Once Bitten! A Bitcoin Podcast.
What's Happening With Bitcoin In India? - Santosh V - #608
- Santosh's background: Born in India, spent 10 years in Middle East (Bahrain, Dubai), moved to Canada at 11, worked in corporate consulting and SaaS for a decade before leaving to pursue Bitcoin full-time.
- The 100-day Bitcoin challenge: Santosh stood on streets with a whiteboard offering free Bitcoin demos to spark curiosity (not educate) in Calgary, completing 96 interactions and learning that most people don't care but some merchants might adopt Bitcoin as a payment method.
- Africa sabbatical and circular economies: Traveled Cairo to Cape Town overland with Anuja, finding strongest Bitcoin adoption in Kenya (M-Pesa familiarity), Uganda (three-merchant circular economy), and Victoria Falls, Zambia (150+ merchants). Built Juicy D juice shop in Uganda accepting Bitcoin—still operating after two years.
- India accelerator program: Launched 12-week Bitcoin accelerator in January 2026 with nine teams, using personal sats to fund it. Winners include Reddit (Bitcoin EMI lending), Bitcoin Siege (in-person brand presence via events), and 256D (Bitcoin integration with UPI payment rails).
- Bitcoin Mela conference planned: October 31–November 1, 2026 in Mumbai (tentatively); reimagining Bitcoin conferences by blending traditional panels with music, art, film, and food to attract creatives and broader audiences.
- Philosophical observations: Critiqued the term "Bitcoiner" as alienating; emphasized hiring founders by business sustainability and revenue over grants; highlighted global South's underrepresentation in Bitcoin innovation despite exporting top developer talent.