CoinDesk Podcast Network The Blockspace Pod: Inside the $220M Bitcoin Infrastructure SPAC w/ Ryan Gentry
Dec 15, 2025
Ryan Gentry, CEO of Bitcoin Infrastructure Acquisition Corp (BIXI) and former Lightning Labs engineer, shares insights from his aerospace engineering background while discussing the $220M oversubscribed SPAC offering. He introduces the 'aerospace mafia' concept linking engineers to Bitcoin's resilience. Gentry highlights Bitcoin lending as a promising sector and explains how Lightning Network enhances payment scalability. He also dives into the integration of side systems and the shift in traditional finance's approach towards Bitcoin, emphasizing necessary technical understanding.
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SPAC Demand Oversubscribed
- Ryan notes their IPO was five-times oversubscribed and upsized from $200M to $220M due to demand.
- He frames this as evidence public markets are excited about Bitcoin exposure.
From Aerospace Labs To Lightning
- Ryan recounts leaving aerospace/Intel and discovering crypto via 2017 ICOs which led him to Multicoin and Lightning Labs.
- He begged Elizabeth Stark for a job and spent five years at Lightning Labs building payments infrastructure.
Aerospace Mindset Fits Bitcoin
- Aerospace engineering fosters a mindset for building resilient, adversary-proof systems which aligns with Bitcoin's proof-of-work design.
- Ryan argues that this engineering discipline predisposes aerospace engineers to appreciate Bitcoin's durability over many altcoin approaches.