The friends behind my Bitcoin journey.
Companies and people I've worked with in person. Each one shaped Ye₿ente, BitDevs Kisumu, or my path to full-time open source.
Thank you
Btrust
Sponsor of BitDevs KisumuBtrust sponsored the founding of BitDevs Kisumu and sponsors it today. Thank you for giving Bitcoin developers in Western Kenya a place to learn together.
Minmo
Mentors, and my first open-source homeMinmo introduced me to APIs and was the first to engage when I set out to build YeboBank, a bank idea for Ethiopia. Their guidance, through much restructuring, gave birth to Ye₿ente. I became their agent, helping peers buy and sell bitcoin, and they mentored me into open source: adding Ethiopia's Telebirr to their payment-channels registry.
Tando
Bitcoin to M-PesaIt started as a phone conversation. Their APIs let Ye₿ente send bitcoin to M-Pesa, and spared me the cost of running that myself.
weVenture Hub
Host of the Addis Ababa bootcampThe startup hub in Addis Ababa where I joined the Lightning Developer Bootcamp: Lightning internals, routing and channel management, sponsored by Btrust Builders, Africa Free Routing and the Human Rights Foundation.
Wallet of Satoshi
The fallback, and the inspirationWhen my node is down, payments fall back to Wallet of Satoshi. Its simplicity is the inspiration behind Ye₿ente's.
LakeHub
Home of BitDevs KisumuBitDevs Kisumu meets at LakeHub, which also backs it. It's where I learn alongside more than 100 Go developers.
My First Bitcoin
In conversationWe are in conversation about helping a group of developers from LakeHub establish Bitcoin Kisumu, with My First Bitcoin's free education.
BitDevs Kisumu and Bitcoin Kisumu
Two different groups, with two different jobs.
BitDevs Kisumu
For developers. Socratic seminars on Bitcoin Core pull requests, BIPs and Lightning. Nobody lectures; everyone brings something.
Co-founded by me. Sponsored by Btrust, hosted at LakeHub.
My first talk there: setting up Bitcoin Core, now a free step-by-step guide.
₿ Bitcoin Kisumu
For the wider community. A group of developers from LakeHub, in conversation with My First Bitcoin, setting out to grow Bitcoin education in Kisumu.
The group will lead it. I help start the conversation, then keep building for the community.
How I work with partners
- Start the conversation. With a company our 100+ Go developers at LakeHub would value.
- Hand over the lead. When we partner, a group takes ownership.
- Everyone benefits. I keep building tools for the community.
- We learn together towards full-time open-source work. Follow the tracker.
It hasn't been easy. The Bitcoin community has given us enough hope. I can't wait to see what's next.