Gemini Opportunity Fund: Investing in the Future of Bitcoin

At Gemini, we are committed to unlocking the future of financial, creative, and personal freedom through crypto. Central to that effort is the work we do to support the Bitcoin community through the Gemini Opportunity Fund.

The Gemini Opportunity Fund is a donor-advised fund focused on making Bitcoin more scalable, secure, and sustainable through grants, fellowships, and donations. The fund supports a range of individuals, foundations, nonprofits, and projects that we believe will help to ensure the continued success of the Bitcoin Network.

Launched in December 2020, the Fund has pledged over $2.25 million to date toward supporting the Bitcoin community.

Below is an overview of the support we’ve provided through the Fund:

Bitcoin Core Developers

In 2021, we announced the sponsorship of four Bitcoin Core Developers: Amiti Uttarwar, Dhruv Mehta, Jarol Rodriguez, and Michael Ford.

• Amiti's main area of work is centered on the security of the Bitcoin Network, and the ways in which nodes connect and communicate with each other. Alongside other Bitcoin Core Developers, Amiti is building a secure, private, and non-influenceable way to store node addresses, enhancing the reliability of the Bitcoin Network. Check out Amiti’s GitHub and this piece about her Bitcoin Core journey.
• Dhruv is passionate about the censorship resistance of the Bitcoin Network and has been working on BIP324, which introduces end-to-end encryption for Bitcoin peer-to-peer traffic. BIP324 adds encryption without overhead or risk of network partition, and provides the ability to observe directly. Check out Dhruv's work on GitHub and some posts about Bitcoin.
• Jarol is focused on the Bitcoin Network’s graphical user interface (GUI), and is involved in revamping the GUI to enhance user flow and streamline multi-wallet support. Working with fellow Bitcoin Core Developers, as well as the vibrant Bitcoin design community, Jarol is building a functional, appealing, and intuitive user interface for the Bitcoin Network. Check out Jarol’s work on GitHub.
• Michael is currently a Bitcoin Core Maintainer, starting as a Bitcoin Core Contributor in 2012. His current projects include porting the macOS toolchain from a custom system to using the vanilla LLVM programming library, and enhancing the Linux build system by implementing the use of an alternative C programming library.

Foundation and Nonprofit Support

• MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative is building a team of senior, specialized open-source developers focused on systemic threat mitigation and rigorous improvements to Bitcoin's underlying infrastructure, including code audits, increasing automation, and novel research into Bitcoin's long-term economic security. The Gemini Opportunity Fund has pledged $1 million over four years to the Initiative.
• The Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund supports Bitcoin developers working to enhance privacy on the Bitcoin Network and ensure that bitcoin is a tool for financial freedom. The Gemini Opportunity Fund provided an initial grant of $50,000 in BTC, which funded grants to Bitcoin entrepreneurs and educators Farida Nabourema and Roya Mahboob. Farida is a Togolese human rights activist who is launching “Togo’s Bitcoin Academy,” a Bitcoin education project. Roya is an Afghan entrepreneur and Bitcoin educator who is relaunching “The Women’s Annex,” a platform facilitating bitcoin payments to female content creators.
• Brink is a London-based, non-profit fellowship program that will sponsor and mentor exemplary Bitcoin developers. Fellows will work closely with one another and be mentored by Brink founder John Newbery, formerly a Chaincode Labs developer, and Mike Schmidt, a Blockstream alumnus. The Gemini Opportunity Fund provided $150,000 in BTC to support Brink’s fellowship program.

Project Donations

• Mempool.space provides the crypto community with seamless visibility into the bitcoin blockchain without ads, altcoins, or third-party trackers, and we are privileged to have been the project’s first enterprise sponsor, donating $25,000 to support the team’s ongoing development.
• Gemini Green is a long-term initiative to incorporate climate-conscious practices into our business. At Gemini, we’re committed to making crypto more environmentally friendly. To that end, in collaboration with Gemini Green, the Gemini Opportunity Fund has designated $1 million to support companies, projects, and nonprofits focused on sustainability in the crypto industry.
• Summer of Bitcoin is a global program that introduces student developers to Bitcoin and open-source development and pairs them with mentors. The Gemini Opportunity Fund donated $25,000 to support the program.

We are deeply committed to empowering the Bitcoin Network and look forward to expanding our support in 2022. If you think you’re a great candidate for the Gemini Opportunity Fund, or know someone who is, please reach out to us at opportunityfund@gemini.com.

Onward and Upward!

Beth Kurteson
Managing Director