The Bitcoin To Freedom Podcast

I’m really happy to introduce the newest guest on the Bitcoin To Freedom podcast - Rodolfo Novak, a Toronto-based entrepreneur and a very early bitcoin adopter whose passion for creating bitcoin solutions is well-documented.

Rodolfo is the co-founder of CoinKite, a company that has been developing bitcoin solutions since 2012. That’s pretty much what Rodolfo does from the early days of bitcoin, focusing on the hardware side of it. Talking with him, you really get the sense he strongly believes in what he does, and that there’s no obstacle a well-thought-out idea cannot overcome.

I was fascinated by the idea of creating a physical bitcoin solution that was actually trustless.

Rodolfo Novak

The fellow Canadian is a busy man, currently attached to a number of projects. However, he’s currently most involved with Opendime and Coldcard, a couple of subjects we cover extensively during our talk. Rodolfo shares how such a small thing like a memory card can improve a hard wallet, and the implications of a well-timed backup.

In particular, Rodolfo is really vocal about bitcoin’s mass acceptance. His views on bitcoin going mainstream make a lot of sense when you consider the global reach of it, and the underlying economic effect. My guest also has a couple of personal rules when it comes to entrepreneurship (which totally make sense in the grand scale), as well as interesting views on bitcoin privacy and how it can move forward.

Rodolfo is an avid believer in online freedom of expression (hence his Mastodon engagement), and a frequent reader in terms of differing views, knowledge, and everything else (hence tons of recommendations).

In short, that would be Rodolfo Novak’s guest appearance on today’s episode. Now let's hear what he has to say!

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

0:43 - How Opendime came to be.

2:36 - Rodolfo explains why a certain project is worthy of his time.

4:31 - How Opendime functions (a trustless trust, as my guest calls it).

5:44 - Security characteristics that Coldcard has that the competition lacks.

7:11 - What Rodolfo sees as Trezor’s main weakness.

7:54 - How a micro SD card is used for signing in transactions and the importance of cold storage.

8:50 - On how Coldcard is used and the importance of backup.

11:07 - Rodolfo mentions industrial-grade Micro SD cards (the ones that go into race cars, i.e.).

11:52 - What Rodolfo is most excited about in future Opendime developments.

12:34 - What bitcoin needs to overcome to really go mainstream, and how it’s seen different across the globe.

16:09 - What bitcoin improvement will be the most exciting, according to Rodolfo.

17:20 - On how bitcoin privacy will be accomplished (hint: it’s already there).

20:41 - The biggest opportunities for entrepreneurs today.

22:43 - On Mastodon (not the band) and the freedom it brings.

23:57 - What Rodolfo’s Twitter profile image actually means (you have to check it out!).

25:11 - Rodolfo shares his recommendations on books, blogs, and even social media for better bitcoin understanding.

27:18 - Rodolfo shares final words of wisdom.

 

Key takeaways

I don’t like to be trusted. I want people to trust the code, the cryptography, and themselves.

The reality is, most people don’t lose money by being hacked. Most people lose money by screwing themselves up.

Bitcoin already is mainstream, it’s just not used by the mainstream.

If you do your bitcoining correctly, you already have a lot of privacy.

Don’t make funding the thing that limits you from starting a business.

 

I’m really happy to introduce the newest guest on the Bitcoin To Freedom podcast – Rodolfo Novak, a Toronto-based entrepreneur and a very early bitcoin adopter whose passion for creating bitcoin solutions is well-documented. Rodolfo is the co-founder of CoinKite, a company that has been developing bitcoin solutions since 2012. That’s pretty much what […]

Today's guest is one you don't want to miss if you're interested in buying bitcoin. It was a pleasure to talk to Jordan Tuwiner, the guy behind Buy Bitcoin Worldwide website. Jordan is an entrepreneur who specialized in bitcoin, affiliate marketing, and SEO (quite a combination!). He also has a soft spot for travel and talks about how his idea to make money with baseball turned into a successful entrepreneurial business, as well as the common bitcoin misconception he constantly witnesses.

Managing his site since 2015, Jordan talks about what bitcoin is really is versus what it’s not, and the underlying economics behind it. Much like in the case of Ray Youssef’s Paxful, Africa is the largest market for Jordan’s website, with the movement from the East becoming a hot thing now.

If there’s one thing you can say about Jordan, it’s that he’s a big believer in all things online, especially when it comes to education. Currently trying to master coding, Jordan fully harnesses the power of Google and the Internet to learn about new things and educate himself from top to bottom on topics that interest him. I fully agree with him and this is definitely something people who strive to succeed could pick up on. To reiterate the point, Jordan even mentions his friend who is now a successful affiliate marketer after learning about it from scratch and taking a few pointers from Jordan.

Jordan has a lot to say on the subjects of bitcoin and entrepreneurship so I’ll leave you to take a listen and absorb what he has to say. Enjoy!

In this episode you’ll discover:

0:52 - Jordan talks about his beginning as an entrepreneur and how writing about baseball opened the door to what he does today.

1:57 - Jordan explains the link between baseball and SEO (who knew, right?) and how the SEO element laid the foundation for his success.

3:02 - On which countries bring the most traffic to his website.

4:46 - On how bitcoin holds value to people who have a hard time accessing it

5:37 - The biggest misconception people have when it comes to buying bitcoin and the currency itself.

6:50 - What bitcoin really is in terms of understanding it.

7:54 - Jordan shares what set him on the path to bitcoin (one more reason why you should leverage online resources).

9:52 - One aspect of future bitcoin development Jordan is really excited about (hint: it’s not micropayment apps).

11:09 - The role of exchanges in future transactions.

11:54 - On what’s keeping Jordan busy right now business-wise (future fellow podcaster, maybe?).

13:11 - On learning Javascript and how being your own boss intrigues people.

13:44 - The fastest/best way to for an aspiring entrepreneur to start with, according to Jordan.

14:49 - The power of online resources, the impact they can have, and the strategy that Jordan likes.

16:04 - If Jordan could live anywhere in the world, that would be… (the answer will surprise you, I guarantee).

16:58 - Where the best opportunities lie for entrepreneurs.

18:02 - What Jordan thinks is essential in order to have success in the online world.

 

Key takeaways

I don’t expect bitcoin overnight to become this worldwide, global thing (even though it kinda already works like that) but slowly, I do think that people are recognizing that it is a good solution for a lot of the problems people are having.

As long as the supply of bitcoin does not get changed, I still fully believe in it.

The technology can be replicated very easily, but it’s really bitcoin, the money, and the network that’s very hard to replicate.

For making money online, all the information you need is online.

 

Today’s guest is one you don’t want to miss if you’re interested in buying bitcoin. It was a pleasure to talk to Jordan Tuwiner, the guy behind Buy Bitcoin Worldwide website. Jordan is an entrepreneur who specialized in bitcoin, affiliate marketing, and SEO (quite a combination!). He also has a soft spot for travel […]

Today, I talk with Aaron Lasher, an early bitcoin investor and Chief Strategy Officer at Breadwallet (BRD), one of the most popular crypto wallets today (of which I’m a proud user - highly recommend it, check it out).

In his mission to make bitcoin available to everyone, Aaron takes us on a short history tour and shares his thoughts on what the future holds in store for cryptocurrencies. He calls himself an “immediate devotee” and “a sort-of amateur Angel investor” after getting a taste of bitcoin.

I’ve always just been fascinated with this idea that you can discover things that are true but you have no idea how it’s going to interact with the real world.

Aaron Lasher

From “funny money” (a sort of a code word for national currencies that stuck) to doing everything you can do with your bank right now but in a decentralized, permissionless way with bitcoin, Aaron talks about his current work and predicts future movements within the crypto world, as well as laments on decisions and failures that are part of the journey every successful entrepreneur makes.

The most exciting thing for my today’s guest is more people moving their money and their wealth into bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Aaron believes the current system doesn’t serve the interest of the public, and it’s a point he feels strongly about (just listen to him riffing on student loans).

Now a father of two, it’s safe to say his exciting sailing adventures are over but being a working dad doesn’t stop him from being actively involved with Breadwallet and keeping a close eye on bitcoin development. Let’s hear what Aaron has to say about it!

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

1:08 - Aaron talks about how Breadwallet started and how his background affected his decisions to get involved with cryptocurrencies.

06:07 On what sets Breadwallet apart from the rest of the wallets: three guiding principles.

6:54 The thing Aaron is most excited about when it comes to future Breadwallet endeavors (there’s some champagne involved).

8:35 On the three main revenue streams from where the money comes from and the processes behind them.

10:51 What Aaron sees as the biggest misconception people have about Breadwallet

13:22 Lookin back on the choice Breadwallet made after the great bitcoin divorce in 2017

14:57 One Breadwallet feature people should be really excited in the future (there’ll be a couple of surprises, too).

17:37 Why Aaron thinks security tokens are the next big thing in the crypto space and what excites him the most.

21:29 How bitcoin will help economically; the example of student loans.

25:45 The advantage of online education compared to going to college.

27:05 What infrastructure bitcoin needs to fully go mainstream.

28:34 Aaron talks about what excites him the most when it comes to bitcoin development

30:46 If Breadwallet is planning on implementing the Lightning Network

32:02 What other country could Aaron live in?

33:12 The biggest opportunities today for entrepreneurs

34:39 Aaron provides a most unusual example of entrepreneurship done right

 

Key takeaways

(On Breadwallet) The core mission is to financially liberate the individual.

We’re making a big bet that security tokens could be a thing. I think there’s a lot of evidence pointing in that direction.

Most people don’t know how money works.

(On necessary bitcoin infrastructure) I think it’s simply people waking up and saying: “I need to have 1% of my net worth in bitcoin.”

If you find governments in sync, just turning on the oppression machine,

Today, I talk with Aaron Lasher, an early bitcoin investor and Chief Strategy Officer at Breadwallet (BRD), one of the most popular crypto wallets today (of which I’m a proud user – highly recommend it, check it out). In his mission to make bitcoin available to everyone, Aaron takes us on a short history tour […]

In this truly insightful episode, I’m chatting with Ray Youssef, the founder and CEO of Paxful, one of the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin marketplaces in the world.

Ray has been an entrepreneur since 2001 and has founded 12 startups along the way. That way was far from smooth, though. Ray literally went from rags to riches and learned many lessons. In a nutshell, he is a New York City native that loves building awesome things that make life better.

That’s where Paxful comes in, currently mainly serving and making difference in developing countries by using Bitcoin to help the ‘unbanked’ people. As many before him, Ray wasn’t a believer in bitcoin at first, but he gave it a shot by selling it for gift cards. And - it worked.

“Me and my co-founder Artur, we were like: ”We got to scale this up.” And we did and all of a sudden: BOOM! I wasn’t homeless anymore.”

Ray Youssef

Now, Africa is Paxful’s biggest market (with the US aiming to take over) - this developing world where people turn to Paxful and P2P financing the most. And the difference is tremendous. Ray shares a somewhat incredible example of people being unable to buy new iPhones in Nigeria because their banks don’t allow that much spending (that’s just the tip of the iceberg, trust me).

There’s also plenty of room for charity in Ray’s heart, as he is being involved in building a second school in Africa, all thanks to bitcoin. He also shares the challenges of building a school in Africa, his musing on the Lightning Network, what the future holds for Paxful, and invites anyone who is able to sell bitcoin in Venezuela and Turkey, to reach out to him personally to help you get set up.

That would be enough of introduction, I feel - let’s hear what my today’s guest says about his experience with bitcoin and how he sees it changing the world.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

 

00:38 - The bitcoin connection; how Paxful came into being.

04:24 - What ‘universal translator for money’ means.

07:18 - If Ray sees bitcoin used as a form of a bank account.

11:08 - On the day-to-day use of bitcoin in developing countries; the six reasons why it works so well and makes a difference (with examples!).

17:19 - Bitcoin is bringing financial empowerment, not just inclusion.

17:57 - Where the idea for building a school in Rwanda came from.

20:51 - The building blocks for empowerment - it’s all the same in the developing countries.

21:51 - The biggest challenges Ray encountered when building the school.

23:58 - On Lightning Network and if he sees it being integrated into Paxful at some point.

26:33 - On Paxful’s plans for the future.

30:30 - One country he would like to relocate for a short period of time if he had to.

33:33 - Biggest opportunities for entrepreneurs today.

 

Key Takeaways

Both Artur and I got into bitcoin because we really believe that it could make for a more peaceful world: a currency that could not be wildly inflated at will; bankers could not start wars and drag us into them at will.

We didn’t figure anything out ourselves. All we did was listen to our customer and watch what they were doing and they taught us so much.

You can trade anything in the world for anything else and bitcoin is just a medium.

Financial empowerment - this is the key. Inclusion is not good enough.

I really believe that sometime in the next two years, we are going to create the world’s first closed-loop crypto economy and it might be Venezuela. But when that happens, everyone is really going to understand the power of P2P finance and then the banks are gonna start shaking.

 

In this truly insightful episode, I’m chatting with Ray Youssef, the founder and CEO of Paxful, one of the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) bitcoin marketplaces in the world. Ray has been an entrepreneur since 2001 and has founded 12 startups along the way. That way was far from smooth, though. Ray literally went from rags to […]

The new season is finally here (it took some time, I know), and I am kicking it off with Adam Draper, the founder and managing director of Boost VC, one of the premier accelerators in the world for crypto and VR startups.

Adam’s portfolio is impressive: his credentials include funding over 250 startups through Boost VC, with 90+ of them operating in the cryptocurrency space and more than 70 of the VR variety. With deep VC family ties, Adam continues in the footsteps of his family’s previous generation of venture capitalists.

Being a seed investor in CoinBase, arguably one of the biggest crypto exchanges today, Adam came full circle and made all sorts of mistakes along the way (he’s human, after all). For Adam, those mistakes made him what he is today and he sees a lot of the same errors in today’s businesses (pick up the phone, people!).

His take on VR and blockchain, apart from the mainstream use, is interesting and it all revolves around one thing in particular: solving the problems people routinely face:

 

“The reason to start a business is not for money. The reason to start a business is because something about the world frustrates you and you need it to change in an obsessive way.”

Adam Draper

My today’s guest strongly believes that businesses don’t think it through. Some businesses are venture backable, some aren’t. VC companies aren’t going to back you unless you show there’s a tangible way you can return the investment.

With Boost VC, Adam is investing in pre-seed startups that aim to make sci-fi a reality. The aspect of time is important to Adam, with the unavoidable link to everything online (the freedom of geography, as Adam calls it) and undervalued meaning of being global.

Enough of my ramblings, let’s dive into today’s episode and learn how Adam sees Bitcoin, VR, and entrepreneurship, as well as share his advice and experiences.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

 

1:00 - How Adam started investing.

4:44 - About his investing in Coinbase, founding and leaving Expert Financial and then buying it back.

6:09 On meeting Bryan Armstrong (founder of Coinbase) before cryptocurrencies made it big.

7:45 What mistakes Adam made, what it takes to make it when things aren’t going as planned.

13:52 Dialling for dollars: the importance of picking up the phone and calling instead of relying on email to do the bidding.

15:28 The highest high: when all the sacrifices were finally worth it, those moments that make it all worthwhile.

18:56 Adam shares his view on one of the main VR use cases (besides entertainment), gaining traction in the coming years.

22:35 Talking blockchain: non-bitcoin cryptocurrency Adam is most excited about and main applications (other than money) that the blockchain could be used in the future.

26:10 How people undervalue what global means in crypto.

27:03 What type of business is uniformly best for good and bad times?

29:06 The types of businesses that were successful over and over.

32:24 How Adam spends his time and his routine.

35:00 The aspect of time: how to build a business to save people time.

36:51 Which area offers the most opportunities for online entrepreneurs?

38:46 Everything is connected and there are still opportunities: what’s the problem you can solve for someone else?

39:59 One piece of advice struggling entrepreneurs

41:45 Make noise, just talk

 

Key Takeaways

“Bryan Armstrong said to me: “At some point, the world is gonna be on one financial infrastructure.” That phrase has, in a positive way, haunted my entire career.

The new season is finally here (it took some time, I know), and I am kicking it off with Adam Draper, the founder and managing director of Boost VC, one of the premier accelerators in the world for crypto and VR startups. Adam’s portfolio is impressive: his credentials include funding over 250 startups through Boost […]