Categories: Bitcoin Latest News

Ex-Blockstream Exec Samson Mow Raises $21M for Bitcoin Startup JAN3

Mow announced his new company during an appearance at the Bitcoin 2022 Conference in Miami.Read MoreFeedzy

Samson Mow, who recently exited his position as chief strategy officer at Blockstream, has started JAN3, with $21 million in funding at a $100 million valuation.

“JAN3 will be focused on advancing Bitcoin and second layer technologies like Liquid and Lightning, which are the key to mass adoption and a Bitcoin circular economy,” said Mow in a press release. “The company will also support my nation-state Bitcoin adoption initiatives and contribute expertise to infrastructure development projects.”

Investors in the initial funding round included Alistair Milne, Chun Wang – Co-Founder of F2Pool – and El Zonte Capital, an investment firm launched by Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert.

The name of the company refers to the genesis block of Bitcoin, mined on January 3, 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto.

JAN3 will take over the crypto wallet AQUA, a Bitcoin and Liquid Mobile wallet from Blockstream, as well as non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Raretoshi.

Mow’s new company has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of El Salvador – which legalized Bitcoin as legal tender last year – to supply digital infrastructure for the country and Bitcoin City.

DISCLOSURE

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.

Recent Posts

Financial repression: The new buzzword for bitcoin bulls

Your day-ahead look for Aug. 24, 2026Read MoreCoinDesk: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News and Price Data[#item_full_content]

2 hours ago

Fed experiment shows how bitcoin rallies attract new crypto buyers

Households shown bitcoin’s prior-year return were 23% more likely to report owning crypto in a…

3 hours ago

Bitcoin steadies near $78,000 as gold rallies, altcoins consolidate after best week in 3 years

BTC was little changed Monday after last week's 24% surge triggered by a Treasury buyback…

3 hours ago

Live updates: Bitcoin holds $77,000 as XRP, Zcash pull back after a big weekly rally

Bitcoin holds its gains near $77,000 after a 22% week, while last week's biggest altcoin…

5 hours ago

Crypto roars back as bitcoin posts its second-best week since early 2021

Treasury buybacks, ETF inflows and a weaker dollar ignite crypto’s breakout.Read MoreCoinDesk: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto…

5 hours ago

Ether is crushing bitcoin and the ‘golden cross’ says it may not be done yet

The ETH/BTC ratio has recently formed a bullish golden cross, suggesting ether could extend its…

6 hours ago