Cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, has enabled numerous people to amass tremendous riches worth millions and billions of dollars in recent years. Over time, Bitcoin has created a number of millionaires and billionaires, and the number is still growing.
See the four people who have reaped the most benefits from the Bitcoin boom.
1. Roger Ver
Roger Ver was born in San Jose, California, and now lives in Tokyo. He was one of the first proponents of Bitcoin, with an estimated $520 million in wealth through major investments in Bitcoin-related start-ups. He has frequently pushed for Bitcoin’s economic freedom, earning him the moniker “Bitcoin Jesus” among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. Moreover, he is known to contribute huge amounts of his wealth to charity.
2. Charlie Shrem
The Brooklyn-born Bitcoin millionaire is often regarded as the most powerful Bitcoin millionaire. Shrem bought a lot of Bitcoin before the price skyrocketed. His Bitcoin investments and other initiatives netted him $450 million. Shrem launched BitInstant using some of his money and assistance from Roger Ver, in addition to amassing significant Bitcoin holdings. Regrettably, he was convicted of money laundering for the famed deep web marketplace, The Silk Road. He returned to business immediately after his release from prison in 2016, starting Intellisys Capital, which sells investment portfolios in Blockchain startups.
3. Dave Carlson
Dave Carlson is not like most Bitcoin millionaires as he made his incredible $350 million fortune by mining Bitcoins himself. In 2010, the former Microsoft engineer began mining Bitcoin in Washington, where he still operates. He founded MegaBigPower to mine Bitcoin after realizing its enormous potential. In the beginning, Dave Carlson’s mining operations generated about $8 million each month.
4. Jered Kenna
Jared Kenna is a former US Marine from San Francisco. He attributed his Bitcoin fortune to early investment in cryptocurrency, with his first batch costing only 20 cents for each coin. This was only the first taste of Bitcoin’s success, with coins selling for more than $200 a coin. He went on to develop dark Bitcoin mining pools, where people could invest in digital money secretly. Kenna is also well-known in the cryptocurrency community for his 2010 hard drive reformatting, which cost him around $200,000 in bitcoins.
More Millionaires
Other than the top Bitcoin millionaires, it is also worth mentioning the Winklevoss twins, Changpeng Zhao, Brian Armstrong, Jed McCaleb, Michael Saylor, Javed Khan, Daniel Crocker, Kingsley Advani, Jeremy Gardner, Heather Delaney, and Kane Ellis. They made multi-millions in a couple of months of Bitcoin trading.
Final Note
While the stories of these Bitcoin millionaires are inspiring, it’s important to remember that cryptocurrency is a complex and risky investment. Also, the future of cryptocurrency remains uncertain as security concerns and high volatility continue to be major hurdles.
This is where blockchain technology can play a transformative role. Thus, before investing, thoroughly research the market and understand how integrating blockchain with IoT devices can create a more secure and reliable ecosystem for your digital transactions.
