Foster Inclusion

In this episode, I discuss Financial Inclusion in Ethiopia and Eritrea with Kal Kassa of Bitcoin Birr & Bitcoin Nakfa. 

I first became aware of Kal in an article called Check Your Financial Privilege by Alex Gladstein for Bitcoin Magazine. Kal is in the media business and a daily user of bitcoin using the lightning network. After studying at Chapman University, he returned to his native Ethiopia where he began his career in Business Advisory for privatization clients making investments into the country. Today, Kal manages various bitcoin-centric initiatives between San Jose, Austin, and Addis Ababa. Bitcoin Birr and Bitcoin Nakfa have received millions of satoshis in donations from NFL player Russell Okung and Ray Youssef, CEO of Paxful. 

Join us for this entertaining look into financial inclusion and how the lightning network facilitates small, cross-border transactions. 

Where to Find Kal, Bitcoin Birr and Bitcoin Nakfa: 

Website: https://github.com/BitcoinBirr 

Social Media: @KalKassa @BitcoinBirr  @BitcoinNakfa 

References: 

Check Your Financial Privilege: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/check-your-financial-privilege 

Bitcoin Legal Tender Ethiopia: https://www.change.org/p/ministry-of-finance-and-economic-development-bitcoin-legal-tender-for-ethiopia 

Stay Connected: Is there a topic you'd like to have covered on the podcast? Send me an email: [email protected]. 

Website: https://fosterinclusion.com/podcast-1 

Social Media: @fosterinclusion (please note that the Twitter handle has changed)

My dad is sitting in on this episode! 

I invited him on after receiving feedback from my previous episode – Bitcoin Wisdom for Busy People with Ashley Chen. Many found the episode insightful. I also received feedback saying Bitcoin does not foster inclusion because it’s not accessible to “minorities” or older people may not “get it”.

I figure my father, a baby boomer in his 70s, and “minority”, would be a good person to talk to.

In this episode, we talk about lifelong learning, managing negative stereotypes, multiculturalism in Trinidad and Tobago vs. Canada and so much more! 

Please be advised that racial epithets are used in this episode. 

Stay Connected:

Is there a topic you'd like to have covered on the podcast? Would you like to be a guest? Send me an email at [email protected]

Website: https://fosterinclusion.com/

Twitter: @saidahgomez

In this episode, I interview Ashley Chen from BitcoinWisdomforBusyPeople.com. 

I met Ashley in 2018 at the Crypto Valley Conference in Zug, Switzerland.

Ashley's an engineer-turned-marketer, specialising in bridging the communication gap between technology and everyday people in diverse cultural and societal contexts. Her experience includes executing multilingual campaigns for Australia’s largest telco and working in Switzerland’s Crypto Valley on a prominent blockchain project. She grew up and was educated in a multicultural environment in Australia and is fluid between different cultures, speaking English and Chinese Mandarin.

Ashley now dedicates her time and energy to helping the global Chinese-speaking community learn about Bitcoin. Her company is an authorized Bitbox02 hardware wallet reseller in Asia.

Where to find Ashley:

Twitter: @BTCWisdom4BP

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleychen/

Website (English & traditional Chinese): https://www.bitcoinwisdomforbusypeople.com/

Stay Connected:

Is there a topic you'd like to have covered on the podcast? Would you like to be a guest? Send me an email at [email protected]

Website: https://fosterinclusion.com/

Twitter: @saidahgomez

In this episode, I interview South African entrepreneur Pretty Kubyane of Coronet Blockchain. After 36 months of supply chain analysis, Pretty is using Blockchain technology to transform the USD 7 Billion hair extension industry, and help her retail customers capture greater value. She has managed to grow her revenues to USD 2 Million per year in a relatively short period of time, and she is just getting started.

Join us to learn about Pretty's journey into entrepreneurship, the complex supply chain of hair extensions and weaves, and much more!

Where to find Pretty and Coronet Blockchain:

Website: https://www.coronetblockchain.com/

Twitter: @CoronetAfrica

Twitter: @PrettyKubuyane

LinkedIn: https://za.linkedin.com/in/pretty-kubyane-6a5b1987

Stay connected:

Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Would you like to be a guest? Send me an email at: [email protected].

Website: https://fosterinclusion.com/

Twitter: @saidahgomez

In this fourth Foster Inclusion episode, my husband and I continue with our candid and casual conversation about bitcoin and identity. He sips beer while I enjoy Prosecco. Our speech gets a little slurred from time to time but we manage to share how our identities and experiences contribute to our Bitcoin curiosity.