Fifteen months into my sabbatical, I was itching for more. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a ‘relaxing’ break, quite the opposite – 10 countries, 35,000 kilometres, 8 Bitcoin circular economies, 2 conferences, and the launch of 2 Bitcoin-preferred businesses. I had made meaningful progress with Student of Bitcoin, yet I knew there was more.
Having spent most of my career in customer-facing roles and selling products, I realized a service-only venture wasn’t cutting it for me. I missed building something tangible, a product people could use daily. It turns out I had been interacting with a product (Bitcoin) the entire time, which happened to be open source.
I could continue to enable individuals and businesses to use Bitcoin directly or choose to build something on top of it. It was at these crossroads that I met Prashanth, a humble, soft-spoken, and brilliant engineer solving a real problem, seamlessly connecting your traditional bank account with Bitcoin.
I’ve studied Bitcoin for years, worked at a fintech and spent time building alongside Bitcoin communities. One thing was clear: banking will converge with Bitcoin. I would argue that Bitcoin itself is banking, just not in a state ready for mass adoption. Why? Think about internet usability 16 years into its creation. Now, compare that to today. Bitcoin will have its Netflix or Spotify moment. So, how can banking with Bitcoin be different? We can create a morally conscious financial system, one that’s not extractive or predatory.
I wanted to support a product in this journey and wrote a small angel check for Bringin. Fast forward a few months, and I’m excited to share that I’m joining the team as a co-founder. Throughout my career, I’ve spent hundreds of hours working closely with founders; I know this isn’t an easy journey. It is an opportune time to build rather than sit on the sidelines and hope someone will do it.
At Bringin, we’re on a mission to build a bridge to better money. Hyperbitcoinization won’t happen overnight. People need time and products that help them transition at their own pace, especially in a language they understand. We’re not there yet, and we’re building towards it.
I’m excited to join Prashanth and rethink what banking could look like when built on Bitcoin. We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and this is just the beginning.
One early example: the team recently built a proof of concept where AI was able to purchase an eSIM using Bitcoin. It’s a small sample of what’s possible when real problems meet the right infrastructure.
Thanks to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far.
Stay tuned!
PS. Student of Bitcoin will continue to live on, we will be launching a podcast very soon!