He Almost Got Scammed—Now He’s Reinventing Bitcoin Security

Francesco Madonna was nearly the victim of a sophisticated Bitcoin scam. That close call changed everything.

In this powerful episode, he shares how that experience led him to build BitVault—a revolutionary Bitcoin wallet that uses time-locked multi-sig and open-source safeguards to stop both hackers and physical attackers in their tracks.

We dive into:

• The scam that nearly cost Francesco his Bitcoin (and maybe more)

• How BitVault works to protect your Bitcoin with time as a shield

• Why phishing and AI-driven hacks are the biggest threat to self-custody

• How Francesco's military background shaped his approach to Bitcoin security

• The future of custody, open-source tools, and the BitVault beta release

If you're curious about how time locking bitcoin transforms self-custody, this episode is a must-watch.

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Timestamps:

[00:00] “How did you start building in Bitcoin?”

[00:36] Why build BitVault?

[10:46] Avoiding a High-level Scam

[14:06] “Does time-locking Bitcoin solve multiple major problems with self custody?”

[21:21] “What are the considerations for the duration of time that you want to have a time lock?”

[24:09] Reception + Milestones?

[33:15] Competitors and Differentiation

[39:21] Go to Market Strategy

[53:30] “How has Bitcoin changed your life personally?”