Thunderstruck⚡️8.6.25

What’s up, Lightning⚡️Ventures gang!

See you this week for Baltic Honeybadger and BTCHel! Will you be in Riga for the highest signal-to-noise Bitcoin conference of the year? One of the OG and most hardcore Bitcoin events, featuring the highest quality content. We’re pumped! This will be our third time attending. I’m moderating the VC panel on Day 2! If you want to meet up or hang out, hit us up and see you there. The side events this week are also fire! Nifty’s Bitcoin++ is in the house doing their privacy edition! We will also be attending the Thunderstorm Investor Day. PubKey and PlanB are both sponsoring some parties and possibly a killer last-minute Satoshi Rockamoto for the final night.

And then! First annual BTCHel, the first and largest Bitcoin conference in the Nordics. August 15th and 16th. What else? How about the Founders’ Sauna Event on August 13th! See you there for sure. Killer Rockamoto for sure! Knut and the gang are bringing the metal for this one, and I know Martti Malmi is psyched!

We’re kicking off August with some serious buzz in the Bitcoin space, and momentum around Bitcoin is accelerating fast. Regulatory clarity is improving, the infrastructure is maturing, and more major players are stepping in with confidence. It's becoming clearer than ever: the world is waking up to Bitcoin’s role in the future of finance.

Inside this issue: We’ve got a live deal for VIDA for you to scope out. Plus, fresh portfolio updates, a brand-new founder interview video, the latest in Bitcoiner jobs, and our picks for killer content of the week. We also spotlight all the top upcoming Bitcoin events so you know where the action is.

Heads up! If you're interested in joining the Lightning⚡️Ventures investing network, just reply to this email and we’ll send you the details. You can also join our Telegram channel, or flash a Bat Signal to me to schedule a call or answer your questions.

📣 As a reminder, Lightning⚡️Ventures has a Syndicate, Fund, RegCF Crowdfunding Portal, and Consultancy!

• Lightning⚡️Ventures is the world’s largest Bitcoin-focused, stage-agnostic, angel investing network! We invest anywhere between $100k - $500k. Join us!

• Node 2 Fund invests $100k - $1M in Pre-seed and Series A Bitcoin companies. If you would like to schedule a call and discuss, please reply to this email.

• Thunder Funder is a newly launched Equity Crowdfunding Portal dedicated to Bitcoin and Open-Source projects!

• Spark Services is a consulting and advisory service that assists early-stage companies in fundraising, go-to-market, guerrilla marketing, product support, scaling, and more!

⚡️ CrowdHealth
July Member Update: Released average payment stats for the past year, highlighting cost-effectiveness compared to traditional health insurance.  

• Summary: Singles paid $1,765 ($147/month), singles 55+ paid $2,890 ($241/month), and families of 4 paid $5,935 ($495/month), with members covering the first $500 per health event.   

⚡️ Geyser
Project Milestone in El Salvador: Highlighted efforts to build a circular economy in Ahuachapán through Bitcoin education.  

• Local educator is teaching residents to save, spend, and create community wealth using Lightning Network, fostering bottom-up adoption.   

• Upcoming Launch: Countdown to the opening of the island's first Bitcoin Cafe. With 21 days remaining, Isabella is preparing the cafe, focusing on details like espresso testing to promote Bitcoin use in everyday transactions.   

⚡️ Orange Pill App
Podcast Feature: Highlighted in a new episode of the Once Bitten Podcast discussing Bitcoin's transformative impact.  

• The episode explores a Broadway star's journey to Bitcoin, emphasizing the role Orange Pill App played in their adoption and community building.   

⚡️ Blink Wallet
Women of Satoshi Cooperative hosted a successful Bitcoin education event in Malawi, empowering local women with financial literacy and circular economies through Bitcoin.   

• The event featured presentations, group activities, and networking, with Blink Wallet as a key sponsor expressing gratitude for its impact on Malawian women.    

⚡️ Azteco
Announcement: Partnerships Unlocking 598 Million New Potential Buyers.

• Partnerships with digital gift card distributors to reach 598 million new buyers, with an expected 1.3 billion customers as rollout continues.

• Aims to bank the unbanked through Bitcoin gift cards.

⚡️ PlebLab Announces Startup Day in Mérida, Mexico

• 3-day Bitcoin event in Yucatán, presented by Yopaki.

• Includes sessions, hackathon, and excursions.

VIDA provides an AI Phone Agent Enablement Platform that integrates with existing business communication systems, allowing companies to deploy AI agents that handle calls, texts, scheduling, emails, and more. Rather than replacing entire systems, Vida enhances existing infrastructure with AI capabilities.

VIDA aims to become the only small-cap public company at the intersection of AI and Bitcoin, positioning itself uniquely on Nasdaq by Q4 2025 through a direct listing.

✅ Strong product-market fit with >$1M ARR in 3 quarters
✅ Experienced team with proven exits in telecom/MarTech
✅ Distribution-focused strategy with significant partnerships
✅ High-margin business model (>90% gross margins)
✅ Large TAM with a clear path to market leadership
✅ Innovative warrant structure protecting existing investors

VIDA’s explosive traction, high margins, and AI-Bitcoin synergy offer a rare opportunity to back a future small-cap leader. With a Nasdaq listing imminent, act now to secure your stake in this oversubscribed round.

The convergence of AI adoption and corporate Bitcoin adoption represents a once-in-a-cycle investment thesis. VIDA is your vehicle to capture both mega-trends.

Your front-row seat to what’s happening in the Bitcoin Founder landscape. We spotlight the builders and the behind-the-scenes stories shaping the future of Bitcoin startups.

Did you miss last week’s jam? You can find it recorded here!

Are you a founder? Want to share your story, practice your pitch, or get real-time feedback on fundraising, regulation, and navigating the venture landscape? Whether you're just getting started or deep in the grind, this is your chance to connect with VCs, peers, and operators who live and breathe Bitcoin. Come hang out and learn!

In this episode, we sit down with Oliver, founder of Jippi - a mobile AR game dubbed the “Pokémon Go for Bitcoin.” Designed to engage Gen Z through geolocation gameplay and Bitcoin rewards, Jippi blends education, entertainment, and a powerful Bitcoin onramp strategy. Oliver shares the journey from Swan layoffs to building Jippi, explains their growth strategy, discusses wallet integration via Joltz, dives into revenue models, reflects on app store challenges, and opens up about their crowdfunding campaign on Timestamp. From Top Builder award winner to building a $140M vision, this is a raw look at what it takes to gamify Bitcoin adoption.

We’ve built a Bitcoin-only funding portal where anyone can back the next generation of Bitcoin startups. Think exclusive deal flow, a vibrant community of Bitcoiners, and a platform designed to be fun.

Early users will unlock special perks and get front-row access to our next batch of Bitcoin-only deals. Sign up today and join the movement.

Are you a founder? Apply to raise!

Ready to Raise? Let’s Make It Happen.

If you’re a founder who is building on Bitcoin, are you ready to level up? At Lightning Ventures, we work with the best builders in the space, helping them connect with investors who share their passion on all things Bitcoin. Whether you’re developing on Lightning, exploring Taproot Assets, or crafting the next-generation Bitcoin product, we want to hear from you.

Applying is easy — just fill out this form and tell us what you’re working on. We’re here to support bold ideas, spark big conversations, and help you find the right backers to fuel your vision. Let’s build the future together.