Kgothatso Ngako is the lead catalyst at Machankura, a service on the Bitcoin and Lightning Networks that enables people in Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, South Africa, and Zambia (so far!) to send and receive Bitcoin over cellular network protocols (GSM and USSD) using Lightning addresses.He is not only Changing the Tide with this service but also through Exonumia Africa, his open-source initiative to translate leading Bitcoin content into native African languages.Imagine millions of people across the continent of Africa understanding and using Bitcoin. Not...

Bryan Nonni is a software engineer at one of the world's largest payment companies and co-founded the Terminus Electric Money Lab in Atlanta in June 2022. The goal of Terminus is to be the bridge between "Transaction Alley" in Georgia and the Lightning Network via shared work and hackerspace, as well as hosted events.They are Changing the Tide by educating some of the largest payments companies in the United States (and the world) about Bitcoin and Lightning–from the grassroots all the way to the c-suite levels.Links: ​Bryan's Twitter handle: @nonni_ioTerm...

Michael Bumann (Bumi) is co-founder of Alby, an open-source project with two products: a browser extension and an API for web monetization via the Lightning Network.Creators and consumers can connect their node or existing wallet to their Alby extension and quickly begin transferring or receiving value on the web. Even on sites that aren't Lightning native (think YouTube).And now, with the API, mobile and other applications can be added to the mix.Alby is Changing the Tide. One Chrome extension at a time.Links: ​Bumi's Twitter handle: @Bumi

Doug is the founder of BitRamp, a service built on top of Azteco to onramp businesses and individuals to the Bitcoin network.Business owners and individuals can quickly set up a terminal and Azteco account to sell Bitcoin vouchers. Voucher buyers can then scan the QR code on the voucher with a Bitcoin Lightning wallet of choice to easily redeem and start using!No week-long wait times while an entity gathers and stores sensitive personally identifiable information from the person trying to obtain Bitcoin in a honeypot, in order to finally "approve" their ability to...

Texas Slim is the driving force behind the Beef Initiative.Its mission is "to improve the health and security of our local communities through the expansion of market access to quality animal protein by building decentralized networks of values-aligned ranchers, processors, distributors, butchers, grocers, restaurants, and consumers and providing access to the tools necessary, including bitcoin, to form more secure localized food supply chains."He is Changing the Tide by introducing ranchers and farmers to better money, in the form of Bitcoin on Lightning, than they currently receive from their incentives paid out by governments...

Roy Sheinfeld is CEO and Co-founder of Breez. He calls Breez "the interface of the peer-to-peer Lightning economy."Roy is Changing the Tide in so many ways. From a mobile app that serves as a fully-featured Bitcoin and Lightning node, to innovating the Lightning Service Provider concept, to forthcoming single-purpose apps, Breez allows individuals to send and receive on-chain and Lightning payments to and from anywhere worldwide, anytime, cheaply, and without permission.Download it today on iOS or Android.Links: ​Roy's Twitter handle: @therealkingonlyRoy's Medium page: https://medium.com/@kingonly

Michael Rhee is Founder of Wavlake. Wavlake allows artists to upload their music to its platform and connect their Lightning node to Wavlake's Lightning node. Listeners can then tip the artist or group with direct payment to their node.Michael is Changing the Tide with a platform that creates a more artist-friendly model of streaming. The goal? By cutting out middlemen and allowing listeners to make direct micropayments to their favorite musicians, these artists can benefit from the distribution model of the Internet (8 billion potential listeners) to hopefully earn significantly more from streaming than current dominant streaming...

C Funk is Business Development Manager at Coinkite. Coinkite produces cutting-edge Bitcoin hardware, including OPENDIME, COLDCARD, BLOCKCLOCK, and more recently SATSCARD, TAPSIGNER, and now SATSCHIP.C Funk and Coinkite are Changing the Tide by producing and distributing products and documentation that help educate individuals worldwide on securing their Bitcoin. They are currently looking to help scale on-chain transactions worldwide with SATSCARD and TAPSIGNER, and are driving towards partnering with developers at Bitcoin businesses to implement NFC integration into their wallets. If interested, reach out to cfunk@coinkite.com.Links: ​C Funk's Twitter ha...

Jesse Shrader is co-founder of Amboss. Amboss is a set of Lightning Network tools, including an explorer and marketplace for selling Lightning channels, called Magma. Jesse and Amboss are Changing the Tide by providing services to lightning node operators to ensure a smoother payment experience across the network. Worldwide. Links: ​ Jesse's Twitter handle: @Jestopher_BTC Amboss's Twitter handle: @ambosstech Amboss's website: https://amboss.space/ Note: Nothing in this podcast constitutes financial, legal, or medical advice. The content within is solely for educational purposes. Please consult tax, legal, or medical professionals before making financial, legal, or medical decisions based on what yo...

John Carvalho is CEO of Synonym. Synonym is building a model and tools to facilitate and accelerate the hyberbitcoinized future, which they call the "Atomic Economy." John and Synonym are working on Changing the Tide with some unique products. Slashtags will change how metadata on the Web is built and shared. Slashpay will incorporate Slashtags and standardize payments between two people who may hold Bitcoin on differing address types or use different Lightning invoice formats. And Blocktank is a new Lightning Service Provider service that will automate and monetize lightning node services. On top of this, they are making the...

Jimmy Song is a Bitcoin programmer, educator, author, and entrepreneur. He and I met at the one-day Thank God for Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami the day before Bitcoin 2022 kicked off. He has written Programming Bitcoin and The Little Bitcoin Book, as well as co-authored the more recent Thank God for Bitcoin and Bitcoin and the American Dream. The latter is focused on educating American politicians on the benefits of adopting a Bitcoin standard. Jimmy is Changing the Tide by training more Bitcoin developers through his programming education efforts, like a forthcoming course in El Salvador that Stacy Herbert encouraged him...

Tim is Founder and CEO of LNPay. LNPay offers tools to help you integrate Lightning Network into your business. Many of the earliest Podcasting 2.0 apps are LNPay clients, including Podcast Index and Fountain. Tim is Changing the Tide by offering ways for businesses to get started with Lightning. This includes Podcasting 2.0 features, as well as LAPPs such as paywalls, faucets, gifts, and the Satmailer. His primary interest in Lightning was micropayments, which unlock an entire band of small payments worldwide. Links: ​ LNPay's Twitter handle: @LNPAYco LNPay's website: https://lnpay.co/ Tim's Twitter handle: @BootstrapBandit Note: Nothing in this podcast constitutes fi...

Graham Krizek is Founder and CEO of Voltage. Voltage is a cloud platform for hosted Bitcoin and Lightning nodes, BTCPay Server instances, and liquidity. It is being used by several prominent Lightning startups and movements. Graham and the Voltage team are Changing the Tide by offering a KYC-free experience that allows you to quickly and easily spin up nodes, BTCPay Server instances, and Lightning channels. Your accounts are encrypted to a password you choose that they do not control. As such, they have no insight into your nodes and channels. Ultimately, they desire to make Lightning scalable as easy at...

BecomingPhill is the pseudonymous founder of Landifa Bitcoin. It's an online marketplace for Namibians and South Africans to purchase and sell Bitcoin. BecomingPhill is Changing the Tide by offering a KYC-free experience that emphasizes "Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins." He wants everyone who uses his site to take control of their own Bitcoin and their own wealth. He has integrated Lightning to make the experience even faster and cheaper. He also worked with Namibian authorities to clarify that they do not need KYC, thus offering one more step towards a future in which those in the vendor economy in...

Keyan Kousha is the founder of Stacker News. It's like Hacker News, but they pay you in Bitcoin. Keyan is Changing the Tide by valuing the users of his social network. Users must pay a sat to post or reply to others' posts, but they can also "upvote" posts by sending as many sats as they want to the poster. Users can take the sats they've earned with them by withdrawing to their own wallets. By using a web of trust model, Stacker News is also helping people see content (rather than ads) from people they trust most. Links: ​ Keyan's Tw...

John Cantrell is a software engineer and entrepreneur who has been studying Bitcoin for close to a decade. His technology lab L2 recently announced "Sensei." Built on the Bitcoin and Lightning Development Kits, it is a "lightning node implementation focused on making Bitcoin accessible to the entire world." John is Changing the Tide by focusing on software and services that will accelerate the adoption of Bitcoin worldwide. Sensei does this by allowing a "parent node" to spin up "child nodes" that can eventually become "Senseis" themselves. This should reduce frictions that might arise when starting a node, like liquidity issues...

Tone Vays is a professional trader and Bitcoin educator. He has been active in the Bitcoin space for close to 7 years. Tone has been Changing the Tide by continuously advocating for people to take full possession of their Bitcoin's private keys, leading to its "unconfiscatable" property. The events in Canada the week of this recording made it very clear how important that property really is. As well as what kind of state-level attack you leave yourself open to if you leave your Bitcoin in the custody of state-regulated financial institutions. The Unconfiscatable conference begins the night of Thursday, March 3 with...

Andy Schroder is an engineer and entrepreneur who has created the Bitcoin Fluid Dispenser and Distributed Charge. These projects are Changing the Tide by providing a smooth path that vendors can use to dispense commodities and energy for Bitcoin in a trustless or near-trustless way. Both the seller and the buyer(s) can rely on their Bitcoin and Lightning full nodes to transact, bolstering their financial privacy and sovereignty. Distributed Charge's proprietary Board A0 is "The First Building Block of a Bitcoin Lightning Network Enabled Energy Grid." The goal is to create a truly distributed network of charging stations for...

8₿it is building BTC.email. This concept reaches all the way back to a very famous email exchange on the Cryptography Mailing List dated January 16, 2009. 8₿it is Changing the Tide. This product will allow people to have their time bought by those wanting to get their attention. So it lets them store the time they've spent in and on their email persona in Bitcoin and take it with them. And thus give them greater freedom over another huge aspect of their lives: digital communications. As a fun side benefit, he is also documenting this journey. Links: ​ 8₿it's Twitter handle: @8BIT BTC.emai...

Desiree Dickerson is CEO and Co-Founder of THNDR Games, a company onboarding new Bitcoiners through engaging mobile video games. Des has been Changing the Tide for years. As part of both Lightning Labs and MintGox, she was pivotal in driving Lightning adoption through video games. Now at THNDR Games, she is ready to help scale THNDR's impact across the world. Links: ​ Des's Twitter handle: @dickerson_des THNDR Games Twitter handle: @THNDRGAMES THNDR's website: https://www.thndr.gg/ THNDR's games in app stores: *Turbo '84 *Bitcoin Bounce *THNDR Bay *Note: Nothing in this podcast constitutes financial, legal, or medical advice. The co...

Cory Klippsten is CEO and Founder of Swan Bitcoin, a service that allows you to purchase Bitcoin with your bank account. He is also Founder of Bitcoiner Ventures and Bitcoiner Jobs. Cory and Swan are Changing the Tide by offering educational services that teach people foundational Bitcoiner concepts, from a user interface and experience that encourages buys only and withdrawal to self-custody, all the way to video and audio content via YouTube, Twitter Spaces, and Clubhouse. He is also connecting like-minded investors through Bitcoiner Ventures and like-minded people to work in the industry via Bitcoiner Jobs. Links: ​ Cory's Twitter handle: @co...

Oscar Merry is a co-founder of Fountain, an app that allows you to create clips of your favorite podcasts and view clips from those you follow. Oscar and Fountain are Changing the Tide by taking advantage of Podcasting 2.0's value block standard. This allows podcast listeners to stream sats by the minute to their favorite podcasters, or send a one-time sats boost with a message. Check out podcastindex.org for more on Podcasting 2.0. Thanks to Oscar, Changing the Tide is now available in Fountain, Breez, and other podcasting apps that support value for value! Links: Oscar's Twitter handle: @MerryOscar Fountain's...

Alejandro de la Torre has an extensive background in Bitcoin mining. He co-founded the mining pool BTC.com, which was later acquired by Bitmain, the maker of the Antminer. For the past 2+ years, he was VP at Poolin, a large Bitcoin mining pool. Alejandro is Changing the Tide with Proofofwork.energy. He founded this new business just two weeks ago and is committed to decentralizing Bitcoin mining by making it happen in places where it has not yet proliferated. As the remaining supply of Bitcoin to be mined continues to decrease, this is going to help bring greater freedom and...

Fellow Class of 2017 Bitcoiner Conor Okus is part of the founding team that is building out Hello Bitcoin, a series dedicated to being "Your friendly place to learn about Bitcoin." He is also host of Advancing Bitcoin, a podcast related to the 2-day Advancing Bitcoin event in London, featuring developers and designers who are making it easier to onboard new Bitcoiners. His day job is Product Manager at Square Crypto, where he and his team focus specifically on improving the developer experience in Bitcoin via the Lightning Development Kit. Conor is Changing the Tide by helping guide the building out...

Natalie Brunell (Twitter: @natbrunell) is a former news reporter and anchor, and now the host of Coin Stories Podcast (www.youtube.com/channel/UCru3nlhzHrbgK21x0MdB_eg). Launched just this year, she has interviewed many of the leading voices in Bitcoin. Most of these interviews are regularly seeing tens of thousands of views via YouTube, and good engagement on the podcast platforms. She also launched a course this month with Anthony Pompliano called Bitcoin for Women (btcforwomen.com). Natalie is Changing the Tide by capturing the origin stories of some of the most influential thinkers and builders in Bitcoin...

NVK (Twitter: @nvk) is CEO and Co-Founder of Coinkite (website: www.coinkite.com). The company created COLDCARD Wallet (website: www.coldcard.com), an air-gapped hardware wallet to securely store Bitcoin. It also created OPENDIME (website: www.opendime.com), the first physical bearer instrument to allow you to hold and transfer Bitcoin. Coinkite released the original limited-edition BLOCKCLOCK for Bitcoin's 10-year anniversary, and now offers BLOCKCLOCK mini (www.blockclockmini.com) for sale. NVK is Changing the Tide by building secure storage and transactional devices for users worldwide. And doing so in the spirit of Bitcoin: transparently, in the open, and making...

Mike Jarmuz (Twitter: @MikeJarmuz) is a co-founder of Lightning Ventures (website: https://ltng.ventures/). Its aim is to invest in Bitcoin companies with an emphasis on Lightning Network technology. There is both a fund (website: https://angel.co/i/ArCtj) and a syndicate (website: https://angel.co/s/lightningventures/ld5f4) that accredited investors can join. Along with Tone Vays, he also also helps run Unconfiscatable, an annual "bitcoin not blockchain" conference in Las Vegas. Mike is Changing the Tide by supporting entrepreneurs building Bitcoin companies on the rails of the Lightning Network. He is stoked on being a champion...

Ian Gaines (Twitter @NatureofG) is Media Director at Black Bitcoin Billionaires (Twitter: @BlkBTCBillions). He runs an interview series called Nature of Sovereignty on BBB's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF8ghwxt1DJsh-Z3Opp4InQ. Some guests he has hosted include: *Olaoluwa Osuntokun of Lightning Labs *Former FRB regulator turned Bitcoin educator Charlene Fadirepo *Paxful CEO Ray Youssef *Togolese Human Rights Activist Farida Nabourema *Chief Visionary Officer of Crypto Blockchain Plug Najah Roberts, and *Robert Breedlove Ian is Changing the Tide when it comes to highlighting Bitcoin's most innovative game-changers from the Black community. He also wrote a powerful...

Kal Kassa (Twitter @KalKassa) runs BitcoinBirr.org, an open-source Bitcoin educational initiative for Ethiopia. He also runs DIDIBold (DIDIBold.com), a branding/tech/marketing company. To strengthen the Bitcoin circular economy, I collaborated with Kal and DIDIBold for this podcast's logo and branding assets. Kal is Changing the Tide when it comes to onboarding Ethiopians to Bitcoin. He has a goal to onboard 10,000 Ethiopians to a Lightning wallet by September 2022 and is currently at 12% of the goal. He is set to speak on "Bitcoin in the Developing World" at the upcoming Oslo Freedom Forum. Next year, he will also host...

Jack Everitt (Twitter: @jackeveritt) founded and heads up THNDR Games (Twitter: @THNDRGAMES), a mobile gaming company. Currently, they have two different games in the app stores that allow people in jurisdictions where Bitcoin is legal to play for free, win Bitcoin, and withdraw to a Lightning wallet. Jack and his company are Changing the Tide when it comes to onboarding people to Bitcoin. Like a Bitcoin faucet, you can win Bitcoin for "free" through his games. And the only investment you make is the time you spend within them. Unlike a Bitcoin faucet, the games are a fun challenge. And...

Mike Peterson runs the Twitter handle @Bitcoinbeach and helped start that initiative in El Zonte, El Salvador. Many point to this community-led movement as instrumental in offering a playbook that made possible the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador on June 8, 2021. That law goes into effect today (September 7, 2021). As Bitcoin Beach has been Changing the Tide in terms of Lightning Network adoption in El Salvador, it is coinciding with some rather interesting positive side effects. People who generally could not think in terms of savings have begun to do so. The virtuous cycle of growth on Lightning...

Brian Harrington (Twitter: @BrainHarrington) is a Product Marketing Manager at Choice by KT (Twitter: @choicebyKT). Choice allows United States citizens to track all their retirement assets in one account, including alternative and digital assets such as Bitcoin. In the final weeks of July 2021, Choice announced a way they are Changing the Tide when it comes to retirement. We talk about Brian's role in the go-to-market messaging for the announcement that Choice account holders can use IRA funds to purchase mining equipment through Compass Mining. He is also helping the Choice team "get in the comments" with users as they build...