I interviewed myself the first time. 21 Minutes free speech, this is the result after prompting Claude to summarize and write an interview. I’d 80% is correct, and generally I’m impressed, but not so happy with the writing style (especially changing the “way” I spoke). I’m still leaving this here for people to explore.
Emin
Main topics from the 21 Minutes Interview transcript
- Personal introduction and early entrepreneurship
- Facebook Ads API software and Abend app
- DropSpot and Buzz app with Axel Springer
- Bitcoin mining and early crypto involvement
- Ethereum and DAO participation
- Aeternity Blockchain project
- Böse Stuttgart Digital Exchange role
- Crypto education in Tanzania
- Threefold.io involvement
- Crypto payment solutions and remittance
- Clients in Tanzania
- Real-world asset tokenization
- Project for tokenization and P2P trading
- Partnerships and future plans
Interview questions based on these topics
- Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey as a tech entrepreneur?
- What were your early ventures in software development, particularly with Facebook?
- How did you get involved with Axel Springer, and what was the Buzz app?
- When did you first enter the cryptocurrency space, and what was your experience?
- Can you tell us about your involvement with Ethereum and the DAO?
- What was your role in the Aeternity Blockchain project?
- How did you transition to working with traditional financial institutions in crypto?
- What drew you to focus on crypto education in Africa?
- Can you explain your interest in the Threefold.io project?
- How did you develop solutions for crypto payments and remittances?
- Who were some of your notable clients in Tanzania, and what services did you provide?
- What sparked your interest in real-world asset tokenization?
- Can you tell us about your latest project?
- What partnerships have you formed, and what are your plans for the future?
Now, I’ll craft an introduction and then answer these questions based on the transcript, maintaining your speaking style and varying sentence lengths.
From Facebook to Blockchain: The Journey of Emin Mahrt
Introduction: In the fast-paced world of tech entrepreneurship, few stories are as captivating as that of Emin Mahrt. From developing groundbreaking Facebook ad tools to pioneering blockchain technologies, Mahrt’s journey is a testament to innovation and adaptability. Today, we sit down with this serial entrepreneur to explore his ventures, from early successes to his latest project that’s set to revolutionize real-world asset tokenization. Buckle up for a ride through the cutting edge of tech and finance.
Q1: Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey as a tech entrepreneur?
A1: I’m Emin Mahrt, a serial tech entrepreneur from Berlin. My journey started early. In 2009, I began writing software for the Facebook Ads API. This was just the beginning. I’ve always been drawn to emerging technologies and the potential they hold. Over the years, I’ve founded multiple startups, worked with major companies, and dove headfirst into the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m still loving every minute of it.
Q2: What were your early ventures in software development, particularly with Facebook?
A2: My first major venture was a tool called Abend. It’s the German word for evening, and it was an advertising automation product with a lot of machine learning for Facebook Ads. But that wasn’t all. We also developed a B2C app, “The missing Facebook Events App.” It crawled and displayed all events in the world that were on Facebook, with a full-text searchable database. This tool was later exited to flyer alarm in 2016. It was a great learning experience and really showed me the power of social media data.
Q3: How did you get involved with Axel Springer, and what was the Dropspot app?
A3: I co-founded an iPhone application called DropSpot for location-based push news. Axel Springer saw potential in it and provided seed funding. The app was later incorporated into their company and became Buzz, which turned out to be very successful. It was an exciting time, working with such a major player in the media industry.
Q4: When did you first enter the cryptocurrency space, and what was your experience?
A4: My crypto journey began in 2012 during what you might call the second Bitcoin bubble. Bitcoin’s price surge to $1,000 and subsequent crash to $100 caught my attention. I got into Bitcoin mining with a friend. We raised $25,000 in seed funding and bought the very first ASIC miner from KNC, a KNC Jupiter miner. We were developing arbitrage trading bots between Bitcoin exchanges and needed fresh Bitcoin. It was a fascinating entry into a world that would become a major part of my career.
Q5: Can you tell us about your involvement with Ethereum and the DAO?
A5: After the MTGox hack, I shifted my focus to Ethereum and its promise of decentralized, unstoppable applications. I discovered the DAO and participated in it. When the DAO was hacked, I was part of the effort supporting Ethereum through that crisis. It was a crucial moment in crypto history, and being part of it really deepened my understanding of the space.
Q6: What was your role in the Aeternity Blockchain project?
A6: In 2017, I joined the newly founded Aeternity Blockchain project. They had just raised 25 million Swiss francs with a team of only four people. When the technical co-founder left due to a disagreement, I stepped in as operations and engineering manager. We built the protocol from scratch. Within a year, we launched, and the project reached a billion-dollar market cap just 12 months later. I later joined the Aeternity Crypto Foundation, giving grants to ecosystem startups. It was an intense but incredibly rewarding experience.
Q7: How did you transition to working with traditional financial institutions in crypto?
A7: After leaving Aeternity in 2021, I joined the Böse Stuttgart Digital Exchange as chief of product. This was the first regulated crypto exchange from Böse Stuttgart, the sixth largest exchange group in Europe. My experience in both traditional tech and crypto made me a good fit. It was fascinating to see how traditional finance was adapting to the crypto world.
Q8: What drew you to focus on crypto education in Africa?
A8: I moved to Zanzibar to focus on crypto and blockchain education on the ground in Tanzania. Africa presents unique opportunities and challenges for crypto adoption. The continent’s need for financial inclusion and the potential for blockchain to provide solutions really motivated me. It was a chance to see the real-world impact of the technology we’d been developing.
Q9: Can you explain your interest in the Threefold.io project?
A9: I’m very interested in Threefold.io in Zanzibar and contribute to it as a free contributor. It’s a DePin (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure) project that’s building a decentralized new internet infrastructure where hardware and software go hand in hand. The concept of a truly decentralized internet aligns with my beliefs about the future of technology.
Q10: How did you develop solutions for crypto payments and remittances?
A10: During my time at Aeternity, I was responsible for paying more than 100 employees worldwide in cryptocurrency. This led me to develop solutions for crypto-to-bank payments in all currencies. I continued to refine this solution in Tanzania for remittance. We ended up with a product that had zero bank fees and zero exchange rate fluctuation while still making about a 5% premium on every transaction to Africa. It was a game-changer for cross-border payments.
Q11: Who were some of your notable clients in Tanzania, and what services did you provide?
A11: I had several interesting clients in Tanzania. One was a local airline that needed help exchanging money at unbeatable rates. Another was a car dealer importing vehicles from Japan, who needed help with currency exchange. I also worked with a supermarket that required daily US dollars for imports. These clients collectively led to about 10 million in volume within a year. Each client had unique needs, and solving their problems was both challenging and rewarding.
Q12: What sparked your interest in real-world asset tokenization?
A12: The potential of tokenizing real-world assets is enormous. There’s an untapped market of privately held real-world assets worth $500 trillion. I saw an opportunity to make these assets more accessible, liquid, and tradable. We started by tokenizing a debt fund for micro-loans to women-led businesses in Africa, which worked incredibly well. This success led me to explore broader applications of the technology.
Q13: Can you tell us about your latest project?
A13: a Real World Asset Tokenization and P2P Trading Platform. We’re developing a technical concept for a private permissioned blockchain that can still be decentralized, most likely based on Avalanche and EVM-compatible. We’ve found a client in Malaysia with a Labuan investment banking license who wants to use our platform for tokenizing real-world assets. We’re also planning to white-label this platform to other investment banks. It’s an exciting project that combines my experience in blockchain, finance, and entrepreneurship.
Q14: What partnerships have you formed, and what are your plans for the future?
A14: We’ve formed several key partnerships. We’re collaborating with bitwala.com, a crypto bank founded in 2011, to expand our B2C services. We’ve signed MOUs with Visa for issuing cards and cross-border payments. We’re also partnering with companies like Finexify DeFi investment fund and Bitcoin Suisse. Looking ahead, we plan to launch our B2C services, covering the Asian market with our licenses. We’re also excited about the potential of our white-label RWA Tokenization solution for investment banks. The future is all about making blockchain technology and tokenization accessible and beneficial for the next 99% of institutions (currently not even 1% of Investment Bank can offer RWA Tokenization due to the lack of technological solutions) and individual users.
RWA-Tokenization Blockchain Platform
