The 50 Most Interesting Companies In Bitcoin's History: 16/50
Coinkite
The Idea: Bitcoin-only hardware security, built with an uncompromising cypherpunk ethos. Gray discovered the Bitcoin whitepaper and recruited Novak from their previous venture. They built a blockchain explorer, then pivoted to hardware, creating the Coldcard hardware wallet.
Early Traction: Coldcard became the cult favorite among hardcore Bitcoiners for its air-gapped signing, open-source firmware, and refusal to support any asset except Bitcoin.
Peak Stats: Dominant market share among serious Bitcoin self-custodians. Opendime created the concept of a physical Bitcoin bearer instrument.
Status Today: Active. Continues to release new hardware (Coldcard Q, Satscard, Tapsigner).
Why It Matters:
Coinkite represents the cypherpunk wing of the hardware wallet market and proves that you can build a business by serving the most demanding segment of the bitcoin community.