ABOUT
THIS PROJECT

 As a late teenager I was a mad windsurfer, a Civilization II addict, and a fan of Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd. I left University with the mind of a (mostly) rational engineer. For a time I fancied Sci-Fi literature, pop science books, conversations between David Bohm and Jiddu Krishnamurti, entertaining the dream of witnessing a proper Kuhn’s scientific revolution. I never thought I would see a paradigm shift the magnitude of what Bitcoin is bringing about. Not only is this real, all around us, changing institutions, behaviours, culture and mindsets, but we can all partake in it actively! 

Throughout my career in the so-called ‘development aid’ sector, I have contributed to numerous projects aimed at improving people’s lives in a sustainable way, most often through research and evaluation, partnership building and training. Discovering complex institutional and cultural contexts, analyzing ways to improve access to water and sanitation in rural areas or booming slums was all very stimulating. Ground realities challenged my mental maps and I collaborated with people from diverse horizons, both competent and honest. 

As a programme evaluator, however, I have come to appreciate the questionable effectiveness and sustainability of many of these initiatives. The modalities of intervention of these programmes framed by bi- or multilateral agreements seem to prevent leveraging the genuine and effective endogenous development drivers and dynamics.

Unfortunately, the agenda of donors appear increasingly at odds with the priority needs of the so-called “beneficiary populations”. Despite the best intentions and all the skills it brings together, this sector is struggling to learn from the systemic limitations of its actions. Gradually but surely, I came to question the usefulness of my involvement in this sector.

Actively searching for an exit strategy, it wasn’t an exit door that I found, but a rabbit hole, which I fell into during my 2nd touchpoint with Bitcoin. Gluttonous consumption of hundreds of hours of videos, in particular those of the incomparable Andreas Antonopoulos.

As the months went by and the data accumulated highlighting the economic, social and environmental relevance of Bitcoin, it became clear to me: my exit strategy was to support Bitcoin adoption, despite all the risks involved, including reputational risks. Carving a profesional path more in line with my convictions was urgent, and I could not ignore this unique opportunity.

Bitcoin is a super concrete and effective way of meeting the humanitarian, environmental and socio-economic development objectives that were at the heart of my initial vocation. And people have not yet realized how much Bitcoin can teach us on key issues such as transparency, accountability, and good governance.