Thunderstruck ⚡️A MOST Historic Week!

It is only Wednesday my dudes, but what a week it’s been!

We got back from a rockin’ time at Bitcoin Medellin this weekend with another Satoshi Rockamoto in the books! Bitcoin soared to a new all-time high on Monday and is still holding strong above 100k, fueling excitement for what’s ahead. Monday marked President Trump’s inauguration - and true to his word - pardoned Ross Ulbricht. Words can’t express how joyous a moment this is for bitcoiners everywhere, although probably no one is happier than Ross and his family.

In Venture Capital land, we’ve got 2 awesome live deals for you to check out, and on the Thunder Funder front, we’re buzzing with updates: our RegCF offering campaign is in full swing, and we can’t wait to unveil some exciting new features that are just around the corner. Of course, we’ll also spotlight the latest from our portfolio companies and share Bitcoiner job openings that might catch your eye.

Let’s dive in!👇🏻

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.

⚡ THNDR Games has partnered with Telobet, a licensed Telegram casino, to bring its skill-based games to the platform. Players can now enjoy betting with Bitcoin alongside Telobet's classic casino offerings.

⚡ Satoshi App is now open to everyone with version 1.0.8 available for download. iOS, APK. While U.S. users need to be whitelisted for Exchange Accounts to buy Bitcoin, efforts are underway to expand Exchange services globally.

⚡ Relai is hosting a free webinar on January 22nd at 17:00 CET to discuss self-custodial Bitcoin loans, featuring insights from Firefish and Nofinntech. Topics include using Bitcoin as collateral, borrowing fiat against BTC, and the future of decentralized lending—sign up for more details!

⚡ Pleb Lab's Startup Day is happening on March 13, offering a full day dedicated to Bitcoin builders. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of Bitcoin—secure your spot now!

We’ve got 2 live deals right now: 
Slice and 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. 

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.

Joltz has met their minimum investment goal of $25k! There’s big news coming from Joltz in a few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled! 👀

Orange Pill App is on fire! They’ve hit their minimum goal milestone in no time! If you’re a fan or a user of Orange Pill App, why not be an owner, too? Orange Pill App has some new features rolling out this month, including an LN wallet and a ticketing system.

We’re brewing up something extra special for our Thunder Funder community, and will be dropping an official announcement soon. For now we’ll just say: “How many badges have you earned so far?”

Haven’t joined yet? 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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Satoshi Rockamoto at the Bitcoin Medellin Conference was a blast! Stay tuned for the next epic Rockamoto announcement date.

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.

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