The Kevin Rooke Show

Latest Episodes:

TLS86: Ben Price on Building The Bitcoin Company, OpenSats, and Improving Payments with Lightning Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Ben Price is the co-founder and CEO of The Bitcoin Company (TBC), an app that allows anyone to earn Bitcoin for all their shopping.

In our conversation, we discussed how TBC’s app works, the challenge of disrupting credit card and loyalty point networks all over the world, the importance of the Lightning Network, and the work Ben is doing on OpenSats.

→ The Bitcoin Company: https://thebitcoincompany.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:23 - Ben Price Intro

06:45 - How VISA Payments Work

15:56 - Why Are Fiat Payments So Complicated?

18:38 - How The Bitcoin Company Works

29:08 - Why Merchants Like Credit Cards

39:00 - Disrupting Credit Cards and Airline Rewards

51:33 - Bitcoin Banks

1:01:19 - What Payments Will People Make on Lightning?

1:10:30 - What Is OpenSats?

1:17:13 - The Lightning Round

TLS85: Albert Buu on Building NeutronPay, Payments in Vietnam, and Instant Lightning Remittances Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Albert Buu is the founder of NeutronPay, a company building a Lightning-powered API and mobile app for moving money around the world.

In our conversation, we discussed NeutronPay’s product and vision for their API, why they’ve decided to initially focus on the Vietnam market, and the adoption and addressable opportunity for Lightning remittances.

→ NeutronPay: https://neutronpay.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:00 - Albert Buu Intro

08:53 - Albert’s Views on Payment Middlemen

14:38 - Custodial Lightning Products and Banks

23:12 - How NeutronPay Works

29:42 - Why NeutronPay Is Focused on Vietnam

36:57 - Payment Use Cases in Vietnam

41:49 - NeutronPay and Lightning Competitors

49:00 - El Salvador Remittance Adoption

59:30 - Constraints to Lightning Adoption in Southeast Asia

1:08:15 - The Lightning Round

TLS84: Alex Busarov on Building Heatbit and How Home Heaters Could Distribute Bitcoin Mining Hashrate Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

Alex Busarov is the founder of Heatbit, a company building an electric heater that mines Bitcoin.

In our conversation, we discussed how the Heatbit heater works, whether this home heating use case can introduce new people to Bitcoin mining, when Heatbit plans to integrate Lightning Network payouts, as well as the vision and roadmap for the company.

→ Heatbit: https://www.heatbit.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:11 - Alex Busarov Intro

06:41 - How Does Heatbit Work?

13:31 - Building a Miner vs. Building a Heater

18:16 - The Economics of a Heatbit Heater

24:42 - Why Heatbit Chose To Build Home Heaters

34:35 - Will Heatbit Integrate Lightning Network Payouts?

38:56 - Will All Heaters Be Powered By Bitcoin Miners?

50:12 - Heatbit’s Roadmap & Product Strategy

1:02:30 - The Lightning Round

TLS83: Azz on Building Valera and Combining Lightning Software & Hardware To Bring Billions To Bitcoin Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

Azz is the 16 year old founder of Valera, a company uniting hardware and software to bring Lightning payments to billions of people around the world.

In our conversation, we discussed Indra, Valera’s Lightning node runtime for enabling near-zero cost Lightning nodes, we discussed the concept of connecting cold keys and wearable devices to your Lightning node, and we explored the idea of integrating hardware and software to build better products.

→ Valera: https://valera.co/

→ Indra Tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/617a7a/status/1594696672973570048

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:15 - Azz Intro

09:09 - What Is A Lightning Node Runtime?

11:31 - How Indra Works

21:59 - What Might Indra Developers Build?

23:58 - Cold Keys on the Lightning Network

35:27 - Lowering the Cost of a Lightning Node by 10,000x

38:51 - Performance Trade-offs of Indra

46:03 - Will Indra Improve Lightning Network Reliability?

50:49 - Valera’s Vision

1:07:08 - Valera’s Focus on Hardware & Software

1:20:48 - The Lightning Round

TLS82: Alex Adelman on Building Lolli, Accelerating Bitcoin Adoption, and the Lightning Network Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

Alex Adelman is the CEO & co-founder of Lolli, a Bitcoin-back rewards platform that has helped over 600,000 people stack sats while shopping.

We had a wide-ranging conversation that covered Lolli’s aim to increase Bitcoin adoption, why Lolli has chosen not to integrate the Lightning Network yet, and why Alex believes smart contracts on Bitcoin are a big net positive for the ecosystem.

→ Lolli: https://lolli.com/share/GFQ8CiEhMc

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:27 - Alex Adelman Intro

10:41 - How Bitcoin Prices & Economic Downturns Affect Lolli

16:39 - How Do We Accelerate Bitcoin Adoption

28:14 - What Should Bitcoiners Be Focused On?

32:09 - Why Non-Fungible Assets are Important to Bitcoin

37:21 - Celebrity Investors & Bitcoin

45:32 - Why Lolli Isn’t on the Lightning Network Yet

52:02 - How To Make Lightning Simple

58:12 - Lolli’s Roadmap

1:01:17 - The Evolution of Cash Back Rewards

1:15:39 - Incentivized Advertising on the Internet

1:20:26 - The Lightning Round

TLS81: Bastien Teinturier on ACINQ, Collaborating with LN Implementations, and Lightning Adoption Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

Bastien Teinturier is the VP of Engineering at ACINQ, the team behind the Eclair Lightning implementation and the Phoenix mobile wallet.

We spoke about collaboration and competition between Lightning implementations, the task of building Eclair and Phoenix, as well as a discussion about Lightning business models and Lightning adoption.

→ ACINQ: https://acinq.co/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:28 - Bastien Teinturier Intro

08:47 - Communication Between Bitcoin & Lightning Developers

12:29 - Why Has Lightning Payment Reliability Improved?

16:30 - Communication Between Lightning Implementations

27:48 - Why ACINQ Built Phoenix Wallet

33:38 - Upcoming Phoenix Wallet Features

43:25 - Lightning Features on ACINQ’s Roadmap

51:31 - Why ACINQ Chose VC Funding

1:07:02 - The Lightning Round

TLS80: Austin Mitchell on Building Synota & How Lightning Payments Can Disrupt the Energy Industry Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

Austin Mitchell is the co-founder and CEO of Synota, a platform providing instant payments for energy generators, distributors, and consumers by leveraging Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.

In our conversation we discussed the complexity of the energy value chain, the risks associated with the cash lags that energy companies are exposed to, and we discussed how Synota’s technology will reduce risks and lower costs across the energy industry.

→ Synota: https://www.synota.io/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

01:52 - Austin Mitchell Intro

06:24 - Energy Production & Consumption

14:06 - How Distributed is the Energy Industry?

32:14 - How Synota Will Improve the Energy Industry

38:32 - The Addressable Opportunity for Improved Energy Payments

50:16 - Synota’s Business Model

52:26 - Why is Synota Focusing on Bitcoin Miners?

1:02:48 - The Lightning Round

TLS79: Julian Fahrer on Building Apollo, The Price of Information, and the Lightning Network Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Julian Fahrer is the co-founder and CEO of Apollo, a platform for discovering and writing reviews of your favorite products, where quality reviews are rewarded with Bitcoin.

In our conversation we grappled with the ideas that information should be free but time should not, we explored the issues with review platforms today, and we talked about how Lightning Network payments can help Apollo generate higher quality reviews.

→ Apollo: https://heyapollo.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:18 - Julian Fahrer Intro

08:26 - Should Information Be Free?

17:45 - Why Apollo Chose To Build a Reviews Platform

23:20 - Apollo’s Vision

31:12 - The Importance of Negative Feedback Loops

36:14 - What’s Wrong with Review Platforms Today?

41:05 - How Monetary Incentives Affect Reviews

48:50 - The Challenge of Getting a Product to Critical Mass

54:59 - Apollo’s Impact on Advertising

1:05:27 - The Lightning Round

TLS78: Marco Argentieri on Building Fuji Money Using the Lightning Network & Liquid Sidechain Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Marco Argentieri is the co-founder of Fuji Money, a non-custodial platform for issuing Bitcoin-backed stablecoins and synthetic assets using the Lightning Network and Bitcoin’s Liquid sidechain.

In our conversation we discussed how Fuji works, the concept of over-collateralized lending, and why Fuji is building on Lightning and Liquid.

→ Fuji Money: https://fuji.money/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:07 - Marco Argentieri Intro

06:36 - Why Fuji Is Building on Lightning & Liquid

13:56 - How Does Fuji Money Work?

19:06 - Why Do We Need Over-Collateralized Lending?

34:13 - Fuji Money’s Business Model

37:20 - How Fuji Interacts with the Lightning Network

41:28 - Fuji Roadmap

44:07 - Regulatory Issues with Issuing Stablecoins

49:17 - Ideas for Bitcoin Builders

52:32 - The Lightning Round

TLS77: Sam Wouters on Insights from River's Lightning Nodes, RLS, and the Future of LN Payments Oct 29, 2022

Show notes

Sam Wouters is a Bitcoin Research Analyst at River, where he has recently put together an in-depth report on River’s Lightning Nodes.

In our conversation we discussed Sam’s findings from studying the payments flowing through River’s node, River’s API service, and the future of payments on the Lightning Network.

→ River’s Lightning Report: https://river.com/learn/files/river-lightning-report.pdf

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:13 - Sam Wouters Intro

09:10 - Becoming a Better Bitcoin Educator