5 Bitcoin Startup CEOs share their Stories

The Bitcoin startup world is huge. There are lots of fascinating startups being created every day. We went looking for some of the most interesting startups we could find, and ones that you may not have heard of before now. We want to showcase what they’ve done, get their views on Bitcoin, and give you the opportunity to check some of these really cool companies out!

We interviewed 5 of the top Bitcoin startup CEOs including, Kiyotake Kobayashi the CEO of Baskadia, Robin Singh the CEO of Koinly, Roman Vassilenko the CEO of Desentra, Pankaj Balani the CEO of Delta Exchange, and Gaurav Agrawal CEO of CoinMonks.

1.Kiyotake Kobayashi, CEO of Baskadia

Kiyotake Kobayashi is the CEO of Baskadia, a website that allows users to upload art and be tipped in Bitcoin. Its great that artists can now be recognized for their work, and earn Bitcoin while they are at it!

The most rewarding thing is that Bitcoin is the most popular “border-less” currency, which makes it easy to do global business.
  1. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging thing about being a Bitcoin entrepreneur?

The most challenging thing is that we are required to have much expertise about cryptocurrency and blockchain which contains various technical and legal affairs.

The most rewarding thing is that Bitcoin is the most popular “border-less” currency, which makes it easy to do global business.

2. What has your journey been like through the Covid pandemic?

It was a little inconvenient when the transaction fee spiked, but it did not critically affect our business.

3. What do you think the near future of Bitcoin will be like?

I think that Bitcoin will not be mainstream but survive in a niche market e.g. hobby, trading and deep web.

4. What is a piece of advice you’d give new Bitcoin users and entrepreneurs?

The most important thing is security, especially to store Bitcoin offline.

The most important thing is security, especially to store Bitcoin offline.

2.Robin Singh, CEO of Koinly

Robin Singh is the CEO of Koinly, a service that helps Bitcoin owners figure out the taxes they owe. Pretty useful for making sure you don’t have the government come knocking at your door!

The day your grandma can buy Bitcoins without going through you is the day Bitcoin has finally matured.
  1. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging thing about being a Bitcoin entrepreneur?

Most rewarding thing is without a doubt having a happy and growing user base. When people like your product the word just starts to spread and you get to focus on building instead of marketing. No amount of marketing can compare with growth through organic word of mouth. The most challenging thing I would say is keeping up with the new things in the Bitcoin world, right now DeFi is super hot, some time back it was staking, at one point it was dapps, nobody knows whats next.

2. What has your journey been like through the Covid pandemic?

Koinly is a tax service so we haven’t had any slow down in growth due to the pandemic. You can escape Covid but not taxes!

3. What do you think the near future of Bitcoin will be like?

Very bright. DeFi seems to be the breakout tech that we have been waiting for. The returns are amazing, super secure and one thing no bank could ever compete with. I strongly believe it is the bridge to mass adoption.

The most challenging thing I would say is keeping up with the new things in the Bitcoin world

4. What is a piece of advice you’d give new Bitcoin users and entrepreneurs?

Build something that makes Bitcoin adoption easier and users will come. The market is massive, growing at very impressive rates and no signs of slowing down. The day your grandma can buy Bitcoins without going through you is the day Bitcoin has finally matured. Until then, the world is your oyster. Build.

3.Roman Vassilenko, CEO of Desentra

Roman Vassilenko is the CEO of Desentra, a website that offers courses in learning what Bitcoin is all about. Perfect for new users and old, who want to discover more about the world of Bitcoin.

One of the best pieces of advice, before you start using Bitcoin, is to educate yourself about how to safely buy and store cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
  1. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging thing about being a Bitcoin entrepreneur?

As a founder of an educational company in the crypto field, I don’t face such issues as crypto-related regulations and risks associated with it. The biggest challenge for me is the disbelief of students in Blockchain technology. Media networks are currently doing their best to sow the seed of doubt in people’s minds about the nature and purpose of Bitcoin.

Speaking about the most rewarding part, I’d say that the crypto market is very young, which means less competition and more people seeking education about Bitcoin and Blockchain technology.

Media networks are currently doing their best to sow the seed of doubt in people’s minds about the nature and purpose of Bitcoin.

2. What has your journey been like through the Covid pandemic?

Desentra was born out of pandemic, which means it was built with its consequences in mind. We had a plan to launch physical locations to have one-on-one and group classes, but it was too risky in the first place. Currently, our focus is on online courses with bite-size courses on any device wherever students are. We believe that crypto doesn’t have to be complicated for regular users. Desentra is redeveloping crypto education with courses that can be taken on with any level of knowledge, at any place, and from any device.

3. What do you think the near future of Bitcoin will be like?

Due to the ongoing money printing, I expect Bitcoin to keep taking more and more fiat share. Does it mean the price will skyrocket? Not necessarily, today the crypto market is not as pure as it was a few years ago. The primary crypto derivatives products such as futures, options, swaps, and major market whales are playing the biggest role in today’s price formations. Nevertheless, we are very positive on the Blockchain technology future.

4. What is a piece of advice you’d give new Bitcoin users and entrepreneurs?

I noticed that more and more people are expressing interest and are getting involved in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The problem is that crypto is not a simple piece of technology that anyone can understand with a short explanation. I was among the thousands of others who were learning on forums, chats, and blog posts. The problem is that you have to be really passionate about this technology to keep digging and improving your understanding in this way.

One of the best pieces of advice, before you start using Bitcoin, is to educate yourself about how to safely buy and store cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. There are a lot of ways to make a mistake during those two steps which lead to a money loss. We are covering these and many more topics in our free courses for Beginners. It won’t take more than 30 minutes to get familiar with it and avoid big mistakes.

Over the last four years, I went through literally hundreds of pitfalls and learned a lot about blockchain, cryptocurrency, investments, trading, psychology, and so on. I am still learning every day and I am thankful for the opportunity to help others learn and benefit from the emerging technology. I invite everyone to join the crypto industry and start your journey with Desentra.

We believe that crypto doesn’t have to be complicated for regular users.

4.Pankaj Balani, CEO of Delta Exchange

Pankaj is the CEO of Delta Exchanges, one of the best derivative exchanges in India. A great way to earn some money playing the market!

One of the best things about Bitcoin, is the strong and dedicated community that is associated with it.

1. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging thing about being a Bitcoin entrepreneur?

We are a crypto derivatives exchange. We offer futures on Bitcoin and 30+ Altcoins, Options on BTC, ETH and altcoins and Interest rate derivatives on Bitcoin. We have been at the forefront of innovation and have brought a number of innovative derivative products to the market. The most exciting part of this journey is that we are building the rails on which the ecosystem can build and expand further. We are building the infrastructure that will further the adoption of cryptocurrencies as a mainstream asset class.

2. What has your journey been like through the Covid pandemic?

Though Bitcoin fell over 50% at the onset of the pandemic, the recovery has been sharp and it has emerged as one of the strongest asset classes. This has had a positive impact on our business too. Our volumes have more than doubled in the last quarter and we have seen a sharp increase in the user activity.

3. What do you think the near future of Bitcoin will be like?

What we gather by speaking with our clients is that most of them are really bullish on Bitcoin in the short to medium term. The popular opinion is that Bitocin has already started a new bull run and that any dips are an opportunity to buy. We believe that Bitcoin will show substantial gains in the coming few quarters.

4. What is a piece of advice you’d give new Bitcoin users and entrepreneurs?

One of the best things about Bitcoin, is the strong and dedicated community that is associated with it. It’s a great group that provides help, support and learning; my advice to any user or entrepreneur would be to make use of this great resource and also to contribute to it in future.

The popular opinion is that Bitcoin has already started a new bull run and that any dips are an opportunity to buy.

5.Gaurav Agrawal, CEO of CoinMonks

Gaurav is the Founder and CEO of CoinMonks, a really useful blog and resource for all things Bitcoin!

I believe more people (Under 30) will invest and hold Bitcoin.
  1. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging thing about being a Bitcoin entrepreneur?

The most rewarding — Crypto community

Most challenging — Regulations

2. What has your journey been like through the Covid pandemic?

Not much difference

3. What do you think the near future of Bitcoin will be like?

I believe more people (Under 30) will invest and hold Bitcoin. Better and more clear regulations. More acknowledgment in Bitcoin as Store of value.

More institutional investment.

4. What is a piece of advice you’d give new Bitcoin users and entrepreneurs?

If you don’t understand Bitcoin you will never understand anything in crypto in a meaningful way.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://insights.blockonomics.co/5-bitcoin-startup-ceos-share-their-stories-5a2ed042dc35/