Issue #11

Bitcoin Industry Updates From June 29th, 2023 - July 12th, 2023

Author

Eric Podwojski
July 12, 2023

Brought to you by Bitcoin Talent Co.

“Working on Bitcoin I get the same feeling, we've got this incredible opportunity to bring property rights to billions of people and if we don't succeed I don't want it to be because I took time off or didn't push through.” — Kody Low, Head of Developer & Product Support at Fedi

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News & Updates

Covering June 29th, 2023 - July 12th, 2023

Company Updates 

Bipa, a Brazilian Bitcoin startup, has announced the successful closure of its seed investment round, raising a total of $1.4 million. The funds will support Bipa's expansion in the market and encourage more individuals to join the Bitcoin community. Currently, approximately 6 million Brazilians declare investments in cryptocurrencies, and Bipa's goal is to tap into this potential and become the go-to option for those seeking an entry point into the bitcoin industry.

Gemini, a crypto trust firm and exchange, has filed a lawsuit against Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its CEO Barry Silbert in a New York State court. They allege that DCG and Silbert have fraudulently induced Gemini and other parties to lend significant amount of cryptocurrency to DCG's subsidiary, Genesis Global Capital, which went bankrupt in January due to the collapse of Terra/Luna and FTX. Gemini's co-founder Cameron Winklevoss claims that Silbert was aware of the massive insolvency of Genesis and attempted to deceive Gemini into continuing the Earn program.

MicroStrategy, a business intelligence software company, announced its latest purchase of 12,333 BTC for $347.0 million. The company has aggressively acquired 152,333 Bitcoin, now controlling 0.726% of the total available supply. This acquisition reinforces the company's belief in the long-term viability of the digital asset.

Vanguard Group, a financial industry giant, has increased its investments in Bitcoin mining companies Riot Platforms ($RIOT) and Marathon Digital ($MARA) to $560 million. This follows other large asset managers, like BlackRock, applying for a Bitcoin ETF and the launch of a cryptocurrency exchange backed by top Wall Street names.

Tether, the company powering the most widely used stablecoin, announced a collaboration with the Government of Georgia to create a flourishing environment for peer-to-peer technology. This includes a fund for local startups, educational programs, and the development of resilient infrastructure. The goal is to make Georgia a global leader in blockchain technologies such as bitcoin and peer-to-peer technologies.

Fedi and Stakwork partnered to organize the Ai4ALL Hackathon, a month-long event aimed at making AI more accessible globally. The hackathon will feature workshops, coding sessions, tutorials, and mentorships led by industry experts from both AI and Bitcoin ecosystems. The hackathon is sponsored by companies like Hivemind Ventures and Spirit of Satoshi and has additional support from Voltage, Lightning Labs, and Blockstream.

Product Updates

Lightning Labs has unveiled tools that allow AI applications such as OpenAI's GPT series to send and receive bitcoin. This new technology will make AI software deployment cheaper and increase its possible use cases, such as charging for API access. The potential future of AI lies in SaaS/Enterprise/API products that uniquely solve user problems.

Unchained has launched a new private client service, called Unchained Signature, to help high-net-worth individuals, institutions and corporations invest in and manage their Bitcoin. This service includes dedicated account management, private trade execution, multi-million dollar loans and retirement and estate planning. Joe Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Unchained, said the service exists to help investors buy, secure, and grow their Bitcoin without compromising security.

Coinfinity, an Austrian bitcoin broker, has integrated the Lightning Network into their services, allowing customers to make bitcoin purchases with faster processing times and lower transaction fees. This integration is a step towards global adoption of Bitcoin and the company is working on incorporating it into their web portal and mobile app for iOS and Android. This move is intended to optimize transaction efficiency and reduce costs.

Need Help With Hiring?

Bitcoin Talent Co. is the leading recruiting firm in the Bitcoin ecosystem, focused on partnering with companies whose products and services seek to expand a monetary network that will bring freedom and prosperity to all.

Interviews w/ Industry Leaders

KEY: 🎙 = listen, 📺 = watch, 📖 = read

BTCo 19: Dennis Porter from Satoshi Action Fund: Host Eric Podwojski sits down with CEO and Co-founder of Satoshi Action Fund, Dennis Porter, to discuss advocating for pro-Bitcoin public policy and Bitcoin mining jobs in the United States. (🎙, 📺)

Coin Stories: Jaime Leverton: Talking Bitcoin Energy, Mining, Data Centers vs Digital Assets and Women in Tech: Host Natalie Brunell interviews the CEO of Hut 8 Mining Corp., Jamie Leverton, about bitcoin mining and Hut 8 expanding into the United States. (🎙, 📺)

The Bitcoin Standard Podcast 176: Mi Primer Bitcoin with John Dennehy: Host Saifedean Ammous interviews the CEO and founder of startup nonprofit Mi Primer Bitcoin, John Dennehy, to discuss bitcoin education and how they are teaching bitcoin to tens of thousands of students in El Salvador. (🎙, 📺)

The Pomp Podcast #1221: Fred Thiel: BITCOIN: This Country is Secretly Mining: Host Anthony Pompliano interviews the Chairman and CEO of Marathon Digital Holdings, Fred Thiel, about vertically integrated technology, competition around the world, nuclear power, zero-cost energy, mining facilities, and predictions for miner revenue, hashrate, & bitcoin price in five years. (🎙, 📺)

BTCo 18: Zach (@BTCBap) from Casa: Host Eric Podwojski sits down with Account Executive at Casa, Zach (@BTCBap), to discuss why he left his career path as a Certified Financial Planner in traditional finance to work in Bitcoin and the strategic job search process he deployed that set himself apart from others. (🎙, 📺)

Listen to The BTCo Podcast

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Company Spotlight

Total Funding

$82.5M (Source: Crunchbase)

About

“At Lightning Labs, we develop software that powers the Lightning Network. Our open source, secure, and scalable Lightning systems enable users to send and receive money more efficiently than ever before. We also offer a series of verifiable, non-custodial Lightning-based financial services. We bridge the world of open source software and the next-generation of bitcoin financial software.”

Leadership

Working in Bitcoin

Bitcoin Talent Co. is the first recruiting firm to focus exclusively on the Bitcoin landscape. We see through the noise of crypto, blockchain, Web3, and all other buzzwords to help Bitcoin-focused companies operate at scale. Below are some of the positions we are actively recruiting candidates for.

Open Roles

  1. Systems Engineer - A Bitcoin financial services company is looking for an experienced Rust engineer to build new self-custody functionality in their native mobile app.

  2. Chief Financial Officer - A Bitcoin financial services company offering specialized custodial solutions is seeking a seasoned CFO. Candidates culturally aligned with the ethos of Bitcoin are preferred.

  3. Sr. Front End Developer - A European-based Bitcoin-only exchange is seeking an experienced React Native engineer with previous experience working in a startup environment.

  4. Site Technician - A petroleum energy exploration company is seeking a technician based in West Texas to join their Bitcoin Load Center team and support ongoing mining operations.

  5. Sr. Trust Officer - An enterprise banking company providing secure custodial storage of digital assets is seeking a highly qualified Trust Officer to join their rapidly growing team. Candidates must be based in Puerto Rico.

  6. Recruiter - Bitcoin Talent Co. is seeking an experienced recruiter to join the team. Knowledge about Bitcoin and Bitcoin culture is a must.

🤔 Interested in an open role or know someone who may be interested?

Send us a message or reach out if you have strong folks in your network that could be a great fit, we have a very exciting referral program!👇

That's a wrap for this biweekly newsletter. See ya in +2016 blocks from now!

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- Eric (@epodrulz)

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If you found value in this newsletter please subscribe and tell a friend. Our mission is to strengthen the bitcoin network with premiere human capital. The more professionals know about us, the more talent we can bring into the industry!