#EP19 Laura Meza: PlebLab, Hackalajara and Building Bitcoin in Guadalajara, Mexico

In this episode of The Bitcoin Latam Report, Maciej Cepnik speaks with Laura Meza, Partnerships and Sales Manager at PlebLab, about her journey into Bitcoin and the growing community of builders in Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico.

They discuss PlebLab's mission, the challenges of Bitcoin adoption in Mexico, opportunities for non-developers in the industry and why the best way to get involved is to stop waiting for permission and start contributing.

Laura also previews Hackalajara 2.0 and Startup Day Guadalajara, taking place August 20–21, with a hackathon, workshops, startup presentations, networking and activities for the Bitcoin community.

TIMES TAMPS

00:00 Introduction
01:45 Laura’s Bitcoin journey
04:40 Discovering PlebLab
12:27 Bitcoin and Lightning Guadalajara
16:18 Bitcoin adoption in Mexico
21:32 Onboarding local businesses
27:02 What is PlebLab?
35:32 Working in Bitcoin without being a developer
40:07 Stop asking for permission
41:45 Hackalajara 2.0 and Startup Day
48:13 Building during the bear market
53:00 Tickets and registration
56:43 Aureo’s workshops
01:01:38 Final thoughts

SHOW NOTES

Buy your ticket Hackalajara 2.0 and Startup Day Guadalajara:
https://hackalajara.pleblab.com/
https://www.pleblab.dev/startup-day-g...

PlebLab:
https://pleblab.com/

Contact Laura:
laura@pleblab.com

Follow Laura on X:
@lbtc2024

Buy and Sell bitcoin with Aureo in Mexico:
https://aureobitcoin.com/

Follow Aureo on X: 
@aureobitcoin

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to a new episode of the Bitcoin Latin Report. I have with me Laura Mesa, that is the lead partnership and sponsorship and also sales manager at Pleb Lab. So welcome, uh Laura. Thank you for participating in my podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

Thank you for the invitation, Machik. Thank you for having me here. It sounds like a really big title. It's pretty much sales.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Pretty much sales, you know, doing one. So, you know, we have an event to promote that is coming up really soon in Guadajara, the second biggest city in Mexico. But before that, I want to interview you a little bit about your Bitcoin journey, what you're doing at Pleb Lab, and why is Pleblab? But before, I always start with a pretty simple question that is a little bit boring, but to answer for Bitcoiners because they always uh talk about their origin story. So that's that's my first question uh to you for you. Uh how did you discover Bitcoin? Why you know you liked it? Did you jump on the on the with the orange tool right away, or you had to uh it took some years? Just curious, how did you get interested in Bitcoin?

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Yeah, my journey it's been kind of wild. Pretty uh, like I'm very, very new in all this. I started exactly in September 2024. So I haven't been here, not even like two years. So I was introduced to a community group, Bitcoin community group in Guadalajara from a friend. It was just like a pretty random thing because I was kind of like reading a book, listening to some podcast about genetic technology and stuff like that. And he was like, Oh, you like do you like those type of things? I'm like, Oh yeah, well, I mean, I'm interested, I'm curious about all this. And I don't know, I've I've been always like a very avid reader. So since an early age, I was reading like science fiction stuff, and so everything that is related to technology is like very interesting to me. So I he invited me to this uh meeting with a cafe in a cafe here in Guadalajara in this coffee shop, they accept Bitcoin. I went there and well, it was just a small group talking about Bitcoin, and I thought it was very interesting because they were talking about like different concepts that they were not like new concepts to me. Like freedom and sovereignty, and I don't know, it was just a different approach to Bitcoin because I think everything that I heard before, it was just from like a finance perspective, more like you know, like the trading part and stuff like that. I didn't know everything, I didn't know anything uh besides that, and just to see like a different side of it, it was like really interesting to me. So that was just like I I remember it was a Saturday morning, and then it was just a coincidence and the next week I went to Mexico City and there was this event from Plat Lab actually. And I went there because other people that I just met that day, they went to this uh event. I don't know if you were there, probably you were there, but uh we didn't met that day. It was in September 2024. Do you remember that? It was in in La Roma.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Uh yes, I was there. I think we met in Guadalajara, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

We met in Guadalajara, so I went so I was just in vacation and blah blah blah was having an event there. So I went and I really liked the whole vibe. Like uh a lot of people I didn't understand much of what was happening. I was like, like I didn't even know, you know, like who are these people, what are they doing, and what are they talking about? But it was like pretty cool because everyone, they were like very interested in knowing what were like everyone was like working on something and they were just like sharing what they were doing and if something wasn't like going well, how could they pretty much uh improve whatever they were doing? So that was pretty much it. I uh went back to Guadalajara and I started just going to the meetings and the beat depths that they were having here. I am not technical at all. My background is uh more in like lyrics and philosophy, but I've been learning a lot in this journey because just because I think that I am based in a place where we have a very technical uh type of community. So the you know, like the use of wallets and or cold wallets or that stuff is pretty much what you can see like everywhere when you're like trying to orange peel. And sometimes it's difficult to just pass that barrier, I guess, or that step. And here is like I I went into like I dived into a lot of concepts and stuff very, very quickly. And then when I met you, I think it was the end of November in 2024, so I was just there for like two or three months. I was uh learning or starting my my whole journey in Bitcoin, and uh you came here because we had the hackathon and it was like a pretty pretty cool uh event. Level up came that uh 20 event too. I think they were Yojas or something. I didn't know Car at that moment. I I don't even think that I well yeah, I had just one interaction with him because I think your uh your group won a prize, and my group also we we bring a prize.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

I think we won the first price.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

I don't even remember. I think it was like a design stuff, or I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

But it was like uh it was like a app where you could bet on yourself, for example, I wanna stop uh smoking, and you you put some some Bitcoin in uh in custody and you can only withdraw back the Bitcoin if you succeeded with your goal or something like that. So it's just like a motivation app with Satoshis. I I didn't uh I just gave the idea because the rest of the time I I got pretty sick from the stomach, uh, but we won the the thing, so it's I'm happy. But yeah, I don't remember yours uh either. I think it was also more like a storytelling, if I'm not mistaken.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Or it was an idea that we had to make a game to teach people Bitcoin, but in Spanish. Because one of the things that I uh encounter or that I was just thinking about, and I keep thinking about that, is that uh when you speak English, it's just just easier because you have more resources, not only in the Bitcoin space, but like in anything that you can learn that you want to learn. Uh you have a lot of resources in in English, and and I think that well, I I taught myself English, so that is a good thing. I think that it gives value to that well to my life because I can right now be here talking to you, right? But there are many people that they don't have that luck or they don't they don't have the knowledge, and when you don't have like that many resources, how can you like succeed or have better opportunities, right? So the game that that was the idea, just a game to kind of like an RPG style game. And the idea was because when when I was in Mexico City, when I went to this event with blah blah blah, um I came across with a game called uh Saving Satoshi. I don't know if you know that game. It was developed by uh Johnny.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Yeah, it looks like a like a it looks like a Pokemon game, right?

SPEAKER_02 8:23

No, it's like uh it looks pretty like not Japanese, like a Japanese game, but what you have to do is just solve some mysteries or some puzzles, it's like a puzzle. But it's more for developers. So I think I remember that the first thing you have to do is kind of like figure out a hash and then you go on to the next mission and stuff like that. It's kinda it's for like miners. So that is very tech a very cut very technical game. And I wanted to do something that it was just like basic concepts. Um so yeah, I we won that that game, and I remember that when we had like the last party, we went somewhere to to have lunch, and I don't know where everyone was, but it was just car and me. And I was like being pretty annoying in that moment because I came in, he was sitting, and I was like, Where do the winners sit? I said that. And he was just like, be humble. I'm like, okay. So yeah, I remember that was like the first interaction I had with him. But like, well, that's pretty much what I what what happened to me. Like uh it was pretty quick. After the hackathon, I just kept going to the to the meetings, and just a few months after that, I quit my job and I just started work uh looking for a job in Bitcoin, and now I'm here.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

That's a really fast paced, you know. You got absorbed into the Bitcoin world really fast, so that that's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

Yeah, throwing.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

So so you know, since you have been hanging out with the Bitcoin Guadajara community for a while, I know that you know you're you're not the first member of that community, but it's a pretty strong community here in Mexico, mostly developer-based. So uh can you just like give a uh more or less like a presentation of what is Bitcoin Guadajara, who who's part of it, uh, you know, what what are the type of things that are they doing?

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Yeah, of course. I think you were here pretty much when they started, probably. I heard a story that you were traveling with uh an Indian guy that I don't remember his name. Pacobela India.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

Uh Paco Bela India, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

Yeah. And I learned that I think either you or Tristan were the ones making the logo for the community here.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah, Tristan made the logo that that is still being used today, so that's cool.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Yes. So yeah, so then the name of the community is Bitcoin and Lightning Community. And if I remember correctly, they started in 2021. One of the most prominent, and the the one of the founders is Chris Wida, who is a Bitcoin maximalist, toxic maximalist, they will say. And well, I think since then it's been just like people coming and going. But when I started, uh, and I think that's another thing that it's been influencing my my career here and everything that I've been doing, uh, is that when I started, it was him and then Super Testnet was based here in Guadalajara when that's when I started. So it was just a very, you know, like a tornado that sucked me in. Well, we have different people here that they are not very known, but they are pretty much developers. And most of the things that we do is uh the BDEPs, we have big devs uh they they were once we had them once a month before, but lately everyone is just they have just too much work and it's been happening just one every other month. So we have coffee reunions, coffee meetings every Saturday when we try to invite people to uh just talk in a very casual way about Bitcoin. And something that we do is we try to onboard people from like entrepreneurs or little businesses to start us accepting Bitcoin. And we do pretty much that with uh coffee shops or restaurants that we like to attend. So yeah, just to like try to create a kind of like a like economy that is that we can use just how do you say that concept that I forgot?

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Uh circular economy.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Yes, exactly. Circle, circle, circular economy, sorry. That's very much what we do. Uh just uh education.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

That's great. Yeah, that's it's it's nice to have a mix of different types of communities here in Mexico because here in uh in Mexico City, there's not that many developers. So, you know, knowing that there is a community dedicated only for developers or almost exclusively for developers apart from your casual meetings uh on Saturdays, that that shows that the the Bitcoin ecosystem in Mexico in general is matching. So, you know, you you're trying to orange pill people, you're trying to invite people on Saturdays, you know, just regular people. And what do you think personally with this with these personal conversations that you had with Mexican, or maybe also foreigners living in Mexico, like what are the biggest challenges in regards to uh Bitcoin adoption there? Maybe like from an industry perspective, but also on personal level, since you have been interacting uh with Mexicans quite a lot, you know, uh about Bitcoin. Just curious what what are your thoughts on this?

SPEAKER_02 14:03

Yeah, I think that the first misconception is that it's just like a bad propaganda, I guess. So, you know, how would you approach someone and if you start talking about Bitcoin, they like give you these faces. And it's like, no, I don't wanna know about that. So it's like a bar a barrier that an obstacle that people have when you're trying to just talk about something that you believe, or like I personally believe that is interesting and important, and they just don't want to know anything about it, right? So what we do is just we just keep trying. And like uh with these little businesses, it's been uh sometimes it's very easy and sometimes it's very difficult because it is easy when we meet someone that they somehow they have a certain background, they have like certain ideas. Recently I remember that we on board a coffee shop or little restaurant, but they are very it makes me think of like La Carnivoria it's called in Puebla. This is like more like an Italian restaurant, but they have this like uh they buy coffee from uh little communities in Chiapas, and all of the products are like really good quality. So uh they're more like a different set mindset. So with with uh the owner of the place, it was like very easy. We were like, you know, we are from like a community, it's community, and we do this, and he was like, Oh great, I want to know more. And then we just started just having some meetings there, and now he's using Bitcoin, and now he's using audio actually. So that was pretty easy, but there's other other places they are more like franchises, and they are like obviously we never see the owner, and like we ask about the owner, but like who knows? He doesn't care. Uh yeah, I was telling you that my my background is more like in philosophy and uh literature and that stuff. So I really wanted to onboard a place that is called Ortografica here in Guadalajara, and they have all these meetings about like poetry and uh reading books and uh I know I don't know, like poetry rap about women's rights and stuff like that. And I was like, that has like I think they should be the first people that they will understand these concepts. And I tried to run spill them, but I failed because they were like, no, that has nothing to do with us. And I think it is because they just have this idea of whatever they hear on the news or on social media, I don't know. And it is difficult just to surpass that that ideas and just start having a conversation with someone. So I think for normies, there is one thing that is difficult. And probably from an industry perspective, something that I I feel that happens with companies is that right now I don't think that we have the infrastructure that we need to onboard bigger uh companies. But I think you probably you have better a better understanding of on what is happening in in that.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

Well, uh first of all, uh thank thank you for uh recommending Aurora for the people that the Orange Field. I didn't know uh about that uh specific uh client. Uh just curious, is he using it uh in his business to accept payments or just to buy uh Bitcoin?

SPEAKER_02 17:35

No, just to receive Bitcoin. So we go there, we want to pay him. We have kind of like a we or we've been having a structure on how we onboard people. And we were like in the community, pretty much everyone we use Phoenix, like wallet Phoenix. But for new people, we don't want them to, you know, like pay fees. It's like, why am I paying to receive payments? It's like they don't understand. It just makes everything more complicated. So what we do is we tell them to download any app that is that it doesn't require a payment. So they were using, they are using wallet of satashi. And then this person was like, okay, I'm receiving this, this Bitcoin, these ads, but I need to pay my suppliers, you know, to pay rent or whatever. And I personally use Audio, so I was like, Well, for me, it just makes sense that I talk to him and I say that it is a way for him to get them the money or he can sell the sets, whatever. And yeah, he just I I sat with him one day and I told him, just go to this platform, this is what you have to do, you have to register. And he did everything. So he's doing that. But um recently I know that there's this other service that is direct to bank. So I would probably recommend that to him. Because right now, I think his profile is not someone that he wants to hold Bitcoin or not everything. He just wants to have he wants to have the option of receiving uh the payments, but he doesn't want to hold the Bitcoin. So I think for the that kind of profile, and I don't know if you guys were thinking on that when you made uh this type of product, but I think uh it's just a profile and it is it is good for him to use it like that.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

Yes, absolutely. That was one of the things, basically, you know, for some merchants that want to accept Lightning, or because there is a bunch of Bitcoiners in Mexico trying to orange fill merchants. So we think that you know, showing them that it's easy to offfront your Bitcoin to pesos, it takes a second, it's really easy. It's kind of also a way to convince them about Bitcoin in the future. Because, like, hey, don't worry, like you don't you're not gonna be stuck with this, see how easy it is, and after a few months, maybe they're gonna start thinking, okay, you know, I I think I'm ready to keep some of it. So, yeah, that was that was and also for people getting paid in Bitcoin, well, it's just the easiest way to uh to sell Bitcoin in Mexico and receive it directly in your bank account. But I don't want to make this about uh Aureo, you know. Uh but I do agree with you that you know, for a company or you know, a big company that has multiple shareholders, that has you know treasury that has investment and everything, and multiple decision makers makers in Mexico right now. I don't think there's the right solution or platform or you know, a mix of solutions and and platforms that are suited for this kind of purpose. So obviously we we are working on this, and but it's always really great to hear from people on the ground about their experiences, about their conversation to see how we can actually make something useful and that will be used. So I I really appreciate that you know you you recommend that real, but I also don't want to make it about this that we have a lot to talk about. But you know, whenever you guys hear something from people, you know, it's like or questions like is this possible? And we're always ready to explore uh you know how we can make a better product, a better UI UX or UI to make it more easy, you know. But yeah, I I agree with you also, like Bitcoin adoption in Mexico. It it depends on the people you're talking to. So if somebody's already interested in you know sourcing the right products, the right food for the restaurant, well, probably they're open to you know thinking about the the the the Bitcoin standard, right? Because they already want to go out of the system quite a little bit. That's yeah, not using fat food, you know, at all. So I think you're you're on the right path in regards to that. Yeah. So uh you you already told me in like a little bit uh the how your relationship with Pleblab started. Basic basically you met carr. I think a lot of things in Bitcoin happened in this way, people meeting at conferences and then keeping in touch, seeing them again in another context in another conference or uh event. So uh, you know, can you explain a little bit on what is Pleblab just briefly? And I know that Pleblab has been actively involved in Mexico over the past two, three years, and that might that might seem strange because they're based in Texas Austin. So just curious, how how do you explain Pleb Lab and how do you explain their their such a big involvement in in Mexico over the past years?

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Yeah. Well, also the way I got into Pleb Lab, it wasn't quite like I I told you the story about like I had one interaction with him in 2024. And then I was just looking for a job, and I came across in there is a platform called Feed Vocation, and I saw the post for the job and I just applied. I don't think he remembered me. Like I remember him, but he didn't remember me. I just applied and I just started the whole process, like a regular process. It wasn't, it was not like, oh, we just kept in touch with like friends, you know. Like it was just like um uh a regular thing. Like I was just applying and trying to get the job. But I was like very persistent on trying to get the job. So that's how how I got it. And so blah blah, yes, it is based in Austin, Texas, and it is a hackerspace and a startup accelerator. So what we do is just we just work with people that they're they have an idea, they have a project, and we help them realize that project. And we are also involved with communities. So the way that we help people is through different things that we have. For example, we organize events and we put together uh all the people that we think that makes sense to have in that room. We try to curate different types of events. So the one that we're having in Guadalajara this August, it is more about like developers and people trying to to create their own project. And we bring try to bring companies that they are already working on something that is related, either like you know, to use their NZK or their infrastructure to make uh uh their project. And yeah, it's been having events in Mexico since I think 2023 was the first time, if I recall correctly. And then the first two events were in Mexico City, 2023 and 2024, and then in 2025 it was in Merida. I don't know if you were there, but apparently it was like a big event.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

I wasn't there because I wasn't I was just I wasn't in Merida, no.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

No, okay. Yeah, no, I I wasn't there either because I was just starting. So this is the this will be the fourth time that Plat Lab comes here, but the way that we uh engage with the communities or in this case in Mexico, it's because there is already a community and there is already people working, and it's just just to bring the uh the atmosphere, the the work mindset that we have at Levla. And I think it is very important to to work with communities and to make them grow, especially in Bitcoin, because I think that's what uh most of us all together. It is very hard when you're like isolated, which is like one person that likes Bitcoin but they don't know anything, and it's like I I I feel like everyone is trying to like connect with someone that has their same ideas and and learn about what they are doing. I think that's one one of the things that is always like very interesting when like your first question was like what was for you to discover Bitcoin, right? So I think that's one thing that make makes us makes us connect, sharing our stories and sharing what what we're doing. So uh it's pretty much community and building communities. Not only in Mexico, I mean we we're going to try uh to do it in other places too. But right now, I guess Mexico is just the the closest to uh United States. So I hope that we can expand probably to Europe or Latin America. It would be pretty cool to learn and to meet other communities and learn about what they're doing in other places because it is very different. I think it's very different like the community you guys have in Mexico City and the the one that we have here. And I know that I think in other parts of in Mexico, like in Monterrey and Isla Mujeres, they have other communities. But I I guess I don't know them yet, but I think that they're very different.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Yes, absolutely. Everybody kind of has a different purpose. And I think also for uh the Pleb Lab guys, uh, you know, making a yearly trip to Mexico is always fun, if I'm not mistaken. But I I I I like the fact that the previous conferences that Pleb Lab organized in Mexico, it was not only presentations and panels and workshops. Uh there is some specific moments dedicated for like discovering the culture of Mexico or doing something cool. So I I really believe that's like the future of like conferencing because you know people take off their job to go travel to another country. So if you link it with like a cultural activity and actually understand like specific situations of the people there, uh I think it makes it more valuable for anyone visiting.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

I think that's the goal as well, right?

SPEAKER_02 28:22

Yeah, totally. Yeah. When you involve with that that certain community, yeah, I think it is pretty cool because you can uh learn what specific challenges they have and also the culture that they have in that place that can be like totally different to what you're uh you usually uh encounter. And that gives you a better perspective, you know, like you learn other things and you you learn to see with like different eyes. Like reading a book, you think of things that you you will never think, but by approaching these like different people with different stories and different culture and different goals also.

SPEAKER_01 29:03

Yeah, that's uh definitely true.

SPEAKER_00 29:06

Uh just uh so you know you're you're you're acting as sales, you know, you're doing sales, basically you said it's it's basically that, and I agree. Because I also when you work under that part of uh the a Bitcoin company, you're basically doing a little bit of everything, right? Marketing, sales, PR. And you know, sometimes it can be a dream for somebody to to work in a Bitcoin startup, a Bitcoin community, and you did it in a really short time, so not everybody has the chance to do it, but also I think people think that uh it's mostly for developers, you know, because when you think about Bitcoin, you're you're thinking about coding, but they don't understand there's whole different aspects surrounding Bitcoin, surrounding Bitcoin startups, companies, such as your role. Uh, you know, so what what would be your your your advice for Mexicans that would like to professionally get involved in the in the Bitcoin ecosystem, in a Bitcoin startup?

SPEAKER_02 30:06

I think it could sound weird, but uh it is pretty much what I've been doing. And it's just do the thing. Uh like don't ask permission. I know that like I think it is kind of like a system thing. The system makes us believe that we're kind of like trap or we have like a role and we cannot go out of that role or that specific thing that the people think that we should be doing. But uh if you just stop asking, like, will I be able to do this or how am I going to do this, just do it. And uh it doesn't you don't have to have the answers, you don't have to know how at the beginning. We have a lot of resources right now that can help us to figure out things. So um just just do it. Just stop asking and then don't ask for permission. Uh like I I quit my job, I didn't know what I was going to do. I just started looking for a job, and then uh it was just like uh, well, what can I do? Yeah, if I am not a developer, what can I do? So immediately it's like just do a filter. You cannot code, then what what can you do? What are what are the uh specific things that you are good at? So for me, it it is not like I am not I wasn't like the best salesperson, or I still don't think that I have all the knowledge in Bitcoin that I should or that I would like. But it's just having a lot of interest and maybe a little bit of courage because it's just like yeah, just just do it. So something that it could be like an example of that. Simple thing is just that uh if you think that something is missing and you can fill up that that that space, just do it. If you think that I don't know, like in your community you need more events, then just prepare an event. Whatever whatever, you know. And if you want to know if a company needs someone or if you have an idea of how can they be better, then just reach out to them. Literally, you don't have to ask for permission. You you can just tell them, and it it doesn't matter if they hear you or not, you just do it. So I think it's just that a little bit this switch of that you can actually do it. You are not tied, you know, like you're free to do it. But but I think it is a very it it it sounds simple, but somehow we are very like I don't think that we realize that we actually have that type of power. So that is that's just if I can abide something, it's just that. Just just do it.

SPEAKER_00 32:50

Uh you you said it uh in a beautiful way, you know. Uh don't ask for permission. You can ask for forgiveness, you know, if you do something wrong. But you know, there's nothing nobody cares about you personally, so you should just go for it. So I I agree with you. And uh yeah, if there's something missing in your community, just like there's no Bitcoin community in uh in your specific city, start one. It doesn't need to be complicated, right? It can be just a meetup uh in uh in a cafe, you know, talking about Bitcoin, and that's it. So you you you you can start small, so I think that's great advice. All right, so uh let's talk uh let's let's talk about you know the the actual event that is coming up in Guadajara on the 20th and 21st of August. Uh so Pleblab is coming again in to Guadalajara, the second biggest city in uh in Mexico. You're organizing this in conjunction with the the Bitcoin community over there, and Aurel is sponsoring, and we're happy to sponsor and to support that project. So we'll be coming as well to do presentations, workshops. So uh, but apart from what I said, what what can we expect from uh Aqualajara, from uh the build day? Who should come? You know, should Mexican come? Should foreigners come? Who should come? You know, for what reason? This is the sales pitch.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

Everyone should come. If it's only to hang out and meet cool Bitcoiners, everyone should come. Uh, we're having two days, so the 20th, we're having Hakalajara, which is the second edition. The first Hakalajara ever. It was here in Guadalajara in 2024. That that's when we met. So uh it's going to be pretty cool. We released today an announcement that Polgar Venture is sponsoring a prize. Also, we're having another prize from Shocknet. They're based in Austin too. And so we're gonna have, yeah, the first day is just about work. And you know, everyone can come, doesn't matter your background, doesn't matter what uh if like your knowledge of Bitcoin, you can come, you can come alone, you can bring your friends, and the idea is just to bring to be creative and to have solutions. And it doesn't matter if you finish that the project that day, right? You can maybe you can meet the the next person you're gonna have your company, your beacon company. So it's a pretty cool thing. We're gonna have different activities and we're gonna have workshops. Super test that is gonna be giving a workshop. Justin from Shocknet Shocknet is going to have another one, and well, there are more people to be announced, so uh let's just follow the socials to learn more about that. The second day is going to be startup day that well, Gustavo is gonna be g giving the keynote to Gustavo from Aurea. And I I'm very excited to have you guys here because I really like your project. I was like the first one there. So I think Ulticon is gonna be there probably. Well, I don't wanna give much names right now as we're we're continuing uh we're going to continue to arrange the lineup. Uh the the startup date after the presentations and the we're gonna have the presentation for for the hackathon and we're gonna give the prizes. And after that, we're gonna have a party and well, we're thinking on doing something something fun to orange field the city. So let's not say much about that, but uh it's going to be fun. And then probably during the weekend, we're gonna have uh we're having a Bitcoin walk. It's just like a 40 45 minute walk. And after that, we we're gonna we're trying to do something here in the community, something fun, a little bit more of party, and I think it's uh it's going to be pretty cool just to hang out with a bunch of misfits, bitcoiners, toxic, maximalist, everything.

SPEAKER_00 37:15

Yeah, no, the the party is uh well, there's two things because partying with bitcoiner bitcoiners is always cool because you know everybody kind of thinks the same, or is aligned on terms like liberty and everything, and everybody has uh interesting stories, everybody's like an interesting human being. Plus, in Guadajara, Guadajara is known for you know great parties and great so combining both, that that's gonna be a great recipe for for a great Bitcoin uh after party. And I I wanna when you say like maybe you'll meet your co-founder, you know, sometimes people can say like hey, that's that's impossible. Like, how can I really meet the co-founder and trust them afterwards to make a company with them? But it actually happened to us. So, me, Gustavo, and Tristan, uh, we were friends from high school, so we didn't know each other because of Bitcoin events, but we started organizing the meetup, uh the Bitcoin meetup in Montreal, which is one of the oldest Bitcoin meetups in in the world, still running, and we took care of it for like three years or so. And one of the first meetups uh that we organized, our current CTO that was also our the past CTO of our startup in Canada, after the presentation, he just came to came up to us and he said, I want to work with you guys. I don't care what you're gonna do, what we're gonna be building. And we had, you know, we have many. We tried to do a uh like a node back in the days, like maybe six, seven years ago. Like he just approached us and said, I want to work with you guys. So this is real. I'm I'm sure there's plenty of stories like this. So like when somebody is saying that, like you said right now, that maybe you'll meet somebody that matters for a startup for an idea, it's actually true. And uh, you know, in our case, we we have uh we're uh we're uh an example of that, but it it happens all the time, I can I can assure you. So yeah, that's that's really exciting, but more more on the so how uh just curious because still you're like trying to to join the community from Pleb Lab with with uh the Mexican community and there's the logistics, everything. So I'm sure there's some challenges, and you know, in my podcast I also like to talk about you know the real things. So and uh I think it's your first conference that you organize. So can you talk a little bit about the challenges of organizing something like this for anyone in the future that might get inspired and uh want to do the same?

SPEAKER_02 39:57

Yeah, of course. Well, the first challenge it could be we're right right now, it's a little bit difficult because of the bear market, but I don't want to think about that. So it's just reaching out to people with time. I think it that's that's important an important thing because everyone is, you know, everyone has a lot of work, there are a lot of events around the world. And Bitcoin is a very small community, I think. So sometimes you wanna have someone to give a talk and they are already booked. So time is an issue. Another time it could be money, so maybe you wanna have something that is not expens as expensive and try to work with the community and see what can what is possible to do with um taking care of the resources that you have. What else? I I don't think it's what do you think would be a a challenge? It's just that I have fun in my job. I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

No, but that's I think you you you name it right. The actual bear market, that's a reality that you know all companies have to to to face, but communities as well, because when there's no interest in Bitcoin, there's also less people at your meetup, and it's just normal. It always has been like this. So the real the real challenge is actually surviving the bear market, and after the the the glorious days will come back. So it's normal. And I yeah, I applaud the effort of actually organizing this during like almost uh maybe the maybe it's gonna be actually the bottom of the bear market when you when uh during the conference, who knows? Uh that will be cool.

SPEAKER_02 41:47

But yeah, I think you you've named it um yeah, the the bear market can be it's not just like about it's not the the money, but it's also that people lose interest and they don't wanna uh I don't know, they they go to somewhere else. I think I've seen that there are people that they were more active probably going to like meetings and parties and stuff, but yeah, it's probably more more calm right now. I think we have a strong community here in Guadalajara though. So so even even if it's a bear market, I think we're very enthusiastic about like just keep working or work more even and just keep showing up. Oh, that's another thing that could be like related to the other question you have, like if I had an advice, just keep showing up because um it's just it it it adds to your job. And I think that's that's one of the things that that we have here in uh in Guadalajara. We just keep showing up, keep working. We we still have our our our meeting, and I think we're actually having more events now than probably last year. So let's just do that and continue with the work and continue uh encouraging people to come and work in Bitcoin, even if it's several market, even if it it doesn't look like like we're going somewhere. Just keep doing keep going, you know?

SPEAKER_00 43:24

No, I totally agree. Uh we're doing the same in Aureo and La Casa de Satoshi. It's ironic because you know people always chase the novelty, they chase the the fast games, but it's actually the best moment to get involved in Bitcoin. Also, from an investment perspective, right? Always better to stack sets during bear markets than just normal. So yeah, we'll keep showing up. And uh I'm sure the the event will be a success. Can you can you tell uh the people like uh where they can buy a ticket? How uh how much does it cost? Is there a discount for next year?

SPEAKER_02 44:00

uh how how does it work yeah actually we released a discount for people in Guadalajara but I guess we can on on the uh description of the video maybe we can leave the uh the link to to the the site but uh if you just type hakalahara.com actually I think it's hakalahara.cleblab.com you can the first day is it's free you don't have to pay anything the second day the startup day that event has a cost and but it includes like everything includes the entrance so you can see everything that people is working on and it is very cool because you get to see the projects before they are big so I think you get to see the their journey and discover new things that you didn't know that they were in the space that people were working on. So yeah Second Day has a a price and you can go to uh playlab.com and then just click on the startup day you will have all the information there the schedule prices I mean if there are people from other cities out of Guadalajara maybe we can give them a special special price for them too.

SPEAKER_00 45:19

They can reach out to us they can uh reach out to me they can uh go to X to Twitter just look for Club Lab and you can send a a message or you can email me Laura at clublab.com if you have any like anyone if they have any questions just like I said just reach out and we'll be there we will answer always perfect I'll make sure to put all the links the the the way of contacting you in the description so yeah and I I can last the last time last time I went to Pleb Lab there was I think even a guy that came from from Australia or like something somewhere really far and everybody was like did you came just for this and he said like yeah I came from I came so it it's it's interesting to see like a mix of knife skins and foreigners uh you know in the Mexican city and uh living this together uh I think I kind of made the the the whole tour now but what I wanted to ask you is there anything that I missed uh Laura uh that you wanted to add no I guess that would be it if you want to well you guys are going to have a talk but also a space with workshops and I think that would be pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 46:37

So if you wanna say something about what type of workshops we're going to have and other I guess the only thing I will add is that we're going to have people from outside of the Bitcoin community because we're bringing the community in Guadalajara but like nor mix people interested in uh real estate people interested in investment so um that will be like a a a cool mix I think so we can our HP more people right there.

SPEAKER_00 47:11

No absolutely and thank you for mentioning the workshop I actually forgot to talk about that. So as as you said we will there is gonna be a separate a separate room on the build day that is going to be dedicated to like more practical workshop that will be run by the audio team. So our goal is to have four of them so the first one will be dedicated to like legal stuff surrounding Bitcoin in Mexico. Unfortunately in Mexico it's not so clear like how Bitcoin is treated and I know it's like it can be a boring subject for many but for companies for institutions or you know investors that want to understand all the the the legal uh background surrounding bitcoin in Mexico Gustavo will be giving a workshop and presentation about this second workshop will be about real estate and Bitcoin in Mexico so this will be also practical in the sense we we're gonna showcase and we're gonna probably announce our service on how to buy and sell a house in Mexico using Bitcoin. But also we're gonna be launching our full report on how Mexican invests their money and on and right now it's really centralized in real estate so I'll be kind of giving an overview of how Mexicans invest but also giving the the playbook on how to for example if you want to sell your house in Mexico for Bitcoin and you don't want to pass through a bank we can take care of that or you know any other uh nottery or service that that is really to do. Then the third workshop we're gonna we want to do it about business uh like uh sorry bitcoins for businesses in Mexico so whenever a business wants to accept Bitcoin as payment or wants to hold it as a treasury as an investment uh we're gonna be giving uh you know the also the playbook on how to do it as a business here in Mexico and the third one that will be given by Gustavo and the fourth one will be self-custody basics uh how to install a wallet you know just security rules basic security rules for so you know for somebody that is a I know there will be a lot of Bitcoin experts and a lot of Bitcoin entrepreneurs so that is obviously not made for them but for anyone that will like to attend uh you know just a wallet session where they can actually install one receive some sats we I will be leading that one so that's the plan for our workshops and this is done on top yeah this and this will be done in parallel with all your main stage and and everything else so if somebody is uh wanted to you know know about a specific thing we're gonna be are organizing that but yeah thank you for reminding me that's uh yeah we're gonna be doing this that's why people have to come see they're gonna learn a bunch of things they're gonna hear about amazing projects and they're gonna hang out with uh with Bitcoiners the best people yeah always the best people whenever you're the best no matter where I visited the in the you know I listened to many places in Europe in Mexico and and Canada the best people are always uh bit winners so you're right about that yeah definitely agree okay perfect and yeah we'll be doing some spaces where we be talking a little bit more giving some details but hopefully some of you listen to that and we can meet in person or see each other again in person in Guajara. So thank you Laura that was amazing was amazing to see what has been being done what you have been doing and uh thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 51:03

Thank you Matek uh we talk soon we talk soon thank you