Hi everyone. Welcome to Orange Hatter. Today you're listening to part five of my conversation with Marina.

trying to struggle to survive. Right? So I think it's really important and that's why the other part of my life is working in in hackathons. So one of the big things that I'm working with and Bolt Fun. Bolt Fun is we do global virtual hackathons. So usually they last a month, which is very different from the typical event here and there, where in three days you have to show something cool. Right? But it's cool, but what? Like it really isn't a business. It really isn't something that is to be able to be out in the world. And so the goal with the Bolt Fun hackathons is that you have a full month to build them public, on the website, based on different topics. So there was one about lightning, there was one about Nostr, uh, we're doing right now, one with AI, which is super, super cool. It ends at the end of the month, so if people want to join, it's still possible. But I think we also try to encourage new communities to come in. So there's a really big focus on design because the, the builder who created Bolt Fun is a designer in his previous life, and so we try to recruit people who are making sure that that wallet actually works for you and that you're not, like, where is that button and what the does, hodl mean? Or what the does, you know, transfer? And where is it transferring to? You're that you have all these questions that you don't understand If the wallet is clean, if the wallet is well designed, then people can more easily access it and more easily understand what they're doing and not be afraid, right? If, if the UX is horrible, you're afraid, you're afraid. That there is an important part of it. And then the AI angle is super interesting and in fact it's being that that particular hackathon is being led by Fedi, who's in Africa and global, and the Nostr Hackathon, which as you know, Nostr has been very strong option that is what is being called the next Twitter, but it is way more than that. Because it, it's more like your phone number, right? Your phone number that goes with you, wherever you go, because people can reach you no matter if you're with Verizon, no matter if you have an Apple phone or an Android, it's your phone number. And I think that that is what Noster is gonna do. That's different. So you can get a DM, you can get a, an email, you can get whatever you can use. Your noster ID or npub is what now identifies you in the world and you can get message. No matter if you get cut off from AT&T and have to move to Verizon or whatnot. Right. Which is if the analogy, if you will, in the, in the world that we currently live in.

Yeah. That's, uh, super fun. So what kind of people should consider joining the hackathon that you're hosting? Do they have to have coding experience or can anybody who's interested figure out how to join and learn from it?

Obviously truly there are about 70% or more are developers in the hackathons, but I've been to a couple and what I've realized and I think is interesting to add value, even if you're not a developer, is, for example, I studied public policy. I remember joining one hackathon where people were building a solution for Kenya. Right. And they didn't even know if it was, if it was agricultural, if it had a refinery of oil. Like what the, what the country lived off of right. What was their internet access? What was their access to water? There were a lot of things that, that weren't being researched. We were just plug and play a solution that could, that. And so what was really important as far as how I could add value in that occasion was say, okay, I'll take care of the research. I'll make sure that this solution really works for Kenya, for example. And so that was one way that I contributed to one hackathon. The other hackathon that I joined recently was BTC++ in Austin, and I was, I joined the team, but I, it was because I saw that they were working on a solution for El Salvador and I thought, okay, well this sounds interesting. Maybe potentially it could be a good team for me to join. They were super nice, really, really happy to like, include me even though I couldn't code and I, I wasn't really very valuable in, in certain aspects of it. There was a point where it came to pitching and I asked them, well, like what is this? What is the problem we're trying to solve? Why is this product or service useful? Like, what are we gonna tell the judges because I'm very competitive so I wanna win, right? And so I remember, with the team. I'm like, oh, well it's cool. Like it's a, it's an invoice system. And, and I said, well, but there are already invoices systems. Like what is the difference about this one? Why is it better? Oh, well, because now you don't have to work with Chivo. You are working with these other products. And I realized that, you know, they think like developers, they think in a different level or playing like a plane, a different plane of thought. And only somebody who is not a developer can ask certain questions that really may hopefully help us win at the pitch, right? Because only a, like if you only speak to developers, they're gonna be speaking about one thing when you really are also trying to solve. Problems for regular people, you know, at a regular situation. And so I think that I realized that with my team and I said to Nifty, who was running the hackathon, like, would you like me to go to the different teams and tell them, hey, practice your pitch with me and go through that process? Because obviously when they're building stuff and you ask them, well, what are you doing? Oh, it's cool. It's cool. I'm like, well, cool. What? Well, to them it's brilliant. It's fabulous. They're really solving, you know, something incredibly important that doesn't currently exist with Bitcoin and Lightning. But it's also super important to be able to express it to a non-technical audience. Given that I had that background, I had worked with, um, startups before. I was able to add that value, right? Like how to speak to a non-technical audience about the value of your project. And so then we were like, dismantling, what does cool mean? What is it solving? Why does it help people? And in fact, one of the teams won second prize and it was really cool to see that. And really interesting to. For them to understand what somebody like me, who is not a developer, who could add to the team or add to the the project. So I think that you can join like that. Or if you're a designer, you're making the UX clean, you're making the, the experience of the user very intuitive. Those are several different ways where you can add value when you're joining a hackathon. You don't have to just be a developer.

It almost seems like you are a translator between the two parties. Yeah. Yeah. 'cause my experience when I go to Bitcoin park, when the tech people start talking tech, my eyes just kind of glaze over, like mm-hmm. That is cool. You're right. It is really cool. How do I apply that? So you help with that part of it. That's important. There are definitely so many aspects of pitching a project that are not necessarily coding and figuring out the why is so important. 'cause that's the whole point, right?

Yeah. That there's a phrase and I think, I hope that this summarizes, if there's no chair at the table, bring a folding chair. Just go in there and do it, because nobody is gonna give you permission. Nobody's gonna say, oh honey, come over here. Like, sit down with us and we want your opinion. No, like they're building, they're hacking. If you don't go and say, here's what I can bring to the table, you know, you're gonna sit there doing photocopies like I was when I was so young, working in my first job, you know, I didn't pull up a chair, and the folding chair at that time, it took me many, many years to understand that unless I go in there and get my hands dirty, nobody's gonna ask me to come over. Right. And that's the that most important lesson that you can learn about Bitcoin and in life.

Yeah, for sure. You don't need permission. That is literally the most important part of this conversation.

And don't ask for permission, just get in there.

Don't ask for permission. You don't need permission. Hop in. Play around. Anybody who's interested, bring up a folding chair. You know, just offer what you can do.

Yeah. Like see, see what's missing. Right?

Exactly.

And, and don't be afraid. Right? Just 'cause they're all brainiacs with incredible ideas that you don't really always, you know... yeah, you can translate, you can be that ambassador and do other things that really make it intuitive for regular plebs, like we say.

Yes, exactly. Exactly. Any last recommendations or suggestions for women who are still sitting on the fence after hearing all of this?

Just reach out and download a wallet. Start there. Bring that folding chair. Bring the folding chair.

Well, thank you so much, Marina. I have really enjoyed our conversation. You're doing incredible work. I'm so excited to see what, how this, uh, fellowship will work out in El Salvador and how it will influence the rest of the world.

Gracias, Tali. Thank you so much for including me and thinking of me. It's really a pleasure to see you again, even if it's online.

Yes, same here. Thank you so much. Thanks for joining us today and learning with us today. If the discussion with our guest resonated with you and you would like to dive deeper into the world of Bitcoin, don't miss out on joining the Orange Hatter Women's Reading Club. The meetup link is in the show notes. Also, if there are women in your life whom you think will both enjoy and benefit from learning more about Bitcoin, please share Orange Hatter with them. Until next time, bye!