Issue #7

Brought to you by Bitcoin Talent Co.

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🚨 News & Updates

Covering May 4th, 2023 - May 17th, 2023

🚀 Company Updates 

River, a Bitcoin technology and financial services startup, has announced a $35 million Series B equity round. This funding was led by Kingsway Capital and other investors included Peter Thiel. River offers a suite of Bitcoin services, including zero-fee recurring orders, full-reserve custody, mining, and a Bitcoin wallet.

Fedi, Inc. has raised $17 million in a Series A round of financing. They plan to launch an Alpha version of Fedi, the world's first federated operating system, later this month. Fedi offers a secure, private, and simple way to securely store and transact money and data, while allowing developers to build apps and modules to complement Fedi's offerings. Fedi is targeted at communities facing poverty, oppression, and loss of financial autonomy, as well as businesses, nonprofits, and affinity groups.

OpenSats Initiative, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has received $10 million in funding from Jack Dorsey's #startsmall philanthropic initiative. Half of the amount will be used to support free and open-source software and projects focusing on bitcoin, nostr, and related technologies. NVK and Gigi are joining the OpenSats board to help with organizational and funding decisions. All gifts and donations are tax-deductible.

Fold, a Bitcoin rewards company, has opened a new office in El Salvador in order to expand its services to Latin America. Fold has processed over $1 billion in volume and also has a mobile app. The El Salvador office will offer personalized support to its Latin American users and partners.

Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, has announced it will cease operations in Canada due to increased crypto regulation in North America. This comes shortly after Binance.US withdrew a US$1.3 billion deal to buy Voyager Digital due to "hostile" regulations in the US.

Giga Energy and Atlas Power have announced a joint venture to use stranded and flare gas to power Bitcoin mining. This partnership will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate revenue. Atlas Power will provide Bitcoin mining infrastructure, while Giga Energy will supply its expertise in capturing and converting the gas into electricity. The venture will focus on oil and gas fields in the Williston area.

 🟠 Product Updates

Bull Bitcoin, a Canadian Bitcoin exchange, has launched a no-KYC service which allows users to buy bitcoin with cash or debit card at any Canadian Post office. Transactions of up to $999 CAD ($745 USD) can be made with no KYC required, and the company aims to attract customers who want to limit personal information they share with third parties.

Bitdeer Technologies Group and Druk Holding & Investments have partnered to create a closed-end fund worth up to $500 million to develop a 100% carbon-free digital asset mining operation in the Kingdom of Bhutan. This will create jobs and economic activity and also enable Bitdeer to expand their global footprint to Asia.

Voltage, a Lightning infrastructure company, released Lightning Terminal which brings Lightning Labs' Loop, Pool, Faraday, and LNC services to their platform for easier access. Lightning Terminal is available on all Standard and Professional nodes at no additional cost. Users must upgrade to version v0.4.0 of Voltage to enable the service.

👋 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

BTCo11: Ivan Makedonski from Breez: Host Eric Podwojski sits down with the Chief of Staff at Breez, Ivan Makedonski, to discuss his career path starting as a civil engineer, transitioning to work in sales, then eventually finding a role within a Bitcoin company. (🎙, 📺)

WiM308: How to Hire or Land a Job in Bitcoin with Eric Podwojski and Andy Thompson: Host Robert Breedlove interviews the Co-Founders of Bitcoin Talent Co., Andy Thompson and Eric Podwojski, to discuss the pros and cons of a Bitcoin-only company, the emergence of Bitcoin VCs, and the current state of the Bitcoin recruitment industry.

The Pomp Podcast 1197: Jordi Visser On The Intersection Of Bitcoin, AI, Debt Limit, & Banking Crisis: Host Anthony Pompliano interviews Jordi Visser the President and CIO of Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisors, Jordi Visser. (🎙, 📺)

Blockware Intelligence Podcast: Bitcoin Mining Tell-All with Drew Armstrong of Cathedra Bitcoin: Host Joe Burnett is joined by the President of Cathedra Bitcoin, Drew Armstrong, to discuss surviving the 2022 bear market as a Bitcoin miner, preparing for the 2024 halving, Bitcoin mining and energy markets, hyper-bitcoinization, and more! (🎙, 📺)

Coin Stories: Jack Mallers: We Need To Embrace Bitcoin Like We Embraced The Internet: Host Natalie Brunell interviews the CEO of Strike, Jack Mallers, about Bitcoin being used as a public utility. (🎙, 📺)

Coin Stories: Michael Saylor: Bitcoin & Lightning Network Will Transform Businesses, National Cybersecurity and Allow For Verification of AI: Host Natalie Brunell interviews the Chairman of Microstrategy, Michael Saylor, Live at MicroStrategy WORLD 2023 Bitcoin and Lightning for Corporations in Orlando, Florida. (🎙, 📺)

TFTC419: Fedi Is Connecting Communities With Freedom Technology with Obi Nwosu: Host Marty Bent interviews the CEO of Fedi, Obi Nwosu, as he explains the differences between building a centralized custodian like Coinfloor and a federated custody product at Fedi, how bitcoin is the digital Hulk, and how bitcoin can empower billions of people around the world. (🎙, 📺, 📖)

BTCo10: Chris Alaimo from Bitcoin Magazine: Host Eric Podwojski sits down with the Multimedia Producer at Bitcoin Magazine, Chris Alaimo, to discuss how he left his career as a chemical engineer to work in Bitcoin. (🎙, 📺)

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🔦 Company Spotlight

River

Total Funding

$52.7M (Source: Crunchbase)

About

“Based in San Francisco, River Financial is a client-first financial institution dedicated to providing financial products and services that enable our clients to harness the transformative possibilities of Bitcoin.

As the economy is transformed by Bitcoin, River Financial products and services are at the forefront of that evolution. We have made a commitment to building financial solutions that power a radically more fair, transparent, and efficient global economy made possible by Bitcoin. While Bitcoin continues to redefine our global financial system, we are committed to guiding each client towards a secure, autonomous financial future.

The trust of our clients is our greatest asset. We recognize that consumers deserve industry-leading technology, client service, education, and security. Every facet of our business is engineered to protect our clients investments for the long-term. Our self-hosted infrastructure and military-grade security remains unreplicated, and we strive to continue to elevate the industry standard of security.”

Leadership

• Alex Leishman, CEO & CTO

• Julia Duzon, COO

• Bill Mongan, General Counsel

💼 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. Lead C++ / Go Bitcoin Developer - A Bitcoin company vertically integrating mining operations, hardware manufacturing, and data center design is seeking an experienced Back-End Engineer.

2. VP of Engineering - An interoperable Web 5 company using the Lightning network for decentralized bitcoin payments is hiring a VP of Engineering to work closely with the CEO. The role requires a candidate willing to work more than 60 hours per week writing code and managing an engineering team.

3. Head of Marketing - A marketplace for Bitcoin digital and physical art is seeking a marketer passionate about arts and culture to grow their user base.

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

5. Student Interns - Bitcoin Talent Co. has partnered with Summer of Bitcoin to offer various internship opportunities with Bitcoin companies across the industry for both undergraduate and graduate students in North America and Europe. Apply to the program by May 26th, 2023 using this link.

🤔 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! 

If you want more, be sure to follow our Twitter (@BitcoinTalentCo) and connect with us on LinkedIn.

 - Eric (@epodrulz)

👋 One more thing...

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!