Speakers

Congressman Mike Lawler proudly represents New York's 17th Congressional District, just north of New York City, encompassing all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. A lifelong Hudson Valley resident and former State Assemblyman, Congressman Lawler is widely recognized for his common-sense approach to legislating.

Congressman Lawler serves on the House Financial Services Committee, where he is Vice Chair of Communications, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is one of Washington's most committed advocates for Bitcoin and digital assets — earning an "A" grade from Stand With Crypto. Congressman Lawler supports President Trump's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and has been a driving force behind both the GENIUS Act and the Clarity Act, fighting to give American innovators the regulatory clarity they need to compete and win globally.

Professional Video Maker with a Credentialed background. Creator at Simply Bitcoin, “Beyond Bitcoin” show. Idea fountain. Ai inspired Rapper. Podcaster.

Mike runs Brink, a 501c3 organization funding Bitcoin developers. He also contributes to Bitcoin Optech.

Mike is a mathematician and entrepreneur with a passion for using cryptography to solve problems in global finance. Until 2021 Mike served as CTO of DigitalX, an international cryptocurrency firm which became the first publicly listed crypto company in the world when it IPO’d on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2013. While at DigitalX, Mike built a Bitcoin mining operation which at its peak owned 4% of the Bitcoin network’s hashpower and led a team to develop an international remittances and custody solution using Bitcoin.

Mike has 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and protocol design and serves as an advisor to several prominent companies and open-source projects in the crypto space, including Zcash, Mobilecoin, and CoinPoker. Mike is also the founder of ARGO, an automated market maker for use on crypto markets, and Manucci Capital, a DeFi-focused hedge fund.

Since 2021, Mike has acted as an expert consultant for multiple insurance and reinsurance providers, evaluating the security risks of digital asset custody operations. Mike joined Evertas in 2025 to help develop a general framework for evaluating custody and infrastructure risks to emerging tech companies.

Milan started in Bitcoin in 2012, has been a crypto policy expert at the Dutch Central Bank, and is co-founder and CEO of NanoGPT which powers AI.bitcoin.com and is one of the largest crypto-accepting services, allowing anyone to access every AI model privately, paid for in Bitcoin and Lightning.

Miles Jennings is Head of Policy & General Counsel for a16z crypto, where he advises the firm and its portfolio companies on decentralization, DAOs, governance, NFTs, and state and federal securities laws. Miles’ experience within the sector stretches back to 2017, when he first began working with ConsenSys and quickly became one of the most sought-after legal minds working in crypto. During his time as a partner at Latham & Watkins, he co-chaired its global blockchain and cryptocurrency task force. In addition, he worked regularly with almost every prominent venture firm operating in crypto, designing several of the investment structures they use today, and he was counsel to dozens of startups in the sector.

Miles Paschini is CEO of FV Bank, a global digital bank which harnesses the combined capabilities of a licensed bank and qualified custodian to provide an extensive array of financial services that go beyond conventional banking offerings. By offering an expanded range of banking and digital asset custody products, FV Bank addresses a wide range of financial requirements, serving both individuals and businesses within the fintech and blockchain ecosystem.

Miles was awarded seven patents related to payment processing services during the development of EWI Holdings acquired by Blackhawk Inc. in 2006. In addition to developing the industry’s first cryptocurrency linked debit cards, Miles and FV Bank co-founder Nitin Agarwal are the first in history to be awarded a U.S. patent for the development of stablecoin instruments backed by sovereign debt and on chain KYC.

Milton "Todd" Ault III is the Executive Chairman and visionary leader behind OnlyBulls, the AI-powered investing companion app launched by askROI, a subsidiary of Hyperscale Data Inc. A 35+ year Wall Street veteran, serial entrepreneur, and early Bitcoin adopter since 2011, Ault brings decades of financial expertise and a passion for democratizing access to institutional-grade market intelligence.

Bitcoin PIPEs these days. BitMessage C++ implementation back in 2013. Lots of things in between (=nil;, Lido, Steemit, etc).

Mitchell Askew is a leading Bitcoin mining analyst and the Head of Blockware Intelligence. Mitchell provides institutional-grade research and strategic guidance to help investors navigate the Bitcoin mining landscape and build profitable mining operations. His insights on Bitcoin mining economics, and on-chain analytics, and macroeconomics is published weekly to more than 100,000 newsletter subscribers.

Naomi Brockwell is the President and Founder of the Ludlow Institute, a non-profit dedicated to advancing freedom through technology. Their media arm, NBTV, creates educational content to help people reclaim their privacy and autonomy online -- they have over 1 million subscribers across platforms and over 100 million views of their videos.

From 2013 - 2015 she worked as a policy associate at the New York Bitcoin Center. From 2015 - 2021 she has worked as a producer for 19-times Emmy-Award-Winning Journalist John Stossel. From 2021 to 2022 she hosted the CoinDesk series “Break it Down”, and the CoinDesk daily show “The Hash”.

Naomi was a producer for the 2015 feature documentary Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (Best International Documentary, Anthem Film Festival; Winner of Special Jury Prize, Amsterdam Film Festival), and producer of the 2018 award-winning documentary The Housing Bubble.

Naomi is the co-founder of “The Soho Forum”, a NY debate series. She is on the Advisory Council at the “Mannkal Economic Education Foundation”, and is author of “Beginner's Introduction To Privacy”, and the children's book “Billy's Bitcoin”.

Nathan Fitzsimmons is the VP of BTC Mentor, a leading service for personalized one-on-one Bitcoin education. As a dedicated Bitcoin educator, he has spent the last two years empowering hundreds of newcomers worldwide through hands-on workshops and one-on-one sessions covering the full spectrum of self-custody models, including privacy and security best practices.

Nathan hosts the Mentor Sessions Podcast—which has gained 600,000 views on YouTube in the first year—on the BTC Sessions channel and also co-hosts the BTC Sessions Live Streams.

The Architecture of Time
- The Bitcoin Lens

Early adopter and supporter of Bitcoin. Original Mt. Gox account holder. Leader on the Hill for Bitcoin policy.

Nick Hansen is CEO of Luxor, building institutional-grade infrastructure and markets for Bitcoin miners globally. He is a systems-focused builder with deep expertise in mining economics, scale, and efficiency.

As a Computer Science student (Class of 2026), I’m watching the traditional career roadmap become obsolete before I even graduate. Gen Z is witnessing a historic collision: the infinite productivity of AI is making digital labor abundant, while the absolute scarcity of Bitcoin is making digital value immutable.

I believe that for our generation to thrive, we must stop saving in a melting fiat currency that siphons away our time-value and start anchoring our futures in the world’s hardest money. By protecting our savings from inflation, we gain the freedom to stop chasing a paycheck and start building careers we actually love. I’m not just building a career; I’m building a sovereign life.

I started the Orange Peel Podcast to document this transition; peeling back the layers of a broken system to provide my generation with the signal they need to opt into a future where their wealth is truly their own.

Founder and Host of Simply Bitcoin, one of the most watched Bitcoin only media platforms on Earth.

His mission is to guide people to thrive in an ever-growing future towards individuals claiming back full financial sovereignty through Bitcoin.

Nico Smid is the founder of Digital Mining Solutions and a strategic advisor in the Bitcoin mining industry. After nearly 15 years in international business development, he entered Bitcoin as an investor in 2017 and a self-miner in 2021, recognizing the sector’s need for professionalization and scalable business strategy. Today he works with miners, investors, and infrastructure providers worldwide, supporting site development, growth strategy, and market positioning. Through advisory work, industry research, and his newsletter The Bitcoin Mining Block Post, Nico shares insights on mining economics, operational optimization, and the evolving role of mining within the broader digital infrastructure landscape.

niftynei started working in bitcoin in 2018 as part of the engineering team at CashApp. Since then, she's worked on Lightning at Blockstream and founded two foundational projects for the bitcoin developer ecosystem: bitcoin++ a global conference showcasing the cutting edge of bitcoin and Base58 a 501c3 nonprofit focused on translating the bitcoin protocol into technical mastery for the next generation.

Nir Rikovitch is the Chief Product and Technology Officer of MARA (NASDAQ: MARA), where he leads the company’s product strategy and the commercialization of breakthrough technologies into market-ready solutions. With deep expertise in machine learning, engineering leadership, and product management, Mr. Rikovitch is responsible for building MARA’s product discipline from the ground up, bridging the gap between engineering and commercial utility to deliver production-grade systems at the intersection of energy and AI.

Prior to joining MARA, Mr. Rikovitch served as Director of Product Management at Blue River, a John Deere company. During his tenure, he co-founded the autonomy unit and led product strategy for autonomous construction machinery and advanced driver-assistance systems. His leadership in developing intelligent infrastructure across robotics and industrial automation unlocked more than $500 million in revenue across the enterprise portfolio.

Throughout his career, Mr. Rikovitch has focused on the belief that technological progress hinges on the stewardship of energy. At MARA, he applies this philosophy to the development of digital energy and infrastructure designed to be intelligent, efficient, and built to last.

His proven track record in scaling real-world autonomous technologies and intelligent infrastructure makes him a leading voice on the future of digital energy and the orchestration of reliable, large-scale compute systems.

Nishant has built a diverse career over the past 15 years, spanning multiple industries and continents, entering the crypto world full-time in early 2014. He is the founder and leader of BlocksBridge Consulting—the world's first public relations firm dedicated to the digital mining industry—and the creator of TheEnergyMag, the industry's first trade publication. BlocksBridge advises C-suite executives of some of the most well-known Nasdaq-listed digital asset companies and produces research-driven content leveraging its deep industry knowledge and intelligence.

Noa Gruman is a musician, composer, and creative leader, best known as the founder and lead singer of the progressive metal band Scardust, and the founder and conductor of the metal choir Hellscore. With a deeply hands-on approach to creation, production, and storytelling, she connects naturally to Bitcoin’s values of sovereignty, long-term thinking, and creative freedom. Scardust released a Satoshi-themed music video (“RIP”) and is active on Nostr. Noa brings a cultural perspective to the space - because Bitcoin is metal, and metal thrives on freedom, range, and expression.

Nolan Bauerle writes, produces, and creates content related to our shift to a Bitcoin standard as a measure of economic production.

Nuri Katz, President of Apex Capital Partners an international boutique investment advisory, in internationally recognized as a thought leader in matters related to investor migration. Additionally Nuri Katz's advice is sought by numerous governments around the world regarding innovative ways to generate foreign direct investment. As part of the functions of Apex Capital Partners Corp, it manages the Nevis Online Gaming Authority, a government body that licensed and regulates international online gaming companies. As well Apex Capital Partners created and participates in managing the Anguilla government tax residence program which allows international HNWI to better plan their tax strategies via residence in Anguilla. Nuri is often quoted in domestic business press such as Forbes, Fortune, Business Insider, as well as numerous leading international publications in the Middle East, China, and Russia. He has been seen nationally on Bloomberg Tv, Fox, and others. Nuri is also a frequent guest speaker on matters of international business and geopolitics at numerous business conferences and universities.

OpenMike is a veteran of the independent live music industry and founder of Tunestr.io. In his career operating independent venues and traditional concerts, his businesses have promoted over15,000 shows and booked 30,000+ artists.

Tunestr is an open-source live stream application that connects artists and fans over the Nostr protocol and enables direct bitcoin lightning payments during the performance. Tunestr also promotes in-person events around the world, with the focus of educating the music community about Nostr & bitcoin.

Tunestr is where independent music meets independent money.

www.tunestr.io

Policy advisor for a government that grew a conscience and decided to speak up on the centralization of policy development around the world and the regulatory capture of Bitcoin. Bitcoin class of 2018

CEO of Samara, a European publicly Holding company using Bitcoin as its treasury reserve asset. Issuer of Europe's first Bitcoin Bond and some of its first Bitcoin ETP's.

Host of The Bitcoin Edge, a Bitcoin educator connecting with Bitcoiners around the world to explore sound money, freedom, health and purpose while sharing a message rooted in truth, hope, and abundance.

Class of 2017er who sat on the sidelines until El Salvador in 2021. Found out all of us have a role in this (r)evolution of money.

Working on Primal.

Paul Lee is the CEO of Bitplanet and the founder of Roboventures. He started his career at Lehman Brothers in 2007 and experienced the 2008 financial crisis firsthand, which led him to question the foundations of the traditional financial system. After Harvard Law School, he worked as a corporate attorney advising some of the crypto companies that later became global industry leaders. He later managed a crypto fund focused on Bitcoin, stablecoins, and infrastructure, and those experiences now shape the strategy and philosophy behind Bitplanet.

Bitplanet is a KOSDAQ-listed Operating DAT built on Bitcoin as treasury. Through Bitcoin mining and related AI energy infrastructure, the company generates sustainable cash flow with a compliance-led approach and disciplined capital allocation. Bitplanet is purpose-built to create long-term value within the Bitcoin economy.

Paul has been a cryptography advocate since the 1990s and was involved in multiple projects. He was a co-founder of Cryptohippie and wrote the Free-Man’s Perspective newsletter for 14 years. He now writes at Substack. (The Findings, The Wreckage & The Rebuild, Ten Second Thoughts.)

Creator: BIPs 300/301, "Drivechain", Blind Merged Mining, "BitWindow" (Wallet/GUI), CUSF (the "Core Untouched Soft Fork"), "Truthcoin" (decentralized prediction markets), and many L2 chains. Author of "Nothing is Cheaper than Proof of Work" and "Security Budget in the Long Run" (on truthcoin.info). Advocate for sidechains and prediction markets -- the two most neglected ideas of our time. Former statistician and academic.

With extensive traditional finance experience as SVP Wealth Adviser at Canandaigua National Trust Co., Financial Representative at Northwestern Mutual, and Financial Advisor at UBS, I recognized Bitcoin's disruptive potential through my financial background.
My Bitcoin journey began with personal investment and client fund management, leading to co-founding the Florida Blockchain Business Association and advocating for Bitcoin education. As President & CEO of Byte Federal, I'm dedicated to democratizing Bitcoin access for individuals and businesses, fostering financial inclusivity through innovative Bitcoin financial services.
I'm committed to advancing Bitcoin education and championing seamless integration across diverse sectors. The convergence of Bitcoin with traditional finance, institutional capital, and transformative technologies like Lightning Network and NOSTR represents an exciting future for decentralized finance.
My vision is ushering in the future of finance through Bitcoin's open protocol, leveraging its transformative potential through the innovative products we develop at Byte Federal.

Pedro is a designer and developer for the Bitcoin Conference. In addition to extensive contributions to no-KYC open-source projects like Bisq and Mempool, he's directing the film Anatomy of Bitcoin, leads the design for the SatSigner wallet project, founded the research and publishing house PirateHash, and co-founded the lighting game Chain Duel.

Peng has been part of Bitdeer since its establishment, making significant contributions to sales and business development, which have greatly supported the company’s revenue and expansion.

Perianne Boring is a policy entrepreneur, investor, and founder in the digital assets sector.

She is the Founder and Chair of The Digital Chamber, the United States’ first and largest trade association for blockchain technology, established in 2014. Under her leadership, The Digital Chamber has helped shape landmark digital asset legislation and advance policies that move blockchain technology and digital assets from the fringe to the financial mainstream.

Perianne is also a General Partner at Off the Chain Capital, a value-focused investment fund specializing in digital assets.

Previously, she served as an economic adviser in the U.S. House of Representatives and as an adjunct professor and fellow at Georgetown University, where she developed the university’s original FinTech and blockchain coursework.

Her work has been recognized by Forbes (“America’s Top 50 Women in Tech”) and CoinDesk (“10 Most Influential People in Blockchain”). She is a frequent commentator on major news networks, providing analysis on digital asset policy, financial regulation, and U.S. competitiveness.

Peymon Mottahedeh is the Founder and President of Freedom Law School, an organization dedicated to helping Americans reclaim their freedom from the federal income tax system. Born in Iran, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1977 at age 14 to escape political oppression, later earning a degree in Business/Marketing from CSU Long Beach.

A former financial planner and active Libertarian, Peymon concluded in 1992 that the Federal Reserve and Income Tax systems are fraudulent. Since then, he has famously stopped filing federal income tax returns for over 30 years as an act of truth and education. He is a passionate advocate for constitutional rights and financial sovereignty, focusing his work on teaching others how to have no fear of IRS authority. You can find his resources and mission at FreedomLawSchool.org

Quantum physics PhD
I have been involved in quantum computing since 2006 and now I measure the progress of quantum computers at breaking cryptography and design solutions to secure digital assets.

Rachel Silverstein serves as Bitfarms’ Global General Counsel, leading the Company’s legal function and serving as a key strategic advisor to the Board of Directors and executive leadership team. In this capacity, Ms. Silverstein is responsible for developing and executing the Company’s enterprise-wide legal strategy and overseeing all legal affairs across Bitfarms’ multi-jurisdictional operations in the United States, Canada, and South America. Prior to Bitfarms, Rachel co-founded a boutique law firm specializing in bitcoin mining, data center development and energy infrastructure transactions, leading transactions totaling more than a gigawatt across multiple states and countries. Before that, Rachel served as General Counsel at CleanSpark, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company, from 2020 to 2023, another large, publicly-traded bitcoin miner. Earlier in her career, she served as Corporate Counsel at Zappos and was a litigator at several multi-national law firms, among other roles. Rachel earned a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and a juris doctorate degree from William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada-Las Vegas

My Bitcoin journey began unexpectedly in 2017 while working as a cybersecurity consultant. A client had fallen victim to a cyberattack, with the hackers demanding payment in Bitcoin—a currency I knew little about at the time. This experience sparked my curiosity as a computer engineer passionate about transformative technology, leading me to explore Bitcoin’s potential. After delving into research and connecting with colleagues, I met a tech-savvy friend who was already mining Bitcoin and coding Ethereum smart contracts, which deepened my interest. As the founders of Miningrid, we created a platform that simplifies Bitcoin mining through a secure, non-custodial wallet, making it accessible to all. My mission is to empower others by making Bitcoin mining and its ecosystem both understandable and approachable

Rapha Zagury is the Founder & CEO of Elektron Energy, a company focused on scaling the Bitcoin network. He is a builder and coder with a deep financial background, a longtime Bitcoiner, and a sound money advocate, widely recognized for his expertise in the Bitcoin mining industry. Before founding Elektron Energy, he held senior roles in traditional finance, including Vice President at Goldman Sachs and Managing Director positions at Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank. He earned an MBA from Yale.

Artist and record producer at the intersection of memes and Bitcoin. Everything is fake.

RAS is a dedicated Bitcoin advocate pioneering the coin standard, promoting fractional Bitcoin units as the future of everyday value, advancing Bitcoin's role in fostering an open society in a digital age, and inspiring builders to focus on innovative solutions that drive adoption and sovereignty.

Root is a leading bitcoin data analyst who loves creating innovative charts about on-chain trends, cycle theory, strategies and market analysis.

Red is a software engineer working in Bitcoin. From covering bitcoin and bitcoin-related networks at Messari, to building out the data pipeline for Bitcoin Layers, to building BTC DCA roundup tools for degen traders on Solana with Lemondrop, and now to working with the Taproot Wizards team.

Launched the largest BTC denominated Fund of Crypto Hedge funds globally (4,350BTC) in 2025, fund aims for 4-8% net returns for investors in BTC.
Analyze and speak about financial engineering capabilities of Bitcoin treasury companies and advise companies on how to optimize amount of bitcoin on balance sheet. Advisor at UK BTCTC XCE Connecting Excellence, and Chairman at Future (Swiss BTCTC).
For Jan3, act in an advisory capacity for a few sovereign nations, and on energy infrastructure financing structuring options in countries in LATAM and Middle Asia.
Board member at Relai, helping onboard HNWI and FOs to bitcoin.

As a Global Infrastructure Architect and leading authority on the convergence of high-density compute and advanced thermal management. With over 30 years of technology experience, including 20+ years specializing in HPC, AI, and ASIC infrastructure, Rick has pioneered the systems that power today’s most demanding workloads. As a global standards leader for the Open Compute Project (OCP), he has been instrumental in co-authoring the international protocols for immersion cooling and material compatibility. An accomplished inventor, Rick holds 11 patents in liquid cooling architecture, ranging from single-phase and two-phase systems to UL/CSA-certified modular data centers.

His expertise bridges the critical gap between extreme performance and industrial sustainability, particularly where AI training and Bitcoin mining operations are starting to merge. Rick is renowned for achieving a true circular economy in data center design, having successfully engineered systems that transition compute operations from energy consumers to thermal energy producers. By displacing fossil fuel heating in hospitals, greenhouses, and industrial processes with captured compute heat, he is redefining the environmental footprint of the modern data center and setting the gold standard for next-generation, high-density infrastructure.

macro writer, former fintech analyst at Carta.

Robert Weinstein AKA Crypto Damus has the longest and most accurate financial astrology subscription service for Bitcoin and Crypto. Since joining Crypto Twitter in 2018 he has been one of the most accurate market analysts on there, predicting all three major BTC tops in 2024 the big crashes of the summer 2024 and March and April. He famously exited all Crypto in October 2025 and accurately predicted the current bear market.

Rob Hamilton is the co-founder and CEO of AnchorWatch. AnchorWatch has built industry-leading Bitcoin custody infrastructure and is a Lloyd’s of London coverholder, enabling bitcoin held in self-custody to be insured for the first time.

AnchorWatch designs bespoke Bitcoin custody solutions using multisignature wallets, timelocks, and Miniscript, tailored to the specific security and operational needs of each client. These custody architectures can be deployed independently or paired with insurance coverage, giving individuals and institutions flexibility in how they secure and manage their bitcoin.

Rob’s broader focus is on advancing Bitcoin as a financial system, bridging the gap between self-custody and institutional-grade security through custody solutions, insurance, and improved user experience. He frequently speaks on custody design, Bitcoin Script engineering, and the role of insurance in scaling Bitcoin adoption.

Robin is the inventor of BitVM, the founder of ZeroSync—a Swiss non-profit advancing the application of proof systems to Bitcoin—and a PhD student at Stanford focused on Bitcoin scalability, privacy, and usability.

Daily Bitcoin Podcast Host. All-In Bitcoin since he is 21 years old and committed to interview every day a Bitcoiner in the next 10 years!

Rob Massey has over 25 years of professional experience in tax consulting for technology companies. Since 2012, he has focused on blockchain, digital assets, cryptocurrency and tokenization. He serves companies throughout the blockchain ecosystem inclusive of investors, miners, staking providers, payment processing, wallet hosting, custodians, exchanges, funds, DAOs, tokenization and protocol development. Rob leads Deloitte’s blockchain efforts in tax for the global firm.

Rob’s blockchain expertise spans the comprehensive tax considerations of blockchain enabled transactions and the analysis of the tax impacts of tokenization and digital asset transactions across business models, industries, and geographies. He also has a growing expertise in tax controversy matters involving digital assets and blockchain based business models.

Rob (and co-Author Conor O’Brien) worked with 50 other tax specialists in Deloitte to produce Bloomberg BNA’s Tax Management Portfolio, Taxation of Cryptocurrency and Other Digital Assets, No. 190-2nd. This 400-page tax treatise examines U.S. federal and state income taxation of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, providing a detailed analysis of the classification of digital assets for tax purposes. It offers an inclusive overview of the digital asset ecosystem, tax guidance to date, tax classification, and accounting treatment. The portfolio further delves into the tax implications of using, dealing, trading, and investing in digital assets, and addresses novel tax questions raised by digital asset transactions.

Rockstar Dev is a Core Contributor @ BTCPay Server, a self-hosted, free open-source Bitcoin payment processor. Rockstar also serves as the Head of Bitcoin @ Strike, where he leads non-profit efforts.

Roger Huang was one of the first writers in 2014 to write about the intersection of Bitcoin in remittance payments and drug policy. Since then, he’s been a HODLer of Bitcoin, and he’s built several mini-projects with them for fun. He’s written for Forbes and TechCrunch and is the author of a book on Bitcoin + China (Would Mao Hold Bitcoin)

Roland Bewick is the lead developer of Alby Hub, Alby's self-custodial, next-generation NWC-first lightning wallet. He also works on development SDKs and agent-first tools for the bitcoin lightning network. 2x BOLT FUN lightning hackathon winner with Bitcoin Connect and Lightsats. First in the world to create an OpenClaw that could spawn a child agent completely autonomously by paying for services with bitcoin.

Rory is the Vice President of Digital Asset Management at CleanSpark, where he leads Bitcoin treasury optimization and related capital strategy. The Digital Asset Management group directs the stewardship, deployment, and risk management of the company’s digital asset holdings to enhance balance sheet performance and generate incremental returns. Rory previously worked at Discovery Capital, a global macro fund, where he was a member of the investment team responsible for managing risk and trading a wide range of products across international and domestic markets. As a hedge fund veteran and CFA Charterholder, he brings a distinct maturity to the intersection of Bitcoin and financial markets.

Roya Mahboob is an entrepreneur and Afghanistan’s first female tech CEO, but her impact extends far beyond the sphere of business. Ms. Mahboob has used her success and tech expertise to help educate and empower Afghan women and girls, and she has been an outspoken advocate for their rights. She founded the Digital Citizen Fund (DCF), which aims to increase Afghan women’s technological and financial literacy. She also co-founded and supports the Afghan Girls Robotics Team. Ms. Mahboob has worked to build Innovation/Tech Centers across Afghanistan and has launched an online platform to strengthen the voices of Afghan women and journalists. Ancillary to this, she regularly speaks and writes eloquently about the vital importance of STEAM education and economic opportunity for women and girls as they pertain to human rights. Ms. Mahboob was named to TIME’s 2013 list of 100 Most Influential People and received the 2014 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award, The Advancement of Gender Equality through Education Award, Young Leader of World Economic Forum 2015 , Asia Game changer 2019, Doha forum award of 2022, LantosHumanRights awards, the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholarship and is a founding Leader of The NewNow, a group of rising global leaders tackling global challenges.

Building Breez

Ryan Gentry is CEO of Bitcoin Infrastructure Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: BIXI), a $220M SPAC focused on bringing profitable Bitcoin infrastructure companies to public markets. Previously, he led Business Development at Lightning Labs for five years, helping scale the scale the company’s Bitcoin and stablecoins payments infrastructure to support tens of billions of dollars in annualized volume on the Lightning Network. Before that, he was Lead Analyst at Multicoin Capital. Ryan holds an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from UT-Austin.

Ryan is the lead developer of Mujina, the 256 Foundation's Open-Source Bitcoin Mining Firmware.

Salman Khan is the Chief Financial Officer at MARA. MARA is a global leader in leveraging digital asset compute to support the energy transformation. Salman comes from traditional finance, oil and gas, energy transition and technology background and has worked in the Middle East and North America. Salman oversees the company’s financial strategy, corporate development, investor relations, legal and accounting functions.
Prior to joining Marathon, Salman Khan served as Chief Financial Officer for Verb Technology Company Inc., a Nasdaq listed leading provider of interactive video-based software-as-a-service applications and an e-commerce platform and played a pivotal role in selling the core business of the company. Before joining Verb, Salman served in various senior executive level positions at Occidental Petroleum Corporation and its spinoff, California Resources Corporation, including director of renewable energy, Director of Corporate Development, Director of Technical Accounting and Financial Reporting, and Business Division Controller and Chief Financial Officer. Salman also spent eight years at major accounting firms including Arthur Andersen, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young, where he served domestic and international clients in the technology, media, telecommunications, entertainment, and biotechnology industries. Salman holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business and is a licensed chartered certified accountant (UK).

Sal Pineda is a strategist and researcher focused on Bitcoin’s role in capital markets, energy systems, and the emerging digital economy. With experience across Latin America and the United States, he brings a distinctive blend of capital markets fluency, operational execution, and systems-level analysis to the study of Bitcoin, economic resilience, and institutional design. His work develops the concept of the “Knowledge Network of Bitcoin”: the decentralized ecosystem of miners, institutional allocators, policymakers, builders, educators, and grassroots advocates advancing Bitcoin adoption across finance, energy, and digital infrastructure.

His research examines how Bitcoin intersects with capital formation, treasury strategy, energy markets, and the convergence of Bitcoin, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing with national security, monetary sovereignty, and nation-state strategy. His work has been shared through research papers, educational guides, podcasts, X Spaces, and media interviews. His current research focuses on Bitcoin, policy development, and financial innovation in Washington, D.C., and the broader evolution of digital financial markets.

Sal brings a multidisciplinary background spanning diplomacy, strategy consulting, venture advisory, private equity, and capital markets research across fintech and emerging technologies. He is also a founding member and former co-president of the Cornell Bitcoin Club, the university’s student organization dedicated exclusively to Bitcoin education and research.

He holds an MBA from Cornell University and a Master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Having grown up experiencing the consequences of political instability and government failure, Sal approaches Bitcoin as a tool for strengthening economic sovereignty, institutional resilience, and long-term capital formation in the digital age.

Sam Callahan is Director of Strategy & Research at OranjeBTC, where he oversees the company’s Bitcoin treasury strategy and education initiatives. He previously served as Vice President at Battery Finance and Lead Analyst at Swan Bitcoin. He holds a degree in Biology from Indiana University Bloomington and has collaborated with Lyn Alden on research spanning Bitcoin and macroeconomics. He also serves on the advisory boards of MARA Digital Holdings, LQwD Technologies, and Cantilever Advisors.

Sam Kazemian is a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and early Bitcoin adopter, best known as the founder of Frax Finance. He began mining Bitcoin at University of California, Los Angeles in 2013, sparking a long-standing focus on decentralized money and crypto-native financial systems.

He has since founded multiple companies and raised over $40 million in venture capital, building infrastructure aligned with the core principles of decentralization, transparency, and censorship resistance. At Frax Finance, he leads the development of a growing suite of decentralized financial products, spanning stable assets, liquidity systems, and on-chain monetary infrastructure.

Kazemian is a regular speaker at global conferences, where he discusses trends across the crypto ecosystem, from DeFi and stablecoins to the next generation of on-chain financial markets.

Sam Konigsberg, CIMA®, CBDA®, Director, is a Market Leader with BlackRock's US Wealth Advisory Group. Mr. Konigsberg contributes to BlackRock's Bitcoin educational content and delivers seminars to wealth management professionals across the US. He earned his Certificate in Blockchain and Digital Assets (CBDA), his Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), and finance degree from the University of Georgia.

Started buying in 2021, haven't stopped since.

Sasha Hodder is the founder of Hodder Law Firm and a Florida-licensed fintech and Bitcoin attorney. She has supported Bitcoin businesses since 2014 and advises on MSB/MTL licensing, compliance, banking partnerships, and regulatory strategy, while keeping a focus on privacy, civil liberties, and why Bitcoin matters.

Previously, Sasha served as Senior Counsel at Exodus, supporting legal strategy for a $75M tokenized Reg A+ public offering. She teaches Florida Bar CLE courses on crypto law, hosts the Sunset Circuit Podcast, and organizes the Bitcoin Race (Fastest Runner in Bitcoin).

Satsie is an open source developer and educator with contributions to various projects in the bitcoin space. She currently leads up the Bitcoin Dev Project (bitcoindevs.xyz), an initiative creating tools and education for bitcoin devs. She is also on the board of directors for the Payjoin Foundation.

Prior to working in open source she was the lead backend engineer at Casa where she built software to make multisig safe and easy. When she's not busy chasing her two tiny bitcoiners, she is a co-organizer of Boston BitDevs and writes zines about bitcoin tech. She is passionate about empowering people to achieve higher levels of self sovereignty, and the communities needed to support that work.

You can find more of her work at https://satsie.dev

Scooter Womack is a visionary leader in the Texas energy market, recognized for his pivotal role in shaping today’s energy offerings for flexible loads. As Founder and CEO of Vega Energy Advisors, Scooter leads an expert team with decades of experience, guiding large-scale power users through development planning, tailored procurement, risk management, and Demand Response strategies.

Behind the scenes, Scooter has been instrumental in launching multiple market participants and driving innovation across the ERCOT landscape. His work has enabled organizations to optimize energy usage, reduce costs, and implement sustainable solutions that align with evolving market dynamics.

With a proven track record of success, Scooter combines deep industry knowledge with strategic foresight to deliver measurable results for clients. His leadership continues to influence the future of energy flexibility and resilience in Texas.

Scott is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Block Rewards, a Bitcoin only compensation and rewards platform. He is also author of The Dao of Bitcoin: Towards a Cosmology of Energy Money

Scott Marmoll is a 10-year investment banking and private equity veteran and nearly decade-long bitcoiner. He is Founder and Managing Director of Capital B Advisory. A boutique investment banking advisory firm focused on bitcoiner business owners. CBA bridges the gap between Wall Street deal execution and the Bitcoin economy.

Scott Millar is a Bitcoin entrepreneur and early advocate, founder of SideSwap, a non custodial exchange and wallet on the Liquid Network. With a background in trading and fintech, he builds infrastructure for Bitcoin settlement, tokenization, atomic swaps, and blockchain based capital markets, focused on open and interoperable financial systems anchored in Bitcoin.

Sean founded New West Data in 2020, leveraging his expertise from leading the New Ventures division at Enercapita Energy, a Canadian oil and gas firm. Since 2019, he has pioneered off-grid distributed computing, integrating digital infrastructure with stranded energy assets like flared gas to power Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing (HPC). Sean holds a Bachelor’s in Development Economics and an MBA from the University of Calgary.

Costa Rican businessman with a global outlook from the beginning of his career, he is a senior executive and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of leadership experience across technology scale-ups, strategic growth, and venture-backed businesses. He specializes in identifying niche opportunities at the intersection of technology, capital markets, and real assets, and in designing scalable strategies to capture and institutionalize those opportunities.

He is CEO of AYA Capital, a family office overseeing a diversified portfolio of high-potential companies and assets, including Bitcoin as a strategic allocation. One of its core companies is Digiplat, an institutional-grade Bitcoin liquidity and settlement firm providing tailored OTC execution to support real-asset acquisitions and capital deployment for high-net-worth individuals.

A central focus of his work is supporting Bitcoin high-net-worth individuals who relocate or spend significant time in Costa Rica and initially require assistance with luxury real estate transactions. Over time, this relationship often evolves into broader investment activity, including alternative investments, second family office structures, and Bitcoin-backed transactions executed within Costa Rica. This activity has grown exponentially as Costa Rica has emerged as an increasingly attractive destination for HNWIs due to its exceptional biodiversity, pristine natural environment, and globally recognized commitment to environmental protection. The country offers long-standing political stability, a strong democratic tradition, no standing army, a reliable legal framework for property ownership, and a high quality of life. It is also recognized as one of the world’s longevity hubs, hosting one of the planet’s five Blue Zones, and has become a natural convergence point for Bitcoin holders, entrepreneurs, and families seeking sustainability, privacy, and long-term capital preservation.

In 2025, he co-launched the podcast Bitcoin and Property Markets alongside the CEO of Coldwell Banker Costa Rica, with the objective of sharing insights on the growing convergence between Bitcoin liquidity and real-asset markets, particularly in Costa Rica and Latin America.

He also leads the IANUA Family Office Community, where he co-founded the Latin American chapter. IANUA is an exclusive global network of family offices and principals focused on alternative investments and cross-border collaboration, providing members with access to curated deal flow and off-market opportunities.

Previously, he co-founded Gosocket Corporation, where he drove international expansion and growth strategy, culminating in a successful acquisition by Pagero Group (NASDAQ: PAGERO).

COO of Cake Wallet, host of the Opt Out podcast, and privacy advocate.

I've been pushing for, educating on, and implementing the latest in privacy tech on Bitcoin and in the freedom tech space since 2020.

Founder Jacksonville Bitcoin Meetup 2014, Counterparty Board of Directors 2017, Rare Pepe Scientist (Digital Art Curator 2016-2018), 3x Featured Artist in 'On NFTs' by TASCHEN

Shawn Owen is the CEO of SALT Lending, a pioneer in Bitcoin-backed lending. SALT enables individuals and businesses to leverage their Bitcoin holdings to access liquidity without selling. Shawn leads the company's strategy in Bitcoin treasury management, digital asset lending, and expanding access to Bitcoin-backed financial products.

Technical and Opinion Editor at Bitcoin Magazine. Self educated researcher/educator.

Shodipo Ayomide, with over 13 years of experience in engineering, has a focus on blockchain protocol development, software architecture and large language models

Currently doing engineering at BKey.

Shone Anstey is the CEO and Co-Founder of LQWD Technologies Corp. (TSX-V: LQWD, OTCQX: LQWDF), an institutional-grade Bitcoin Lightning Network infrastructure company using AI and advanced technology to scale its network. He brings more than 20 years of experience building complex technologies and software across search, analytics, and data center operations. Active in Bitcoin since 2012, Mr. Anstey has held technology leadership roles in industrial Bitcoin mining and mining pool operations. He is also a Certified Bitcoin Professional, a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator, and co-founder of BIGG Digital Assets, where he helped develop blockchain analytics tools used by U.S. federal law enforcement and cryptocurrency companies worldwide to support AML risk mitigation.

Creator of No More Inflation (2025), a documentary exposing the cause of inflation, its impact and how Bitcoin will end inflation.

The film features Graham Hancock, Dr. Robert Malone, Tuur Demeester, Alex Gladstein and many more.

Creator of Comeback Country (2022), a 11-minute short film on El Salvador’s rise from civil/gang war to Bitcoin adoption and safety under Bukele (retweeted by @nayibbukele).

Asset Allocation and Risk Mitigation

Sindura Saraswathi is a PhD student at the University of Central Florida, researching Bitcoin and the Lightning Network with a focus on scalability and reliability. Her recent work includes a closed-form framework for selecting optimal threshold signatures for Bitcoin custody and an in-depth analysis of pathfinding strategies across Lightning clients.

Sisun Lee leads crypto at Aven, where he drives product strategy across digital assets. He previously built and scaled global consumer products at Facebook, Uber and Tesla, and served as chief product officer at Argo. Lee is also a two-time founder of More Labs and Ramper, an embedded crypto wallet provider.

Bitcoiner working to bring open source back to Bitcoin mining.

Chaincode BOSS 2024 alumni, working on Payjoin Dev Kit full-time since, with a focus on integrations

Spencer Nichols leads Multimedia operations at Bitcoin Magazine, producing video content across the Bitcoin Magazine, Bitcoin for Corporations and the Bitcoin Conference. Serving as livestream Director for the Bitcoin Conference series, his work spans all domains of Bitcoin, telling the story of Bitcoin adoption across monetary, financial, technological and political verticals.

Since being one of the leaders of OTPOR, student movement that ended era of Serbia's bloody dictator Milosevic i am involved in movement building. Working through my organization with pro democracy and human rights movements in over 52 different countries i understand important of enabling freedom fighters skills and knowledge in developing technologies. Using Bitcoin as freedom money - one that no dictator can deny access to as well as training people in use of digital tools makes substantial part of mine CANVAS work with activists. Lately we are working on "Gene" first AI copilot designed to help freedom fighters across the globe.

Staci Costopolous, known as The Bitcoin Nova, is a community builder and podcast host who helps people see Bitcoin clearly for the first time. Like a supernova, her conversations bring sudden clarity, moments where Bitcoin finally clicks.

She is the creator and host of The Bitcoin Nova Podcast, where she uses curiosity, warmth, and real life dialogue to turn confusion into understanding. Through podcasting, Staci has experienced how starting her own journey inspired others to use their voice and create ripple effects that reach far beyond a single audience.

Staci also co creates and co hosts Hive Minded, a panel style show that blends Bitcoin education with humor, banter, and real friendship. Hive Minded highlights how conversation, collaboration, and different personalities make Bitcoin more approachable, especially for people who may never click on a traditional Bitcoin show.

Her journey shows that you do not need to be technical or have all the answers to make an impact. By simply starting a podcast and showing up authentically, she has connected with people across the Bitcoin ecosystem and helped others realize they can do the same, inspiring new creators to reach new audiences and carry the signal forward.

Through her podcast, Staci discovered the Illinois Bitcoin Council, whose mission is to help paint Illinois orange through education, advocacy, and collaboration.

Bitcoin investor, corporate advisor, and sovereignty coach working at the intersection of capital markets, digital assets, and human performance. Founder of Cassiopeia Advisory, host of the FinancialFox Show, and Non-Executive Director at Falcon Edge PLC, with over 15 years advising public companies and a decade in Bitcoin. She works with leaders and corporates navigating Bitcoin adoption She works with leaders and corporates navigating Bitcoin adoption while challenging conventional thinking and cultivating sovereign individuals over capital, body and mind.

Štěpán Uherík has served as CFO of Trezor since 2017, leading the company’s global financial, manufacturing, and Bitcoin strategy. A veteran of multiple Bitcoin bull and bear cycles, he combines battle-tested market experience with a deep commitment to personal freedom and open, sovereign technologies.

Stephan is a Bitcoin Core contributor, sponsored by Brink. His main focus is on the bitcoinkernel project, which isolates and exposes the Bitcoin consensus logic. Besides contributing, he hosts the London BitDevs Socratic seminars and helps out with other education and awareness efforts.

Steve founded Upstream Data in 2017 after 10 years working in the oil and gas industry as a mechanical engineer focused on optimizing upstream oil and gas facilities. Steve is passionate about conserving energy waste and is an industry leader in bitcoin mining infrastructure design and optimization for distributed energy systems. Steve holds numerous patents in bitcoin mining and oilfield technology.

Interested in all things bitcoin, finding ways to improve bitcoin privacy and usability

Author of The Rarest Sets and the Pepetannica. Contributor to The Book of Kek. Creator of Rare Pepe Lore Lessons™ and the Common Coco Project.

Changzhou Bingrui Heat Transfer Technology Co., Ltd. is a leading provider of advanced thermal management solutions for Bitcoin mining and high-density data centers. The company specializes in dry coolers, liquid cold plates, and customized hydro-cooled container systems designed to optimize the performance and longevity of mining hardware.

With a strong focus on efficiency, reliability, and scalable deployment, Bingrui supports global mining operations by addressing one of the industry’s core challenges: heat. Its solutions enable higher computing density, reduced energy consumption, and more stable long-term operation across diverse environments.

By bridging thermal engineering with Bitcoin infrastructure, Bingrui plays a key role in advancing the sustainability and industrialization of next-generation mining systems.

Bitcoin Journalist with a focus on education, and a financial analyst with a background in accounting, holding a deep interest in bitcoin and the environment. Working as a bitcoin columnist for a business-focused newspaper in London and authoring numerous research articles on the benefits of Bitcoin Mining and its implications for renewable energy's future. Serving as the Director and Head of Mining and Sustainability at Bitcoin Policy UK, committed to exploring and educating about bitcoin's technological innovation and potential environmental impact at the core of these professional pursuits.

Tadge has introduced several important advances to Bitcoin, such as the Lightning Network, DLCs, and Utreexo. Currently working independently to help more people use Bitcoin.

Taras Kulyk, JD, MBA is Synteq Digital's CEO & Co-Founder. He brings a decade of global experience in digital compute & data center development after starting his career in fintech and capital markets.

Prior to co-founding Synteq Digital, Taras served in a number of senior roles within the digital mining data center sector; including Founder & CEO of SunnySide Digital, and SVP Growth with Core Scientific, where he originated several billion dollars in total contract value.

Before beginning his data center focused career, Taras was a Toronto based investment banker with BMO Capital Markets covering the traditional mining sector, followed by over two years with TD Securities in the Communications, Media, and Technology team, where his coverage included telecom, technology, media and data center companies.