Acknowledgments

Writing a book on investing in an emerging technology was an opportunity of a lifetime. I have been inspired and supported by so many along the way. Here are the individuals that have made this story and three-year journey possible by contributing to the presale campaign.

Todd Trosclair—a friend and true supporter of those who dream big.

Chris Postiglione—a writer at heart; the first five syllables of my haiku.

Jay Barnes—for your impact on my college education.

Ross Allen—thank you for your leadership amid these trying times.

Connor Schmidt—the first to purchase a book. A dear friend I have shared many laughs with.

Matthew Eng—for your ferocious passion for learning.

Logan Jacobsen—one of the hardest workers I have ever met.

Rachael Bausman—for inspiring so many students to go above and beyond, to dream big.

Eric Koester—for helping many to become first time writers as if it was our second book.

John Beacham—amidst a crazy 2019–2020, you centered me on what truly matters. Thank you for your mentorship.

Grant Woetzel—because comedians are often the smartest people in the room.

Garrett Woetzel—you took the time to message me some links on LinkedIn; Who would have thought that would lead me to where I am today three years later?

Mara Short—Marzy, your authenticity brings joy to so many, including me.

Carl Woetzel—your willingness to share your business stories give such excellent insight consistently.

Craig Woetzel—a warm and playful soul who makes everyone feel seen.

Jordan Patros—for listening to someone passionate about blockchain.

River Beard—Lissner lobby, never forget!

Jacob Stand—a straight shooter if there ever was one. I appreciate your honesty and hard work.

Clint Carney—a world changer, undoubtedly. You live life to the fullest, and it makes me want to as well.

Babu Wanyeki—my first friend in high school, thank you for continuing the journey of learning.

Bryn Loftness—some people say they will change the world, others go do it. Excited to see you continue to climb.

Drew Johnson—the hardest working team member I have ever seen.

Whitney Brown—for supporting a first-time author.

Josiah Huffman—a friend no matter how much time passes.

Vinayak Rajesh—for pushing me to think deeper, solve better, and run harder.

Matt Barton—your love of mathematics rubbed off on me somehow. I consider it a miracle.

Jordan Nimlos—an ethical, kind, and inspiring colleague. I will never forget the HD summer!

Dakota Holman—thank you for putting up with all my sleepless nights and blockchain jabber!

Austin Woetzel—your support and character have never gone unnoticed. Love you brother.

Maria Woetzel—for being my biggest fan, through my crazy highs and lows.

Grandpa & Grandma Osborn—words will always fail to describe what you have done for us kids through your many sacrifices. God bless.

Jonathan Michelson—for letting me pull you into cryptocurrency, for better or for worse!

Jonathan Sweeney—the best captain there ever was.

Andrew Hintz—because I can dance like a maniac with you, and you don’t question it.

August Postiglione—family is forever. Thank you for all the memories we have made.

Justine Evenhouse—for surviving managerial accounting with me and promoting the book.

Marianne Stephen—for supporting all the way from Pennsylvania!

Clay Anderson—for supporting a fellow student.

Ann van Heerden—your passion for learning is infectious and has had a deep impact on me.

Tyler Bethke—Trials of miles, miles of trials.

Tony Harris—because settling is boring, and action is everything.

Karl Olsen—raw work ethic and inclusiveness, I aspire to be more like you.

Cody Holz—because B2 is forever.

Anja Wiita—for putting up with me in Operations Research.

Joyce LeMay—for teaching the power of management.

Tammy Holman—for your love of nature.

Drew Whitson—your teaching at Bethel has and will continue to impact countless students’ careers, mine included.

Alec Sonquist—but you have heard of me . . . (hint, your favorite movie).

John McCauley—for walking the straight and narrow.

Jacob Stein—because you bring truth and authenticity.

Jeremy Schipper—for calling me out on my BS, consistently.

Jeremiah Zilka—a fellow morose soul that knows how to have fun despite the many ups and downs of life.

Karsten Skoglund-Anderson—for making me look at art and film deeper than I had before meeting you.

Thomas Saatzer—because self-defense, personal growth, and laughter can all go hand in hand.

Katie Sibbet—a family friend and a courageous pursuer of equity and truth.

Marcus Cundiff—a fellow Blaine alum who chose to support the book despite having not seen me in years.

Pat Osborn—you have a witty charisma I can only hope to channel even slightly in a book such as this.

Emily Klassen—the hardest I have ever laughed with someone because of our hopeless attempt to make some semi-accurate Excel models.

Alex Hintz—for continuing to support the inescapable Woetzel-Hintz legacy.

Curt & Kelly Woetzel—whom I love dearly. And always will.

Zachary Nelson—for having such a strong impact on the Bethel Investment Fund.

Linda Goodwin—because of your incalculable impact through Bethel’s mentorship program.

Raj Vinjamuri—because you never know when you will cross paths with a fellow innovator.

Brian Jemming—for your fortitude and friendship with the Woetzel family.

Theodore Krumholz—true respect for your finance and investing skill, aptitude, and leadership.

Elizabeth Vang—because pursuing what is meaningful impacts those around you unwittingly.

Alex Becker—never is there a boring day if you show up.

Frances Piper—you have an intense curiosity and empathy I appreciate deeply.

Chessa and Anthony Miller—because of your countless visits with games and cake that fueled this book.

Annamarie van Heerden—for convincing me that maybe . . . just maybe . . . Texas is in fact a better state than Minnesota.

Calvin Friedrich—for continually showing me the power of practical skills and how I lack them immensely.

Matthew Bunker—because some suffering only fellow computer scientists can understand.

Joshua Klukas—your deep thinking and love of running continues to influence me to this day.

Meckenna Woetzel—A future author, mark my words.

Zack Skubic—from the Blockchain education network—I will follow up as soon as this is published!

Seth Gunderson—an adopter of emerging technology and ideas far quicker than the average person.

Patrice Conrath—for teaching me what it means to lead with grace by faith.

Jayde Blackburn—for all the laughter you have created inside of the Happy-Lab!

Deborah Thomas—for giving me the building blocks that made this whole thing possible.

Nathan Gossett—for showing me how little I know, and how much further I have to go.

Bruce Olsen—for teaching me how to read a balance sheet and laugh while doing it.

Holly Boisjolie—for pestering me to join BPA. You were the beginning of so many stories and journeys because you had confidence in me as a person and as a student.

Gretchen Kulas—for teaching me physics, which would lead me (somehow) to obtain a mathematics minor.

Mr. Fedor—because I will never forget the education Blaine High School provided—you invest in students as people first. God bless.

A special thank you to my editor Nick Mancuso—laughter makes for better writing. Also thanks to Tor Bair of the Secret Foundation for your many insights on blockchain the last couple of years. Finally, thank you to Ryan Porter. Your honesty and drive to make this book lean and mean helped create a far better book than I ever could have imagined.