The proportion of women in the Bitcoin community is still relatively low. According to a survey conducted by Blockfi in 2022, only around 24% of women surveyed owned cryptocurrencies or Bitcoin. Our interview partner today, Rachel Geyer, wants to change this and is actively introducing women to the topic of Bitcoin. However, she does much more - let's find out!
Hi, I'm Rachel! I came to Bitcoin in 2017 thanks to my eldest son, but it was only after a long period of study in 2020/21 that I understood the topic to some extent. Since then, I have been 100% committed to Bitcoin. As a mother of four children, I want them to have a future with sound money. I was born in the UK and am based in Germany, with long stints in China, Dubai and South Africa in between. Since December 2022 I have been working for the coolest Bitcoin-only company in the DACH region - terahash.space.
Together with a great group of women, I founded Les Femmes Orange in November 2022 - Bitcoin education made by women to get more women excited about Bitcoin. I am also Vice-Chair of the board of the newly founded EBEA (European Bitcoin Energy Association). The purpose of the association is to share knowledge about Bitcoin mining and its interactions with the energy infrastructure in the European Union
I am a mother of 4 grown-up children - I want them to have the same opportunities for the future as I had, e.g. an interesting and meaningful job that is fun. To be able to start and enjoy a family. Creating values for a secure future .... When mothers protect their children, their energy is boundless.
Put yourself out there. Use your own skills and be open to new things. Learn, learn, learn.
We receive overwhelmingly positive feedback. We actually manage to achieve a percentage of women of +/- 70% at our events and meetups. And the atmosphere is very different from the usual Bitcoin events. Quieter. Gentler. Together and for each other. No competition to see who is the smartest in the room. Lots of dialog. Sharing stories. Fewer lectures. More workshops that cover the basics - e.g. how do I buy bitcoins safely and how do I store them securely?
We are still a small organizational team, but we are slowly growing. In addition to the 2 main events (winter and summer edition) that we organize annually at the Hotel Princess, we have been holding monthly meetups in Munich for six months now. Here, "Einundzwanzig" is my role model. What they have achieved with their decentralized meetups is exemplary and I am sure that this is also one of the main reasons why so much is happening in the Bitcoinspace in the DACH region.
We are calling on women to organize a regular meeting in their area to reach as many women as possible. This can be anything - a book club, a coffee party, a walk... And it doesn't matter how many come. It's also great for chatting in pairs - and the whole thing is sure to grow slowly - from the end of 2024 at the latest! It's not about imparting knowledge, but about exchanging ideas. Sharing experiences. Telling stories.
Some (men) complain about les femmes orange because they think that Bitcoin is inclusive and les femmes orange excludes men. But that's not our aim. Men are also welcome here - accompanied by a woman. There are men who find their way to Bitcoin via the social track rather than the technical track, just as there are women who fell into Rabbithole technology first. But that's not the rule. For us, however, it is important that women remain in the majority, otherwise some women will feel uncomfortable.
With the program design, we try to arouse the interest of women. Women are more likely to be reached on an emotional level. Why do we need Bitcoin? How does society benefit? Why is it good for me? For my children? We focus on topics such as financial independence and self-determination.
We want the women to feel comfortable with us, to dare to open themselves up to something new. We also offer women the opportunity to take to the stage with us - often for the first time ever - in a supportive environment with a supportive audience.
There is a contact email address on our website lesfemmesorange.work. It also tells you how to follow us on social media. We have a Telegram group that now has over 120 participants - you can also find access to it on our website.
2017 through my son Patrick. But it wasn't until 2020/21, after a lot of reading and listening to podcasts, that I finally understood what it was all about. In 2022, I realized that I had to work for Bitcoin. And that's how it happened. First with a 3-month unpaid internship at Munich International Mining, which brought me a lot. Then I briefly founded my own company, bitcoinpartner.io, and in November 2022 I met Kris (founder of terahash.space) in Plochingen at Bitcoin im Ländle and 3 days later it was clear that I would start full-time at terahash.
Terahash went online at the beginning of February 2023 - with the three areas of energy, education and events. We see ourselves primarily as a platform to introduce the 'old world' to Bitcoin in all its facets. After six months, however, it has become increasingly clear to us that 95% of customers are only interested in energy. I am convinced that Bitcoin will only be accepted and successfully used in Europe as an 'energy' solution (at least as a partial solution to our energy problems).
Its other qualities will only come into play later. I think it makes sense to talk less about "Bitcoin as money" and more about "Bitcoin as energy" in order to achieve greater acceptance in the EU.
We are currently making a small pivot and will focus on 2 main areas in the future. Energy and education. We are currently building a training center to be able to offer high-quality courses on various topics related to Bitcoin. The aim is to have everything ready by Halving, because we believe that interest in Bitcoin will only be rekindled when the price rises again.
At the same time, we are expanding our product range in the energy sector - here we see ourselves primarily as a service provider, regardless of whether customers are looking for turnkey solutions or see Bitcoin mining more as an investment. But I can't reveal any more at the moment. Q1/Q2 2024 will definitely be very exciting at Terahash.
We see it that way too. And we believe that we have also been able to make a small contribution to changing this narrative in Germany. Terahash is part of a group of companies, the Kläger Group, which has been around for 70 years. A completely normal German medium-sized company that Kris is the third generation to run. That simply inspires confidence. We sensed the curiosity of our environment right from the start. TV crews and media teams have already visited us and, to our delight, they have reported on Bitcoin mining in a factually correct manner and not the negative articles that we are used to.
So far, representatives of 3 political parties have also visited us. We welcome anyone who would like to find out more about Bitcoin and/or Bitcoin mining.
We have set up an Energy Lab where we test ASIC miners (the computers that mine Bitcoin) from different manufacturers and types to test their individual qualities - e.g. how efficiently they generate heat. How much computing power do they have? We can then pass this knowledge on to our customers so that they can find the right solution for their needs.
The lab really works wonders - you really notice this 'aha moment' with everyone who takes a tour of the lab, where the visitor suddenly realizes: Bitcoin mining isn't that bad. These are normal data centers. Nothing dirty. Nothing noisy either, as long as you use water-cooled or immersion miners. But they are data centers that have many advantages over conventional data centers, thanks to their flexibility to be switched on and off in the shortest possible time. In contrast to Google servers or A.I. servers, for example, which have to be running all the time for their customers.
Every company will need to have a Bitcoin strategy to stay relevant, the only question is when - it's best not to miss the boat.
Most people who haven't yet got involved with Bitcoin say that they don't have time for it. I can understand that too - especially for women with small children and perhaps a part-time job. But I think you simply can't afford not to find the time. Your future self will thank you for it.
The Coinfinity Bitcoin App is here! Stay humble, stack sats.
