Exploring Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) and seeing a stock that's been on a wild ride, and honestly, you're right to ask who is buying this thing and why, given the massive strategic pivot from low-carb wine to a creator-economy software platform, Amaze Holdings, Inc. The core tension is clear: institutional investors, who hold about 23.00% of the shares, are betting on the platform's ability to scale its high-margin model, but the near-term financials show a serious cash burn. In the third quarter of 2025, the new business demonstrated an exceptional gross margin of 93.6% on $1.25 million in net revenue, which is the 'why' for the buyers. But still, the net loss for the quarter expanded severely to $5.15 million, a number that screams for a realist's attention, even with the recent $9.2 million equity raise providing a temporary liquidity buffer. So, is this a deep-value play on a tech pivot or a high-risk gamble on a micro-cap with a huge cost problem? We need to look closer at who is accumulating shares and what their specific thesis is for bridging that gap between a phenomenal gross margin and a defintely unsustainable burn rate.

Who Invests in Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) and Why?

You're looking at Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) and trying to figure out who is buying a stock that pivoted so dramatically in 2025. The direct takeaway is this: the investor base is a mix of speculative retail traders and small, specialized institutional funds, all betting on the post-merger entity's pivot from premium wine to the creator economy. They are buying the potential of a $3 trillion global market, not the legacy wine business.

The company, which formally changed its name to Amaze Holdings, Inc. and its ticker to AMZE in March 2025, is a micro-cap with a market capitalization of roughly $9.77 million as of November 2025. This small size and high volatility naturally filters for a specific type of investor.

Key Investor Types: The Ownership Breakdown

The ownership structure for Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) is heavily skewed toward retail investors and insiders, which is typical for a micro-cap stock with a low float. Institutional ownership is present, but fragmented across several smaller funds, not dominated by BlackRock or Vanguard's core index funds.

As of the third quarter of 2025, institutional investors hold approximately 132,679 shares, which represents about 2.12% of the total shares outstanding. This low percentage means the stock price is highly susceptible to the buying and selling pressure of individual retail traders.

The institutional players are mostly smaller wealth advisors and quantitative trading firms. For example, firms like Geode Capital Management LLC, Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors, and Two Sigma Securities LLC are among the top holders, but their positions are small, often under $60,000 in market value. This suggests a mix of passive tracking (Vanguard/Geode) and short-term trading strategies (Two Sigma) rather than deep-conviction, long-term value investing.

• Retail Investors: Hold the significant majority, likely over 75%. They drive the day-to-day volatility.
• Institutional Funds: Hold a small float, around 2.12%, primarily from passive and quantitative funds.
• Hedge Funds: Only 1 hedge fund is noted in Q3 2025 data, holding about 1.91% of shares.
• Insiders: Aaron Day, an insider, purchased 73,716 shares in June 2025, showing management's commitment to the new direction.

Investment Motivations: The Creator Economy Bet

The primary motivation for buying Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) stock in 2025 is the strategic pivot away from being just a wine company and into a creator-driven commerce platform following the Amaze Software acquisition in March 2025. The old wine business had faced significant operational challenges, including a 75.66% revenue decline and negative gross margins of -113.75% in early 2025.

Investors are now chasing the growth prospects of the new e-commerce model. Here's the quick math: the company's Q2 2025 net revenue surged to approximately $870,000, a massive jump from $70,000 in Q2 2024, with the increase almost entirely attributed to the Amaze operations. This growth, despite a Q2 2025 net loss of approximately $5.1 million, is the clear catalyst.

The market position is now being redefined: it's a bet on the platform's ability to help its 14 million creators monetize their brands by offering custom products, including wine and spirits. This is a high-risk growth play, defintely not a value investment. You're buying a turnaround story, not a stable dividend payer.

Investment Strategies: High-Risk Speculation

The strategies used by investors here are almost exclusively speculative and high-risk. The stock's volatility-a surge of 164.74% over six months leading up to February 2025-confirms this short-term, momentum-driven trading environment.

For institutional investors, a notable transaction in July 2025 involved C/M Capital Master Fund, LP purchasing 444,040 shares for an aggregate price of $2,601,011. This suggests a classic special situations or distressed asset strategy, where a fund buys a large block of shares in a company undergoing a major, transformative event like a reverse merger.

The key risk, and therefore the focus of any investment strategy, is the company's liquidity. As of June 30, 2025, the company reported a current ratio of just 0.14 and a working capital deficit of approximately $27 million. Investors are betting the new business model can generate cash flow fast enough to overcome these severe financial constraints.

If you want to understand the full context of this strategic shift and the original founders' vision, you should review the background information on the wine business and its new parent company: Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money. The next concrete step is to track the Q3 2025 and Q4 2025 revenue breakdown to confirm the Amaze segment continues to drive growth, with the owner being the Portfolio Manager.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE)

If you're looking at Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE), the first thing you need to understand is that the company you're analyzing in late 2025 is fundamentally different from the one that started the year. The institutional buying and selling activity is a direct reaction to the strategic pivot from a premium wine brand to a technology-enabled commerce platform, Amaze Holdings, Inc., which became the new corporate name and ticker (AMZE) in March 2025. You're not buying a wine stock anymore; you're buying a creator economy play.

As of the most recent filings, institutional investors own about 23.00% of Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. stock. This is a small-cap stock with a market capitalization of just $9.77 million as of November 2025, so even small positions from major funds can have a big impact. The institutional base is thin, but their conviction level is high because they are betting on the post-acquisition business model.

The top institutional holders in the 2025 fiscal year show a mix of large quantitative funds and specialized wealth advisors. Here's a look at the largest reported positions:

Decoding Recent Changes in Institutional Ownership

The shifts in institutional ownership tell the real story of this transition year. The most significant activity happened right around the announcement and closing of the Amaze Software acquisition. You see a clear pattern of funds either initiating new positions or massively increasing existing ones, which is typical when a micro-cap company executes a reverse merger or a major strategic pivot.

For example, Two Sigma Securities LLC, a firm known for its quantitative strategies, increased its stake by an eye-watering +473.0% in early 2025. Geode Capital Management LLC also boosted its holdings by +23.6% during the same period. This isn't just passive investing; this is a defintely active bet on the new business direction. The quantitative funds are essentially treating the stock as a new entity (Amaze Holdings, Inc.) with a fresh growth narrative in the creator economy.

The buying activity suggests these institutions believe the $75 million equity exchange for Amaze Software, completed in March 2025, provides a solid entry point into a high-growth sector. They are looking past the legacy wine business and focusing on the platform that supports over 14 million creators.

Impact of Institutional Investors on VINE's Strategy and Stock Price

In a small-cap stock like Fresh Vine Wine, Inc., institutional investors play a disproportionately large role. Their buying and selling can cause significant short-term price volatility because the stock is less liquid than large-cap names. When a fund buys 102,000 shares, it moves the needle.

But the bigger impact is on strategy and stability. Institutional ownership lends credibility to the new direction. Their capital is essentially a vote of confidence in the shift to the creator-driven commerce model. Institutional investors demand a clear path to profitability, especially given the company's financial profile-it reported a working capital deficit of approximately $27 million as of June 30, 2025. Their presence forces management to focus on operational efficiencies and execution of the new strategy.

Here's the quick math: The institutional interest validates the company's pivot away from a struggling wine business toward a technology platform. The original VINE was a wine company, but the new AMZE is a tech platform with a wine brand attached. Institutional buying in early 2025 was a crucial catalyst, providing a floor for the stock price during a period of massive corporate change.

• Validate the new business model.
• Increase trading liquidity and visibility.
• Demand financial discipline and clear milestones.

To fully grasp the financial health underpinning this strategic shift, you should read Breaking Down Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors. Your next step should be to track the new ticker, AMZE, and monitor the Q4 2025 institutional filings to see if the accumulation trend continues post-rebranding.

Key Investors and Their Impact on Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE)

The investor profile for Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) is currently defined by a massive strategic pivot: the acquisition of Amaze Software Inc. and the subsequent rebrand to Amaze Holdings, Inc. (AMZE) in March 2025. This means the shareholder base is split between long-term holders of the original wine business and new, event-driven investors buying into the new creator-commerce platform.

Your focus shouldn't be on the wine company's old fundamentals, but on the new entity's capital structure and who's funding the pivot. The institutional ownership is still relatively low at around 23.00% of the stock, which is typical for a micro-cap company undergoing a major transition. It means the stock is highly susceptible to large block trades, so you defintely need to watch the 13F filings closely.

The Founders and Insider Influence

The most influential shareholders have historically been the founders and insiders, who collectively own about 37% of the company. These are not passive investors; their stake is tied directly to the company's operational direction and marketing strategy. The involvement of co-founders and celebrity figures like Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough, who held stakes of 9.08% and 7.56% respectively, was a key marketing driver for the original wine brand.

But the real power shift happened with the merger. The new entity's direction is being driven by the Amaze team. You can see this influence directly in the recent insider buying. For example, Amaze CEO Aaron Day purchased 73,716.00 shares in June 2025, signaling a clear commitment to the new strategy. This is a critical signal: management is putting their own money behind the new business model.

• Founder stakes provide a strong, concentrated base.
• New management's buying activity shows confidence in the pivot.
• Their influence is operational, not just financial.

Institutional Holders and Recent Capital Inflow

The institutional investors in Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) are primarily smaller asset managers and quantitative funds, not the massive mutual funds you see in large-cap stocks. Firms like Geode Capital Management LLC and Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors are listed among the largest holders, but their positions are small in the context of their total assets, with Geode's position valued at only about $57K as of early 2025. This tells you they are holding the stock as part of broader index-tracking or diversified micro-cap strategies, not as a high-conviction, activist play.

The more important recent move is the private capital coming in to finance the new business. In July 2025, C/M Capital Master Fund, LP purchased a total of 444,040 shares of common stock for an aggregate price of $2,601,011. This isn't a small trade; it's a significant capital injection that helps shore up the balance sheet, which desperately needed it. Here's the quick math: that price per share suggests a specific valuation that's a lot more meaningful than the volatile daily market price.

Investor Influence: Funding the Pivot

The influence of these investors is less about boardroom fights and more about providing necessary liquidity for the company's survival and transformation. The company's financial health was weak, reporting a net loss of approximately $7.1 million and a working capital deficit of approximately $27.0 million for the first half of 2025. The new investors, especially those funding the Amaze merger, are essentially betting on the new business model's ability to generate revenue from its platform supporting over 14 million creators.

The key risk here, which investors are accepting, is dilution. The new structure and capital raises mean current shareholders' percentage ownership is reduced, but in exchange, the company gets a lifeline and a new growth engine. The new investors are influencing the company by demanding a complete strategic overhaul, which is exactly what they got with the merger and the new focus on creator-powered commerce. You can review the company's new direction and values here: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE).

What this estimate hides is the potential for a reverse stock split, which is often a necessary step for companies in this position to maintain their listing compliance. Be aware of that. The stock's price, which was trading around $0.58 per share in March 2025, makes it a prime candidate for such an action as the new Amaze Holdings, Inc. (AMZE) tries to establish credibility.

Next step: Track C/M Capital Master Fund, LP's subsequent filings to gauge their long-term conviction in the Amaze Holdings, Inc. (AMZE) story.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

The investor profile for Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE) is defined by a massive strategic pivot in 2025, shifting from a niche premium wine company to a creator-focused commerce platform, Amaze Holdings, Inc. The sentiment is a complex mix: technically Bearish, but institutionally opportunistic following the acquisition.

As of November 2025, the overall technical sentiment is Bearish, with the Fear & Greed Index sitting at 39 (Fear). This tells you that while the underlying business model changed, the market is defintely still hesitant. Still, a few institutional players are betting on the new direction, which is the real story here.

• Technical sentiment: Bearish (Nov 2025).
• Fear & Greed Index: 39 (Indicates Fear).
• Institutional ownership: 23.00% of stock.

Recent Market Reactions to the Strategic Pivot

The stock market's reaction to the company's transformation and capital actions in 2025 was volatile and dramatic. The most significant move was the acquisition of Amaze Software, Inc. in March 2025, which led to the company changing its corporate name to Amaze Holdings, Inc. and its ticker symbol to AMZE. This move was crucial because it allowed the company to regain compliance with NYSE American listing standards, reporting a preliminary stockholders' equity of approximately $80 million, a huge jump from its previous financial state.

The initial stock price at the start of 2025 was around $13.4090, but it plummeted by 98.0% to about $0.2716 by mid-June, reflecting the severe financial distress and noncompliance issues that preceded the acquisition. The subsequent 1-for-23 reverse stock split in June 2025 adjusted the share count but didn't entirely erase the market's anxiety. A key investor, C/M Capital Master Fund, LP, showed concrete support in July 2025, purchasing 444,040 shares of common stock for an aggregate price of $2,601,011. That's a clear vote of confidence in the new e-commerce strategy.

Analyst Perspectives and Key Investor Impact

Formal analyst coverage is sparse, but the financial results from Q2 2025 offer the best insight into the new business model's impact. The pivot is generating revenue growth, but at a high cost, which is the near-term risk. Total net revenue for Q2 2025 reached approximately $870,000, a staggering 431% increase from Q2 2024, largely due to the inclusion of the Amaze operations. That's a massive growth number, but here's the quick math on the risk: the company reported a working capital deficit of approximately $27 million as of June 30, 2025. This liquidity challenge means the company must execute flawlessly on the new e-commerce model to turn that revenue growth into profit.

The key investors buying now, like C/M Capital Master Fund, LP, are not buying a wine company; they are buying a creator-economy platform with a liquidity problem. They are betting on the long-term vision laid out in the company's Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (VINE). The institutional accumulation, even in small amounts, is focused on the new e-commerce segment, not the legacy wine business. For instance, Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors and Geode Capital Management LLC are among the top institutional holders, holding shares valued at $53K and $57K, respectively, as of Q1 2025 filings. This table shows the shift in focus:

The near-term action for you is to watch the cash burn. Net cash used in operating activities for the first half of 2025 was approximately $3.9 million, a significant increase from the prior year. The investors who are buying are looking past the current loss to the potential of the creator economy platform.