Gemini’s 4th Birthday!

BETH KURTESON

Managing Director

This Saturday, October 5th marks the four-year anniversary since Gemini’s official launch day. Our founders, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, built Gemini because of their strong belief in the potential of Bitcoin. They launched Gemini because the industry needed a safe and regulated way for people to engage with an entirely new asset class, which then was mostly unknown. We started small; the founding team was a handful of people in a tiny office west of Madison Square Park in what is now dubbed “Crypto Alley”. Fast forward to today, we are a global organization with more than 200 incredibly talented employees, reaching customers in the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and many more jurisdictions soon.

When I joined Winklevoss Capital in 2013, Cameron and Tyler were focused on investing and empowering the early entrepreneurs that were pioneering the crypto market. Bitcoin 2013 — one of the first crypto conferences — was taking place in San Jose, California. The auditorium was filled with Bitcoin enthusiasts who were on a journey to build the future. They were the risk takers, the misfits, the futurists and innovators. It was an underground audience, a movement and a moment in history. It was the beginning of crypto and of Gemini. [Read more about the early days in Ben Mezrich’s Bitcoin Billionaires]. So much has evolved since then.

In 2014, there weren’t many HODLERs let alone bitcoin spenders (aside from a couple of Virgin Galactic tickets and the infamous bitcoin pizza). At a SXSW conference in 2015, we could barely give away bitcoin to the audience — but four years later, nearly everyone at the conference was a proud owner.

Gemini’s journey, and my own journey, has been an evolution. However, our DNA has never changed. It took us a year and a half, before we launched, to obtain our Trust License (note: not BitLicense) from the New York Department of Financial Services. Our values still hold true: act with the highest integrity, have conviction, and play for the long game. It was always our ethos to ask for permission, rather than forgiveness. To be a member of the founding team on an extraordinary mission to build the future of money has been incredible.

Since regulation, security, and compliance are three of our founding pillars, our first hires were our Chief Compliance Officer, followed by our Chief Security Officer, then our VP of Engineering. They all remain a part of the Gemini family today. Over the years, we have continued to make key hires that align with our values and embody the Gemini way.

Gemini’s key milestones would never have been possible without the individuals that have joined us on our mission, and the people outside of Gemini who believe in the potential of crypto. An organization is only as strong as its people, and it’s people who will collectively improve money and a centuries old financial industry — building, creating, and innovating the future of finance in a safe and secure manner. If you are interested in joining Gemini’s mission, please check out our Careers page. Happy 4th Birthday, Gemini!

Onward and Upward,

Beth Kurteson, Managing Director of Operations, People Strategy & Growth

October 5, 2015 — Gemini Launch Day! A toast to the moon!