new renaissance capital

In this episode, host Frank Corva sits down with Hermann Vivier, a prominent South African Bitcoiner and the founder of Bitcoin Ekasi and The Surfer Kids non-profit. They dive deep into the recent draft regulations proposed by the South African government that threaten to essentially ban peer-to-peer Bitcoin usage through aggressive updates to the country's 1961 Capital Controls Act. Hermann break...

In this episode, we sit down with Francisco Calderon, a veteran developer and a central figure in the Latin American Bitcoin scene. Francisco shares his journey from experiencing the economic collapse in Venezuela to building Mostro, a decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) trading protocol. We discuss how Mostro leverages the Nostr protocol to remove single points of failure, providing a lifeline for u...

Hannah Rosenberg of Lightning Labs joins Frank for a philosophical deep dive into the state of Bitcoin in 2026. This episode explores the "human being problem" behind Bitcoin's growing pains, specifically focusing on how authoritarianism and elitism have infiltrated American Bitcoin circles. Hannah shares personal experiences of how the space has changed and why she maintains respect for the "diam...

Faisal Saeed Al Mutar joins us to discuss the reality of the situation in Iran, including how people from the region view at the conflict. He debunks common misconceptions about Iran's ethnic makeup and discusses how local populations really feel about the regime and foreign intervention. We also discuss the multiple layers on which Bitcoin has been adopted in the Middle East. Please note that thi...

Discover the innovative ways Bitcoin is being used in Cuba to overcome economic hurdles and empower local communities. Our guests, Forte and Catrya, co-founders of Cuba Bitcoin, provide a firsthand look at the technical projects they are working on and the importance of native language media in the Bitcoin space. Descubre las formas innovadoras en que se está utilizando Bitcoin en Cuba para supera...

In this episode, Frank sits down with Dread, a developer, the founder of the Flash app, and just an all around incredible human being, sometimes referred to as "the Jamaican Bitcoiner," to discuss his incredible work on the ground following a devastating Category 5 hurricane in his home country. When traditional banks and Western Union locations were destroyed or offline, Dread and his team used t...

In this episode of new renaissance capital, Frank sits down with Amiti Uttarwar, the first confirmed female Bitcoin Core developer and founder of Waye. Amiti discusses her transition from technical development to providing psychosocial support and executive coaching for open-source builders. We explore the "tyranny of permissionlessness" and why supporting the mental well-being of developers is cr...

In this episode of new renaissance capital, Frank Corva sits down with Alessandro Cecere, better known as El Sultan de Bitcoin, on X to discuss the transformative potential of Bitcoin mining in Venezuela. Alessandro shares his journey of starting one of Latin America's first mining farms in 2013 and explains how the country's current energy crisis—characterized by a massive power deficit—can be so...

In this episode, we travel to Nairobi, Kenya to learn about Afribit Kibera, a project proving that Bitcoin is more than just a financial asset — it's a tool for social and environmental reform. Afribit co-founder Ronnie Mdawida details how they have integrated Bitcoin into waste collection groups, women’s upcycling initiatives, and even motorcycle taxi (boda boda) licenses. By creating a circular...

In this powerful reboot of the new renaissance capital show, we are joined by Ziya Sadr, a prominent Iranian Bitcoin and Freedom Tech educator who shares his harrowing first-hand account of the 2022 protests. Ziya discusses his time in detainment, the industrial-scale violence used by the regime, and why millions of Iranians are now at a breaking point due to decades of economic mismanagement and...

Tochi Onyiah is doing her part to continue to give Nigerians access to P2P trading via NoOnes — despite the Nigerian governments crackdown on such services. Inflation in Nigeria is rampant and being able to access bitcoin and stablecoins in such an environment is vital for those looking to preserve the value of their labor in a harsh economic environment. Enjoy the interview! Follow Tochi and NoOn...

Flo Montoya works with Love Is Bitcoin and Panties for Bitcoin, but it took her a minute to find her place(s) in the Bitcoin industry. Flo is classically trained as an artist, but when she realized it was difficult to find work in this field, she learned how to do marketing via social media and applied her artistic skills via this avenue. We discuss this, how Flo's family members were actually the...

Zussel is a resident of Próspera — a start-up city located in Honduras — who lives on a bitcoin standard and teaches Bitcoin through Amity Age — the oldest Bitcoin education program in Central America. And based on my conversation with Zussel, her life seems pretty good! So, can this city in which taxes are low and personal freedoms are high combined with bitcoin being legal tender become a model...

Some of us take for granted the fact that we can speak freely, transact with who we please and pursue our dreams. Others — like Jorge Jraissati, who had to flee his home country of Venezuela for fear of persecution — understand very well that certain freedoms are not a given and that we must fight to establish and preserve them. And this is what he does as Director of Alumni for Liberty, a branch...

After years of teaching people about Bitcoin, organizing the Indonesia Bitcoin conference, and working for a Bitcoin company (Fedi), she's learned that you have to speak from your heart when you explain Bitcoin to people if you want them to grasp it. In our interview, we discuss this in greater detail as well as the macroeconomic situation in Indonesia and how even the Indonesian crypto "gamblers"...

Heritage Falodun is doing big things with Bitcoin in Africa's biggest country (by population size) — Nigeria. From helping businesses make remittance payments with Bitcoin and stablecoins through his company DigiOats to educating the Nigerian populace about Bitcoin to doing his part to increase the amount of Bitcoin mining happening in Nigeria, he's on his mission to grow the Bitcoin network in Ni...

"We're all Lebanese. Most just don't know it yet." This is how Jan 3 founder Samson Mow responded to a tweet thread on the economic situation in Lebanon from Sooly Kobayashi — a consultant, entrepreneur and investor in the Bitcoin space. What Mow was insinuating was that the fiat system is going to catch up with all of us eventually — that we'll all see our lives financially upended, just as the L...

Like many in the Bitcoin space, Loïc does a lot of work for free. And he does it because he's driven by his passion for Bitcoin and how it can help people. In this interview, Loïc shares some details about the work he does in the Bitcoin space — from onboarding restaurants to hosting a conference to building a Bitcoin Lightning exchange called Flash. Loïc is the Bitcoin point person for Benin, and...

Lyudmyla Kozlovska and Katarzyna (Kasia) Szczypska are freedom fighters. They serve as President and Chief Advocacy Officer of the Open Dialogue Foundation, an organization that works to free political prisoners in former Soviet states, helps deliver aid to Ukraine and supports independent mothers in Poland. The organization also educates global policy makers about the importance of Bitcoin and th...

Ray Youssef is a Bitcoin superhero. With big heart and tremendous stature, Ray — CEO of the peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platform, NoOnes — is looking to empower leaders in The Global South. Originally from Africa himself, Ray believes that tremendous potential on the verge of being unlocked not just in Africa, but in Latin America and SE Asia, as well. And according to Ray, there's no time to waste...

Kgothatso Ngako (KG) is a renaissance man — a true creator in every sense of the word. From his work as a poet to his current role as the founder and developer of Machankura, a software that allows people in Africa to transact with bitcoin over Lightning without an internet connection or a smart phone, his capabilities seem to know no bounds. In this interview, we discuss not only what KG has crea...

Bitcoin Dadas don't play. "Dada" is Swahili for "sister", and the Bitcoin Dada program — which is based in Kenya, but serves women all over Africa — not only helps to financially empower women, but to create a sisterhood among those who participate in the program. In this interview, we speak with two recent Bitcoin Dada graduates — Edith Mpumwire of Uganda and Mary Usaji of Kenya — who share why B...

Nzonda Fotsing is a class act. Kindhearted and thoughtful, yet also realistic, he's an excellent representative of Francophone Africa in the Bitcoin space. In this interview, we discuss the realities of Bitcoin adoption in Africa, how French-speaking Africa is not gravitating to Bitcoin as quickly as English-speaking Africa, and why Nzonda wrote his book — Bitcoin Kids. We also discuss how to best...

Reyna Chicas is the type of person you want to teach you about Bitcoin. Kind, patient, and compassionate, she's a prized addition to the team at Mi Primer Bitcoin — a program in El Salvador that educates public school students about Bitcoin. She's also quickly becoming a spokesperson for both Mi Primer Bitcoin and El Salvador as she's traveled as far as Hong Kong to represent both the institution...

Valentin Popescu has a very big heart. You'll see what I mean as you listen to him talk about the people he serves in Perú through his NGO, Motiv Perú. Through Motiv Perú, Popescu not only raises funds in bitcoin but teaches those her serves how to use Bitcoin as a tool. However, he's the first to acknowledge that Bitcoin in and of itself doesn't fix everything. He understands that we need teacher...