Thunderstruck ⚡️Exciting Deals, Medellín Conference, and More!

Greetings, most excellent Bitcoiners! Can you feel the vibes as Bitcoin rips toward that totally rad 100k mark? With more and more publicly traded companies now packing their balance sheets with BTC, it’s a most triumphant time to be bullish.

That’s not all! We’ve got a NEW DEAL ALERT for you to check out, as well as some sweet deal updates from Thunder Funder Portal. If you’re cruising down to the Bitcoin Medellin conference this week, the Lightning Ventures crew will be there to rock and roll with you, hosting a gnarly Rockamoto that’s sure to blast you into a whole new level of Bitcoin bliss. Of course, we’ve also got our usual rad portfolio company updates, upcoming events, and Bitcoiner job postings to keep the good times rolling. Party on, dudes! 👇🏻

Yo! If you’ve invested through Lightning Ventures, you receive confidential company updates as they come in. Below are some public updates from our beloved portfolio darlings. Please let us know if you are an investor and are not receiving company updates.

⚡ Unchained Capital now supports passkeys for enhanced account security. Use Yubikeys or smartphones for FIDO-based MFA, protecting against phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks. Learn more.

⚡ Swan Bitcoin officially launches in New York, partnering with Bakkt and Equity Trust to offer a suite of Bitcoin financial services, including Bitcoin-focused IRAs and specialized offerings for high-net-worth individuals.

⚡ OrdinalsBot has officially launched the Editions Launchpad API, enabling creators to produce multiple copies of their work and expand their reach. Perfect for limited edition digital prints, exclusive albums, special book editions, virtual collectibles, event tickets, and more—start exploring today!

⚡Wavlake, a value-for-value music streaming platform that allows fans to directly support artists by sending micro-payments as music is consumed, has released its mobile app v1.1.2, which is now available on iOS and Android app stores.

⚡Zaprite, a Bitcoin invoicing platform for businesses and entrepreneurs, has added a Speed Wallet integration using Lightning Address and updated styling on Square credit card form payments. Learn more.

We’ve got 3 live deals right now: 
Magisat, Slice, and a new deal alert: Cloaked Wireless

This is an opportunity to invest in an existing Lightning Ventures portfolio company, Cloaked Services, that is led by some insanely awesome and accomplished Bitcoiners. Details below 👇🏻

Cloaked Wireless is founded by Jonathan Wilkins and Jeremy Hill. Jonathan was previously the Chief Security Officer and Co-Founder of Blockstream, Chief Security Officer of Bitcoin company River Financial, Security Architect at Yelp, Senior Researcher at MySpace, and Security Architect at Microsoft. Jeremy is another high-achiever that has a seasoned background in business growth, managing top-grade operations and network infrastructure within IT / Ops, and has led Products & Marketing as a VP at App Help by App Direct. The team also includes famous Rusty Russell + Dr. Adam Back, and Calle BTC as Advisors.

Cloaked aims to revolutionize telecommunications by decentralizing it with its privacy-first approach. As the parent company of Cloaked Wireless, the company is building in what we see as the future of secure, private, and censorship-resistant telecommunications, starting with its live privacy-first MVNO and the upcoming Cloaked Network.

In today’s society, SIM swaps plague the telecommunications sector, causing billions in financial losses and eroding user trust. Major carriers have failed to prioritize security, leaving consumers exposed to identity theft, financial losses, and privacy breaches.

As a bonus, Cloaked Wireless is offering a limited-time incentive to investors participating in the upcoming financing round. Eligible investors will receive complimentary wireless service for a specified period outlined below based on the total amount of their investment: 

• $5k - $9,999 Investment: 1 year (12 months) of free wireless service

• $10k - $24,999 Investment: 5 years (60 months) of free wireless service

• $25k+ Investment: 10 years (120 months) of free wireless service.

By pioneering the use of open-source technologies, Cloaked is tackling the core authentication vulnerabilities that have left countless victims in the wake of these cybercrimes. We see that its solution not only fortifies user security but also sets a new standard for trust and protection in mobile communications. The company is capitalizing this feat through the following:

1. Privacy-First MVNO: Cryptographically secure authentication before account changes combined with the inability of Cloaked Wireless operations or support staff from being able to modify customer accounts, ensure SIM swap attacks are impossible.

2. Bitcoin Payments: Users enjoy total anonymity and decentralization.

3. Minimal Data Collection: User trust is earned, not monetized. Non KYC purchase flows enable anonymous wireless services. 

We are very excited to be gaining more exposure to Cloaked, a hyper promising rocketship that is on its way to becoming an A-list brand company in the Bitcoin space. We love that this deal is on the same terms as the previous round and of course appreciate that amazing discount. 

Don't miss the opportunity to be part of a pioneering project that’s set to change the way Bitcoin assets are traded! 🚀

By focusing on rare and collectible Bitcoin assets, the platform is at the intersection of a rapidly growing market and cutting-edge technology, including Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions (PSBT), ordinals inscriptions, and UTXO management tools.

Traction and Revenue (2024):

• Traction: 100K+ users, 30K+ transactions, $25M+ volume

• Revenue: ~$45K/mo Mempool Marketplace, ~$20K/mo UTXO tooling, ~$30K/mo Rare Sats Marketplace 

• Partnerships: Sotheby’s, F2Pool, Foundry, and Deezy

Slice: If you’ve been waiting for a standout deal, this is it. Don’t miss the chance to check it out and snag your Slice of the action. 

Redefining the $455 billion digital advertising space. Slice rewards users for ad engagement and offers a customizable AI-powered search experience. They’re making advertising user-centric in a way no one else has dared.

Key Highlights

• Slice is profitable!

• 875,000+ downloads and steadily growing monthly active users , Slice has achieved product-market fit and is hitting an inflection point.

• Strategic partnerships with Outbrain, Bing/Yahoo, and Taboola .

• Slice has released a customizable search portal with AI features, widgets, and subscription revenue .

• Slice has achieved a 24x boost in LTV , from $1 to $24.

• Innovative Technology Stack: Leveraging AI for precision targeting and the Bitcoin Lightning Network for micropayments , Slice is at the cutting edge of ad tech.

• Dual Revenue Streams: The combination of ad revenue and a freemium subscription model provides diversified income and resilience.

Things are heating up over at Thunder Funder! Joltz is set to meet their minimum investment goal any day now, and Orange Pill App has only been live for a few days but has already hit their 50% milestone. If you’ve been considering a position in either of these pioneering Bitcoin companies, the time is now!

P.S. If you’re interested in getting real-time updates and joining the conversation surrounding Thunder Funder, you can join our newsletter.

From Orange Pill App CEO Matteo Pellegrini:

“2024 has been a great year for the entire Bitcoin ecosystem and for us. We grew by 2.3x and built a Bitcoin Treasury of 3.6 BTC. With the bull run in full swing and the launch of our Bitcoin Wallet and Event Ticketing Platform, I anticipate even faster growth in 2025.”

Through RegCF, anyone can invest in private startups—no need to be an accredited investor. It’s democratizing access to the next generation of Bitcoin innovators. Creating an account on Thunder Funder is easy! Sign up to build out your profile, interact with other users, earn badges, invest in exclusive Bitcoin startups, and contribute to the future of the ecosystem. Don’t miss out!

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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.

For the complete list of amazing companies and jobs in Bitcoin, be sure to keep an eye on Bitcoiner Jobs.