How Bitcoin Crowdfunding is Changing the World —MetaMick is the Co-founder of Geyser
- DJ Valerie B LOVE 🩷
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
Forget Patreon. Discover how Geyser uses the Lightning Network to empower creators, activists, and builders globally—without permission.
What happens when you combine the global reach of the internet with the unstoppable force of Bitcoin? You get Geyser—a platform where anyone, anywhere can raise funds for their dreams without asking for permission. In this episode, I sit down with Metamick (Co-founder of Geyser Fund), who is helping build the 'middle class' of the creator economy. From painting murals in El Salvador to funding Bitcoin education in Nigeria, discover why the future of fundraising is peer-to-peer.
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✨ Key Takeaways
1. Lightning Network will scale Bitcoin to the world
The Lightning Network is Bitcoin's practical scaling solution, enabling instant, low-cost transactions globally.
2. Patreon and Kickstarter only work in a few countries
Traditional crowdfunding platforms have geographic limitations; Bitcoin has none.
3. Geyser founders felt blessed by Bitcoin and wanted to give back
"I love to give back because I feel like with Bitcoin I've been blessed and empowered in so many ways and I want to give back to the community." - MetaMick
4. Small donations create exponential impact across currency conversion
A $5 donation in El Salvador equals a day's work for many; Bitcoin's borderlessness amplifies small gifts globally.
5. Bitcoin enables decentralized entrepreneurship without permission
Bitcoin removes gatekeepers; anyone can launch projects and seek community support globally.
6. Bitcoin is a live digital organism that needs humans to succeed
Bitcoin's success depends on real-world adoption through spending, not just holding.
Episode Overview
In this episode, I sit down with MetaMick, co-founder of Geyser—the first Bitcoin-native crowdfunding platform—to discuss how peer-to-peer fundraising on the Lightning Network is revolutionizing global project funding.
MetaMick shares how he discovered the gap in crowdfunding: traditional platforms (Patreon, Kickstarter, GoFundMe) only work in a handful of countries with significant friction and fees, while Bitcoin enables borderless, permissionless funding. Launched in January 2022, Geyser has facilitated $1.5 million in donations (42-43 BTC, now valued at ~$44 million at current prices) across 100+ projects including Bitcoin education, creative startups, humanitarian initiatives, and community projects worldwide.
The conversation explores three pillars of successful fundraising: trust/reputation, proof of work (effort invested), and vision/impact. MetaMick explains Geyser's vetting approach—filtering scams while remaining open to new creators—and shares success stories like Bitcoin Trading Cards (raised $500K, boxes now worth $30-40K) and community murals in El Salvador transformed with just $3,000 in global Bitcoin donations.
The conversation concludes with a deep dive into Bitcoin as a decentralizing force against AI's centralization, the importance of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange (not just store of value), and the grassroots movement of individuals building Bitcoin adoption through real-world projects—without permission from traditional gatekeepers.
About MetaMick
MetaMick is the co-founder of Geyser—a Bitcoin-native crowdfunding platform leveraging the Lightning Network to enable peer-to-peer fundraising globally. His mission is to empower creators, nonprofits, and Bitcoin initiatives to raise funds and build projects without geographic or regulatory limitations.
MetaMick started as a Bitcoiner deeply interested in the Lightning Network's potential to scale Bitcoin. He initially worked in the crypto space (Ethereum) but felt unfulfilled by the direction of traditional cryptocurrencies. Seeing impressive crowdfunding tools being built on Ethereum, he realized Bitcoin had no equivalent—and that Bitcoin made the most sense for global crowdfunding.
Connect With MetaMick of Geyser:
MetaMick on X: @MetaMick14
Geyser on X: @GeyserFund
⏱️ Episode Timestamps
(00:00:30) Introduction to Metamick and Geyser
(00:01:23) The Birth of Geyser: From Bitcoin to Crowdfunding
(00:05:43) Geyser's Impact and Success Stories
(00:08:48) User Experience and Community Building
(00:16:46) Trust and Verification in Crowdfunding
(00:23:52) Project Updates and Donor Engagement
(00:31:38) Global Impact of Small Donations
(00:45:30) Future Features and Enhancements for Geyser
(00:52:34) AI and Its Implications for Humanity
(01:18:38) Final Thoughts and Call to Action
🙋♀️ Common Questions About Bitcoin Crowdfunding with Geyser
What is Geyser?
Geyser is the first Bitcoin-native crowdfunding platform powered by the Lightning Network. It enables peer-to-peer fundraising globally without geographic restrictions, allowing creators, nonprofits, startups, and initiatives to raise funds from the Bitcoin community worldwide.
How is Geyser different from Patreon, Kickstarter, or GoFundMe?
Traditional platforms only operate in 20-30 countries with significant fees and friction. Geyser works everywhere Bitcoin works—globally, with near-instant transactions and minimal fees via the Lightning Network. It's specifically designed for Bitcoin projects and community-funded initiatives.
Who founded Geyser?
MetaMick is the co-founder of Geyser. He created the platform with his co-founder Stellios after realizing Bitcoin made crowdfunding obviously possible but no one had built it yet.
When was Geyser launched?
Geyser launched in January 2022. As of 2025, it has facilitated $1.5 million USD (~42-43 BTC, now valued at ~$44 million) across 100+ projects globally.
What types of projects can I launch on Geyser?
Geyser supports:
Bitcoin education and awareness initiatives
Circular economy and sustainable community projects
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📚 Resources & Links Mentioned
Platform: Geyser Fund
📜 Full Episode Transcript
DJ Valerie: Hey, aloha love tribe. Welcome to the show. I have somebody with me here who is changing the world with crowdfunding and Bitcoin. He's somebody I've been following; I set up a tiny crowdfunding campaign myself, but I've been watching how he's changing lives, communities, and the world with this project. This is Metamick, co-founder of Geyser. Welcome, Metamick.
Metamick: Thank you so much, DJ Valerie. I'm honored. I feel a little intimidated by that big title, but I am honored by the work we're doing at Geyser. We provide a platform where people can change the world. We are helping those who are helping change the world, and it's a proud experience. I'm excited to talk to you today about the projects and the platform.
DJ Valerie: How did you get into Bitcoin, and how did you decide there was a gap in the market to create a marketplace—like a Patreon for Bitcoin—for people to do crowdfunding?
Metamick: I came at Geyser from several perspectives. First, I thought Lightning is going to be the main tool to scale Bitcoin to the world. As a Bitcoiner, I was playing with the Lightning Network and thought, "This is the layer on which most people will interact on Bitcoin because Lightning scales and Bitcoin on-chain doesn't."
At the same time, I was working in the Ethereum space. Believe it or not, I was a Bitcoiner acting like a fish out of water there. As much as I saw coin issuance that I wasn't happy about, I also noticed how much development and creative energy was being put into crowdfunding platforms built there. I thought, "My god, how is there not something like this on Bitcoin and on Lightning?"
I'm not a creator myself, but I'm a supporter. I love to give back because I feel blessed and empowered by Bitcoin. I started noticing Bitcoiners around the world raising funds for films, circular economies, and educational initiatives. People were just scanning QR codes in Twitter threads, and there was no way to see a project's development or progress. I wanted a platform to enable these projects to come alive, enable transactions, and let contributors feel like members of the project.
The big realization came when we saw that GoFundMe, Kickstarter, and Patreon only work in a few countries. GoFundMe works in less than 20 countries. To me, as a Bitcoiner, it made so much sense. It was so obvious that I wondered, "How has nobody built this?"
We launched in January 2022 with a pilot project from a guy named Apata Johnson in Nigeria who wanted to do a Bitcoin workshop. We helped him raise $2,000 in just a few weeks. That was the beginning. Now, in 2025, we've contributed over 1.5 million dollars—around 42 to 43 Bitcoins—peer-to-peer between contributors and receivers around the world.
DJ Valerie: Congratulations, this is amazing. You're first to market in this space. When you're fundraising—whether for a business, film, music, or nonprofit—it's hard to get reach. A lot of people just put a QR code on their website, but it's difficult for the user to go find that website and do the due diligence. The fact that you aggregate everything in one site makes it much more user-friendly for donors. It creates more stickiness. You might go to donate to an educational project but then discover a song or a documentary. What's been your biggest success story that has just moonshotted on Geyser?
Metamick: We pride ourselves on being user-centric. The heroes are the Bitcoiners launching their projects and the contributors making it a reality.
In terms of success stories, the first round of projects that launched in 2022-2023 were significant. Many won Geyser Grants. For example, Mi Primer Bitcoin launched on Geyser; they were super small back then, doing a few courses, and now they are a staple.
Another great one is BTC Trading Cards by Aladdin. He launched on Geyser. He's an incredible human being. The boxes you could buy on Geyser for $500 back then, the Series One boxes now go for around $30,000 or $40,000. He took a scarce resource—trading cards—and got the whole community of creatives to participate.
Just this week, we had a project from the University of Sophia in Japan. These students are doing Bitcoin education and traveling to El Salvador. They raised over $30,000 in just a week from the momentum of people seeing the project's importance. Geyser is essentially a compression of force made possible by the community to make these ideas come to life.
DJ Valerie: That social proof is so important. Trust and social proof are the biggest drivers of buyer decisions. However, I'm experiencing something right now where an organization is asking for support. How do you vet projects to make sure it isn't a scam?
Metamick: That’s a fundamental question regarding crowdfunding and the social web. We look at three key variables:
Trust and Reputation: Does the individual have a reputation?
Proof of Work: How much work are they actually doing towards the project?
Vision and Impact: Is the idea good?
If you lack trust, you are only left with proof of work and vision. If you have reputation and vision but no proof of work, people will ask, "Why should I invest if you aren't investing your energy?"
We have a set of rules: No altcoins, no NFTs, no yield scams, and we follow sanction regulations. We don't host projects in conflict zones because we cannot verify where the funds are going. We also require creators to connect their social profiles to verify they are real.
DJ Valerie: In this day and age of bots, that’s crucial. When dealing with projects thousands of miles away, I can't always do a site visit. I want to support the future, but I don't want to blow my Bitcoin on the wrong spot. Do you do follow-ups or "before and after" stories? Everyone loves a makeover story.
Metamick: We are working on reporting to clarify impact. We encourage creators to post updates—send messages, share impact posts. Those posts go directly to the email of all the funders. There is no better storyteller than the project creator themselves.
DJ Valerie: I’m consulting for an orphanage in El Salvador, the House of Life. They told me, "We don't want to bother people with emails." I told them, "You're not bothering anybody." If you only throw the line in the water once a month, you lose the opportunity to engage. People want to hear the stories—the wins, like a baby being born, and the losses, like a storm flooding the facility. Consistency helps projects succeed.
Metamick: Spot on. We plan to do more to educate creators to share updates, show the product, and celebrate every win.
DJ Valerie: I wanted to show your website. For example, looking at the Bitcoin Berlin project.
Metamick: Yes, Berlin is a local Salvadorian town. The guy behind it discovered Bitcoin and was able to raise nearly $3,000. It was his first crowdfunding experience. With that, he brought 20 different artists to Berlin to paint murals across the entire city. If you look at the updates, you can see the transformation. We found that about 60% of donations came from within El Salvador, but 30% came from outside—Nigeria, Australia, etc. It proves the Bitcoin community exists globally.
DJ Valerie: It’s great how the costs are broken down—spray paint, rollers, brushes. As donors, we fear not knowing where the money goes. Is it possible to have itemized donations? Instead of just a general fund, could someone sponsor 10 cans of paint or a month's worth of diapers for an orphanage? It gives the donor something tangible.
Metamick: We have a feature called "Goals," but I agree, breaking it down like a budget is better. We are building new functionality soon—an "All or Nothing" feature similar to Kickstarter. If you don't reach the goal, the money goes back to the funders. This will empower creative projects like films or books that have high initial capital requirements.
DJ Valerie: I love that idea. It gives peace of mind. Shifting gears—startups often struggle with execution. Have you considered creating an incubator or mastermind for Geyser creators? To help them with business development, marketing, and distribution?
Metamick: We’ve thought about cohorts or accelerators from the beginning. We used to do bi-weekly creator calls, which were successful, but we had to prioritize other things. We are keen to start that up again. Even basic guidance on how to market a project goes a long way.
DJ Valerie: We can talk about that separately; I’d love to help put together some masterminds.
Now, regarding AI. Lives are getting displaced. You can plug things into ChatGPT and get a strategy, but what about the human component? What are you seeing with AI and projects?
Metamick: Humans aren't going away, but certain tasks might. We see people using AI for copy and images. However, I caution people: it becomes obvious when you use ChatGPT without thinking. It degrades the platform and feels like spam. Don't replace the human context.
DJ Valerie: I agree. Overusing AI can lead to "flabby brain." It diminishes critical thinking. I think about digital natives and the future of implants. How do we support creators with next-gen tools without degrading their humanity?
Metamick: I’m starting to understand the limits of these LLMs. They are modeling predictive patterns; there is no emotional intelligence or logic yet. It’s a powerful tool, but it doesn't replace humanity.
There is a risk of emotional manipulation—AI telling you what you want to hear to get you addicted, similar to social media dopamine hits. I worry about people becoming dependent on it for emotional connection.
DJ Valerie: I saw a story about a man who preferred his relationship with his AI because it always validated him, whereas his wife held him accountable. It’s narcissistic. AI won't confront you about leaving the toilet seat up.
Metamick: Exactly.
DJ Valerie: Any last thoughts?
Metamick: There is a lot to be built. Bitcoin is a live digital entity that empowers us, but it needs humans to do the work. As Jack Dorsey said, Bitcoin needs to become a medium of exchange. Spend Bitcoin to support the circular economy. Bitcoin is not going away, and humans are not going away. Let's build together. Let’s build AI on Bitcoin principles—open source and decentralized.
DJ Valerie: I echo that completely. Geyser represents the idea that you don't have to ask for permission—you can just do things. Bitcoin fuses entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Everyone, go to geyser.fund, follow Geyser on X at @GeyserFund, and follow MetaMick at @Metamick14. We are so early. Thank you, MetaMick.
Metamick: Absolute pleasure. Thank you for supporting creators. Let's talk about that mastermind idea.
DJ Valerie: Aloha everybody. Peace, love, and warm aloha.
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