36 episodes

Closing the Loop is a podcast about Bitcoin. In it, we will be speaking with the entrepreneurs, developers, and thinkers who are contributing to the evolution of this revolutionary technology. The podcast will also be an ongoing experiment of sorts, leveraging the latest developments in the broader ecosystem, highlighting and implementing solutions that foster censorship-resistant communication and new content monetization models. Join us in discovering the many possibilities that Bitcoin brings!

Closing the Loop John Vallis

    • Technology
    • 5.0 • 18 Ratings

Closing the Loop is a podcast about Bitcoin. In it, we will be speaking with the entrepreneurs, developers, and thinkers who are contributing to the evolution of this revolutionary technology. The podcast will also be an ongoing experiment of sorts, leveraging the latest developments in the broader ecosystem, highlighting and implementing solutions that foster censorship-resistant communication and new content monetization models. Join us in discovering the many possibilities that Bitcoin brings!

    #36 - Francis Pouliot: Bitcoin is a Life Raft

    #36 - Francis Pouliot: Bitcoin is a Life Raft

    For our final episode of season three, we were excited to have Francis Pouliot join us for a discussion.

    Francis is the founder and CEO of Bull Bitcoin, a popular 'non-custodial' bitcoin exchange and payment service in Canada. He has been heavily involved in the bitcoin industry since 2013, helping people understand and use bitcoin from the earliest days of Montreal's Bitcoin Embassy to Costa Rica's Bitcoin Jungle today.

    In that time, he has accrued a wealth of knowledge and experience, which in addition to his uniquely principled approach to things, has made him a popular and respected voice in the bitcoin space.

    Personally, I've always appreciated his reverence for the truth, his dedication to doing what he believes to be right, and the ideas, arguments, and products which have emerged from that approach. Including his company Bull Bitcoin, which, full disclosure, I'm a happy customer of.

    Enjoy!

    ---

    Follow Francis and Bull:


    Twitter (Francis): @francispouliot_
    Twitter (Bull Bitcoin): @BullBitcoin_
    Website: bullbitcoin.com

    Follow John & Seetee:


    Twitter: @johnkvallis & @Seetee_io
    Website: seetee.io

    Use Podcasting 2.0:


    Breez.Technology
    Fountain.FM
    NewPodcastingApps.com
    Value4Value.info

    • 2 hr 37 min
    #35 - Ray Youssef: Bitcoin is on the Right Side of History

    #35 - Ray Youssef: Bitcoin is on the Right Side of History

    In this episode of Closing The Loop, we’re honored to have Ray Youssef join us for a discussion.

    Ray is the founder and CEO of Paxful, a popular peer-to-peer bitcoin exchange, which offers users over 350 different payment methods to choose from.

    Paxful has placed a particular focus on what Ray refers to as the ‘Global South,’ where billions of unbanked or underbanked people are effectively cut-off from global markets and subject to numerous forms of financial repression.

    In this conversation, Ray and I discuss how bitcoin and Paxful have helped to level the playing field for these people: by giving them greater access to global financial infrastructure and, in doing so, helping them to circumvent authoritarian regulations which seek to confiscate their wealth and limit their financial freedom.

    As you’ll hear, Ray is extremely passionate about his work and takes his mission—providing everyone with the financial tools they need to build wealth and unleash their full potential—very seriously.

    Enjoy!

    ---

    Follow Ray and Paxful:


    Twitter (Ray): @raypaxful
    Twitter (Paxful): @paxful
    Website: paxful.com

    Follow John & Seetee:


    Twitter: @johnkvallis & @Seetee_io
    Website: seetee.io

    Use Podcasting 2.0:


    Breez.Technology
    Fountain.FM
    NewPodcastingApps.com
    Value4Value.info

    • 1 hr 50 min
    #34 - Patrick O'Sullivan: 'Bitcoin Makes Baseball Better' w/ The World's First Chief Bitcoin Officer

    #34 - Patrick O'Sullivan: 'Bitcoin Makes Baseball Better' w/ The World's First Chief Bitcoin Officer

    Our guest today is Patrick O’Sullivan, the world’s first 'Chief Bitcoin Officer', for the Australian Baseball League club, The Perth Heat.

    In late 2021, Patrick convinced the organization to shift to a full 'bitcoin standard', and since then, they’ve been experimenting with all the ways in which they can leverage the benefits of bitcoin, to bring a higher-quality and more rewarding experience to players and spectators alike.

    Recently, grounded in a firm belief in the merits and possibilities of the bitcoin-enabled 'value-for-value' philosophy, the team has launched what their calling 'sats4stats', where live or online spectators can send bitcoin payments directly to players, for whatever reason, in real-time!

    Patrick and the whole crew at the Perth Heat not only believe that their club will reap substantial rewards by being first in pursuing this strategy, but also that their pioneering work will inspire others to do the same, and in time, completely revolutionize the world of spectator sports.

    Enjoy!

    ---

    Follow Patrick and The Perth Heat:


    Twitter (Patrick): @CBO_21
    Twitter (Perth Heat): @PerthHeat
    Website: perthheat.com.au

    Follow John & Seetee:


    Twitter: @johnkvallis & @Seetee_io
    Website: seetee.io

    Use Podcasting 2.0:


    Breez.Technology
    Fountain.FM
    NewPodcastingApps.com
    Value4Value.info

    • 1 hr 51 min
    #33 - Matt Hill: The Era of 'Sovereign Computing' is Here

    #33 - Matt Hill: The Era of 'Sovereign Computing' is Here

    Today's guest is Matt Hill, co-founder and CEO of Start9 Labs, a leading pioneer in what he calls ‘Sovereign Computing.’

    In today’s world, many have become accustomed to using third-party platforms to interact online, host their data, and much else, but as the saying goes, ‘the cloud is just someone else’s computer.’

    As a result of this, there is no true privacy, anyone can be censored, and data honeypots exist everywhere for dishonest or malicious actors to exploit.

    Matt and his team are determined to reverse this concerning trend, by making it easy and affordable to run a personal private server, allowing any individual to take back control of their data, opt-out of corporate and state surveillance, and engage in their digital lives in a manner that is private, secure, and censorship-free.

    ---

    Follow Matt:


    Twitter: @_MattHill_
    Website: start9.com

    Follow John & Seetee:


    Twitter: @johnkvallis & @Seetee_io
    Website: seetee.io

    Use Podcasting 2.0:


    Breez.Technology
    Fountain.FM
    NewPodcastingApps.com
    Value4Value.info

    • 2 hr 13 min
    #32 - Jeff Booth: Bitcoin is the Answer to a Broken System

    #32 - Jeff Booth: Bitcoin is the Answer to a Broken System

    Today’s guest is Jeff Booth, a serial technology entrepreneur, advisor and board member to multiple businesses and organizations, and the author of the very popular book, ‘The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future'.

    Jeff is also a prolific speaker and advocate for bitcoin, educating people in all parts of the world, about the nature of the problems we all face, and how bitcoin is an essential tool for resolving them.

    Finally, to further enhance his impact, Jeff recently founded ego death capital, a venture fund which invests in companies in the bitcoin ecosystem, thereby accelerating the transition to what he likes to call, ‘a world of greater truth, hope and abundance.’

    Enjoy!

    ---

    Follow Jeff:


    Twitter: @JeffBooth
    Website: egodeath.capital

    Follow John & Seetee:


    Twitter: @johnkvallis & @Seetee_io
    Website: seetee.io

    Use Podcasting 2.0:


    Breez.Technology
    Fountain.FM
    NewPodcastingApps.com
    Value4Value.info

    • 2 hr 5 min
    #31 - Jason Les: Surviving and Thriving as a Publicly Traded Bitcoin Mining Company

    #31 - Jason Les: Surviving and Thriving as a Publicly Traded Bitcoin Mining Company

    Our guest today is Jason Les, CEO of Riot Blockchain.

    Riot is one of the largest publicly traded bitcoin miners in the world, with a current hash rate capacity of 4.8EH/s, and an expected self-mining capacity of 12.6EH/s by Q1 2023.

    The bitcoin mining industry is notoriously competitive, and that is especially the case right now in the fall of 2022, as a confluence of factors conspire to reveal which among the current operators are capable of weathering the storm.

    As such, I thought now would be a perfect time to have Jason on to discuss his story, how he thinks about building successful bitcoin mining operations, as well as the broad and massive implications of this burgeoning new industry.

    Enjoy!

    ---

    Follow Jason:


    Twitter: @JasonLes_
    Website: riotblockchain.com

    Follow John & Seetee:


    Twitter: @johnkvallis & @Seetee_io
    Website: seetee.io

    Use Podcasting 2.0:


    Breez.Technology
    Fountain.FM
    NewPodcastingApps.com
    Value4Value.io

    • 1 hr 40 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
18 Ratings

18 Ratings

Rudyard 23 ,

Informative, educational and most of all enjoyable

Been enjoying this pod a lot. Great spectrum of guests giving a deep dive in to Bitcoin and a really good variety of guests - not just the usual suspects too. Particularly enjoyed Cory Sawn and Rodolfo Novak.

Top Podcasts In Technology

Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
All-In Podcast, LLC
Acquired
Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
The Neuron: AI Explained
The Neuron
BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley
BG2Pod
TED Radio Hour
NPR

You Might Also Like

The Freedom Footprint Show: A Bitcoin Podcast
Knut Svanholm and Luke de Wolf
Stephan Livera Podcast
Stephan Livera
TFTC: A Bitcoin Podcast
Marty Bent
Citadel Dispatch
ODELL
What Bitcoin Did with Peter McCormack
Peter McCormack
The Bitcoin Standard Podcast
Dr. Saifedean Ammous