Around The Coin

In this interview Mike Townsend interviews Jason Butcher, CEO of CoinPayments. Jason took over as CEO after running HODLtech, a crypto consultancy. He now leads CoinPayments which is most known for being a leader in facilitating cryptocurrency payments for businesses. CoinPayments has over 1800 crypto options, over 100,000 merchant customers, processing over $100M per month, which has increased over 30% since the Coronavirus hit. We talked about why crypto companies incorporate off shore to the Cayman Islands or Malta, and all the pros and cons that go along with that decision. We talk about the governmental policies regarding crypto and what we should be thinking about now that will prevent mistakes down the road. We also dive into what crypto opportunities he sees on the horizon and much more!Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this show Mike Townsend interviews Nelson Chu, founder and CEO of Cadence. Nelson is a 3x startup founder with several years of experience at the top investment management firms, including Bank of America and BlackRock. Prior to Cadence, he founded a strategy consulting firm specializing in helping companies build products and raise capital for growth, creating over $1B in equity value. He currently serves as an advisor to an ultra high net worth family office and is an active angel investor, with notable investments including BlockFi, Cadre, Care/Of, Clover Health, dv01, Tala, and Uala. This was a highly educational podcast, as Nelson explains how the highly complex market of business lending works, from the small business loans, personal loans, and all the way up to the banks and governments. Nelson gives us his thoughts on how the 2008 financial crisis changed the way money flows throughout the system now.We hear that Cadence has $1.6 issuance volume and $40M in securitization, and self-proclaimed shortest duration, highest yield (30%) flexible cheap growth capital... give it a try and decide for yourself! As always, reach out if you'd like to be on the show, or have guest recommendations.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview Mike Townsend interviews Felix Feng, founder of Set Protocol.He previously worked at 21.co (acquired by Coinbase) and Radius, and graduated from UC Berkeley. We learn how Felix came up with the idea for Set Protocol and how how raised money and grew his team. Set Protocol basically allows you to buy and sell crypto management strategies for the average person, similar to how an ETF works on wall street. Check it out at Set Protocol.In the show we talk about what Set Protocol, which is a ERC20 token of crypto assets that automatically rebalances based on the strategy, who is using it, who's benefiting. We discuss why in 2017 lots of ICO’s were returning nearly 100x and it made sense to diversify, but in 2018/19 the long tail fell out of favor. There is a great article, How Set Protocol Works Under the Hood that explains more in detail about Set Protocol. We promise you'll learn a lot on this show, tune in!Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview Mike Townsend interviews Mark Thomas, CEO and founder of ZenSports. ZenSports is a mobile peer-to-peer sports betting marketplace where anyone can create and accept sports bets with anyone else in the world, without the need for a centralized bookmaker. Mike and Mark uncover the history of betting, discuss the future of sports coming out of Coronavirus, and talk about what the strategies that the best sports betters use to win 55% of their bets. We also learn about the history of betting regulation and other high potential cryptocurrency companies.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview Mike Townsend interviews Chris Maurice, CEO and co-founder of Yellow Card, a cryptocurrency exchange operating across Africa. In high school, Chris started an SEO consulting firm which helped optimize over 140 websites on Google, including Prezi.com. In college, he started a manufacturing and supply chain logistics company producing clothing and shoes out of a factory in Pakistan. As a boy from Southern Louisiana who had been on a plane four times before founding Yellow Card, he then flew to Nigeria on two weeks' notice to build a company bringing Bitcoin to everyone. Hear the story of how Chris launched a bitcoin business in Africa, and how he met Jack Dorsey, (CEO of Twitter and Square), in Africa.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, Mike Townsend interviews Greg Kolodziejzyk, founder of AlgoLab. In his 20's Greg quit his job at a local oil company based out of Calgary Albert and started his own business as a freelance graphic designer. In 1994 his company, Image Club, was purchased for millions, and Greg became financially independent.With plenty of time on his hands, Greg shifted his focus to endurance training and completed 12 Ironman Triathlons, and multiple 100 mile run races in Alaska. Unlike most people, Greg has an insatiable appetite for pushing the limit, and so naturally the next goal became to do something that had never been done before... breaking world records!We discuss Greg's adventures breaking multiple Guinness World Records including the farthest distance traveled in 24 hours by human power on land and separately on water.In the last 30 minutes of the show, we shift gears and learn about how Greg built AlgoLab, one of the best performing algorithmic futures trading platforms on the market. Greg talks about how he came up with the idea, why futures are an especially great investment category, and some of the reasons AlgoLab is doing it better than anyone else out there.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, ARYZE is passionately led by Jack and is successfully establishing itself in the industry. The values ‘inclusivity’, and ‘transparency’ are embedded in the company’s culture and show what ARYZE is truly about.The company is working towards solving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Numbers 9, 10, and 16. It does so by building a secure financial platform that is accessible to the financially excluded, and where costs are brought to near zero.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, Mike Townsend interviews Ethan Austin, who oversees all operations at the Techstars & Western Union Accelerator. This Techstars program focuses on investing in startups looking to shape the future of money. Ethan and Mike talk about the history of Western Union, which is now about 170 years old and dominated the American telegraph industry in both the 19th and 20th centuries.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our latest edition, Nako Mbelle interviews to whom we refer to as the brand ambassador or Bitcoin evangelist: Andreas M. Antonopoulos.Andreas M. Antonopoulos is a critically-acclaimed best-selling author, speaker, educator, and one of the world’s foremost bitcoin and open blockchain experts. Andreas makes complex subjects accessible and easy to understand. He is known for delivering electric talks that combine economics, psychology, technology, and game theory with current events, personal anecdote, and historical precedent—effortlessly transliterating the complex issues of blockchain technology out of the abstract and into the real world.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't seem to pick up any Fintech aka banking & payments magazine or blog without the mention of the word, 'financial inclusion'. Depending on whom you talk to, the number of financially excluded population is anywhere from 2.5 Billion people to 1.5 Billion. World Bank Group defines financial inclusion as individuals (and businesses) that have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs - such as transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance - delivered in a responsible and sustainable way. Most of this is done through microfinance banks. These microfinance basically offer a very specialized category of financial services to those who lack access to conventional banking and related services.One such institution that is helping solve this problem of underbanked/unbanked is FINCA. FINCA's network of 20 community-based microfinance institutions and banks use fintech to expand financial inclusion, offering innovative, responsible and impactful financial services to low-income clients.I'm very honored to have Andrée Simon who is the President& CEO of FINACA Impact Finance, based out of Washington DC.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices