Private coaching client · 1:19
“After I did one year of almost coaching by you and the community, it's really like, I feel like I'm a completely different person.”
Ramzy — From zero to understanding DeFi
David Zimmerman · your coachPrivate coaching · from $600
Private DeFi coaching with David Zimmerman.
Private sessions on risk, protocols, and self-custody. You keep custody of everything. Start with a free 30-minute call.
“Honestly, David, I thought I was doing great. And just then learning, I say, yeah, there's a lot of room for improvements.”
- Education only
- You keep custody
- Not financial advice
- Free 30-minute call
- Full refund within 14 days if no session has been held (Foundations and Mastery).
Fit
Who it is for, and who it is not for.
Private coaching is education. It works best for people who want to own their process.
It fits if
- You hold your own keys, or want to learn how.
- You want a written process for sizing, limits, and exits.
- You would rather understand a protocol than follow a call.
- You want someone to pressure-test your thinking before you act.
It is not for you if
- You want signals, picks, or trade calls.
- You want someone to manage your money.
- You want a promised return.
- You want a shortcut instead of a process.
The method
Four steps, repeated until they are yours.
01
Diagnose
We map your experience, habits, and knowledge gaps into a baseline. Your positions stay yours.
02
Build your framework
You draft a written risk-parameter profile — sizing, limits, exit rules — and we pressure-test it. You set the numbers.
03
Practice
Self-custody setup, a sizing method, and a due-diligence checklist, practiced before you act.
04
Review
Weekly or bi-weekly sessions review what you did and why. You leave with judgment, not tips.
Stories
What changes with a coach in your corner.
Private coaching clients, in their own words. Quotes are verbatim from each clip.
Private coaching client
Why 1-on-1, not just the group
“The group space is not always the best format for an individual concern that I have.”
Jarrod Smithson
Private coaching client
Confidence from 1-on-1
“Confidence, 100%. Just being able to go in and ask the right questions and being able to just bounce ideas off yourself.”
David Hill
Private coaching client
Not going it alone
“You hear about the hacks, you hear about different things, and I don't want to go on that ride alone.”
Ramon
Individual experiences, not typical results. Education only — not financial advice.
Tiers
Three tiers. Every one is private 1-on-1.
The difference is depth, cadence, and how much time you spend with David. Pay in full or in installments.
Foundations
The smallest way to start 1-on-1.
$600
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Sessions
- 2 × 45m
- Cadence
- Weekly
- Typical capital range
- $1K–$25K
- 2 × 45-minute private 1-on-1 education sessions
- Guided DeFi process education (not personalized strategy or advice)
- Risk-parameter workshop (you keep self-custody)
- Self-custody setup walkthrough
- Runway onboarding — connect wallet and risk dashboard walkthrough
- Async Slack access for 4 weeks
Most Popular
Mastery
Fixed-scope risk-framework education and Runway onboarding.
$1,800
Or split into 3 payments
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Sessions
- 6 × 60m
- Cadence
- Bi-weekly
- Typical capital range
- $25K–$100K
- Everything in Foundations
- 6 × bi-weekly 60-minute 1-on-1 education sessions
- Guided risk-framework blueprint (process, not portfolio management)
- Group strategy workshops on the VIP live calls (Mon, Wed, Fri on Skool)
- Curated research bulletins
- Smart-contract audit checklist
- Dedicated async Slack channel
- Runway deep-dive — idea scanner, journal workflow, and risk dashboard
Application Only
Institutional
Direct founder access. 24 weekly education sessions over 6 months.
$7,200
Or split into 3 or 6 payments
- Duration
- 26 weeks
- Sessions
- 24 × 60m
- Cadence
- Weekly
- Typical capital range
- $100K+
- Everything in Mastery
- 24 × weekly 60-minute 1-on-1 sessions
- Direct access to David
- Due-diligence walkthroughs on protocols you bring, using the audit checklist
- Quarterly risk-framework review
- Priority Runway access — extended Pro features for study
- Refunds
- Foundations and Mastery: full refund within 14 days if no session has been held. Institutional is non-refundable.
- Rescheduling
- Reschedule in the client portal with at least 24 hours' notice. Sessions cancelled later may be forfeited.
All packages include a personalized kickoff, async support for the package duration, and Runway onboarding. Institutional clients receive priority Runway access. Educational only — not financial advice.
What you get
What you leave with.
Your risk-parameter profile
A written framework you build for sizing, allocation limits, and exit rules. You set the numbers; we teach the method.
Risk-framework blueprint
Practice reading funding, liquidation distance, and sizing frameworks in Runway before you act. Education only — you keep self-custody. Not portfolio management.
Smart-contract audit checklist
A repeatable process for vetting a protocol before you deploy.
Dedicated async channel
Slack access between sessions for time-sensitive questions. No more guessing in isolation.
Client portal
Book sessions, view shared notes, download your signed contract, and track session usage.
Priority Runway access
Institutional clients get extended Pro features for study, plus research bulletins. Educational only.
Powered by Runway
Learn to read risk before you act.
Runway is educational risk software — funding, liquidation distance, and a leverage-aware risk view so you can practice process. Educational only. You keep self-custody.
Runway is educational risk software. Perpetual futures involve substantial risk. Runway never holds your funds. Educational only — not financial advice.
Plan in conversation
Walk a thesis through a structured checklist — funding, liquidation distance, and a leverage-aware risk view — before you act. Education, not execution.
See your runway
Connect a wallet you control. Positions can surface with funding and liquidation distance so you can study risk. Runway never holds your funds.
Scan market context
An idea scanner scores market context (funding, technical confluence, catalysts) for study. It is not a signal service and not financial advice.
A journal that records process
Capture plans as structured journal entries you can search later. Review what you did — no promised outcomes.
Stay oriented between sessions
Optional alerts and a morning digest recap context while you are away. Educational tooling, not an autopilot for your book.
How it works
From discovery call to first session in under a week.
01
Book a free 30-minute call
We assess fit, review your goals, and recommend a tier.
02
Choose your package
Foundations can check out on Stripe after fit is clear. Mastery and Institutional start with the call (Institutional is application-only). Sign the coaching agreement before sessions begin.
03
Get your portal access
A magic link arrives in your inbox. From the portal, book your kickoff session.
04
Begin coaching
Weekly, bi-weekly, or one-off sessions depending on your tier, plus async support throughout.
Institutional, itemized
What $7,200 covers.
24 weekly sessions with David over six months. Application only.
Institutional adds
- 24 × weekly 60-minute 1-on-1 sessions
- Direct access to David
- Due-diligence walkthroughs on protocols you bring, using the audit checklist
- Quarterly risk-framework review
- Priority Runway access — extended Pro features for study
Plus everything in Mastery
- Guided risk-framework blueprint (process, not portfolio management)
- Group strategy workshops on the VIP live calls (Mon, Wed, Fri on Skool)
- Curated research bulletins
- Smart-contract audit checklist
- Dedicated async Slack channel
- Runway deep-dive — idea scanner, journal workflow, and risk dashboard
Per session, by tier
- Foundations
- $300
- 45-min session
- Mastery
- $300
- 60-min session
- Institutional
- $300
- 60-min session
Your coach
David Zimmerman
David Zimmerman founded DeFi University and hosts every live call. He has spent the last cycle coaching DeFi learners from their first self-custody setup to protocol due diligence.
His method is risk first and process driven: unscripted Q&A in the group, and 1-on-1 work for people who want it. Not tips, not signals, not predictions — education only.
Every Institutional client works directly with David. There is no hand-off to a junior coach.
— David
About DeFi University →Group coaching
Not ready for 1-on-1?
Group coaching on Skool starts at $29 a month: the Friday live call on Premium, or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on VIP. Seven days free.
Questions
Common questions.
No. All DeFi University coaching is educational. We do not provide financial advice, investment recommendations, or portfolio management. You remain in full custody and control of your assets at all times.
Never. You retain full self-custody throughout the engagement. We guide setup of your own wallets and teach you to manage your own risk.
You'll receive a contract signing link, then a client portal magic link. From the portal you book sessions, access documents, and view notes from your coach.
Foundations and Mastery offer a 14-day refund window if no sessions have been conducted. The Institutional tier is non-refundable due to its application-only, founder-access nature.
Sessions can be rescheduled through the client portal with at least 24 hours notice. Sessions cancelled with less notice may be forfeited.
Yes. Mastery offers 3 monthly payments. Institutional offers 3 or 6 monthly payments. Toggle the plan in the pricing section above.
Risk disclosure
DeFi University LLC provides educational services only. We do not provide financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Digital assets are volatile and you may lose your entire investment. Past performance is not indicative of future results. You are solely responsible for your own investment decisions. All coaching is delivered on a self-custody basis — we never hold or control your funds.
Start with a 30-minute conversation.
Book a free call and find out which tier fits. No pressure, no obligation — just a clear-eyed conversation about where you are and where you want to go.