into proxy vehicles for Bitcoin exposure. And for fund managers who believe in the long -term dissertation but cannot touch the underlying asset, companies like Smlr offer a rare bridge.
As several institutions seek asymmetrical upside and diversified alternatives to Fiat-Debasing capital environments, Semler Scientific (SMLR) is increasingly part of this capital conversation-not because of what it sells, but because of what it has.
Navigation Volatility
When asked what advice he would give to other companies considering Bitcoin, Semler was not sugar coat. “Just be ready for volatility. If you are comfortable with it, you need to know that it will be part of this experience.”
He remembered the company’s first big purchase. “We took almost all of our cash and bought Bitcoin in May. As soon as we finished buying, their news came out of Mt. Gox making a distribution. And I think Bitcoin just fell, like 25% in a short time … It was one you know, a hit in the stomach, a stomach.”
But instead of retreating, they pushed forward – and raised more capital and bought more Bitcoin through both ATM GEEN capital and convertible notes. “We made $ 100 million convertible loans.”
Looking ahead
Semler believes the long -term upside goes beyond “Hodling.” When infrastructure matures and institutions such as JPMorgan -step deeper into space, he sees the potential to exploit Bitcoin for dividends and financing.
“I could see us being a kind of bitcoin -financial business.”
Currently, the focus is clear: Accumulating bitcoin, controlling volatility and unlock value where others see risk. “We are early in gathering Bitcoin and we continue to do so.”
Disclaimer: This content was written on behalf of Bitcoin for businesses. This article is intended solely for information purposes and should not be interpreted as an invitation or invitation to acquire, buy or subscribe to securities.