That is one of the schemes that they can earn from holding the Ethereum that both public and private investors sent to them. As for now ethereum is increasing it's values I bet they are earning and the bad thing is when ethereum' price goes down they go hide and run causing the coins to lose it's value.
Don't forget that some of the projects are turned their ethereums into dollars and fiat cash money. If they did this around $200-250 for each ethereum, they're now in loss greatly. They should have been waited enough to cash their funds out.