We are joined by Matt Luongo from Thesis for today’s issue. Thesis is a Bitcoin oriented venture studio that is behind the likes of Fold, Acre and tBTC. Their latest venture is a Bitcoin L2 named Mezo. They are currently bootstrapping liquidity for the network and are at $142 million in TVL.
We have a community code for early access. You can redeem it at their website by using the code DEECO. We tried to make it DCO, but the system required five characters. Tinker with the product if you want to see what they are building and rank up on their leaderboard.
As always, deposit responsibly and remember - not your keys, not your coins.
On to today’s issue. ..
Hello there!
Three weeks ago, we stirred the pot with our article, Layered Bitcoin, exploring the shifting sands of the Bitcoin landscape. But writing about it wasn’t enough—I needed to take the conversation to the next level. Enter Matt Luongo, a seasoned Bitcoin innovator and CEO of Thesis - the venture studio pushing the boundaries of Bitcoin application development.
Our episode, recorded last week, is an unfiltered look into the world of Bitcoin from someone who’s seen it all from the ground up.
Matt’s journey into Bitcoin is as real as it gets. After PayPal shut down his gift card business, he turned to Bitcoin out of necessity—a true ‘real-world use case’ that I’m always on the hunt for. This pivotal moment shaped his views on Bitcoin’s utility and the vital role of practical applications in crypto. And that’s just the beginning.
Matt dives headfirst into the evolving dynamics of Bitcoin development. He shares the tensions within the Bitcoin community over protocol changes, reflecting on how he was a “big blocker” and ended up on the wrong side of the block size debate.
We explore the projects that Matt’s team at Thesis is spearheading, like tBTC or Threshold Network, Mezo, and Acre—all designed to expand Bitcoin’s utility while staying true to its core principles. Matt’s laser focus on user needs over technical jargon offers a grounded perspective that many in the crypto space overlook.
And then there’s the hot-button issue: yield on BTC. Matt opens up about the lessons learned from the failures of centralised lending platforms and the potential for DeFi solutions within Bitcoin’s ecosystem. He introduces us to BitcoinFi, a new frontier where Mezzo and Acre are creating a financial ecosystem centred around Bitcoin, keeping users’ needs at the heart of innovation.
As we wrap up, Matt offers a clear-eyed view of the future of Bitcoin development, emphasising trust, transparency, and an unwavering focus on real user needs. We also put Matt on the spot with a few rapid-fire questions from Sid.
So, if you are looking to gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities in building on Bitcoin—and get a sneak peek into what’s next for Mezzo and Acre—tune in to this episode. It’s one you won’t want to miss.
Signing out,
Saurabh Deshpande
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