About
I'm a software engineer and the CTO & founder of ZBD. Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, my life has been a blend of global experiences, but my professional heart belongs to the Web, Open Source, and the world of Bitcoin.
My academic background is in electrical engineering, but software has always been my true calling. A deep-seated passion for JavaScript and web development emerged early, guiding much of my professional direction.
While in NYC prior to ZBD, I led the engineering team at Big Human, a digital product studio renowned for developing advanced web and mobile applications. The portfolio during my leadership included prominent clients like TD Ameritrade, Michael Kors, Gemini, and Snapchat, allowing us to consistently leverage the latest technologies available.
During my time at Big Human, I had the unique opportunity to interact directly with teams from Vine and HQ Trivia, thanks to Big Human's founder's involvement in those ventures. These experiences provided invaluable insights into cutting-edge digital trends.
My journey with Bitcoin began around 2013/2014 as a enthusiast, but already deeply involved in open source software development around it. This enthusiasm led to my selection for the exclusive Chaincode Labs Lightning Network residency in 2018, alongside prominent figures like Rene Pickhardt and Pierre Rochard.
The insights gained from the residency culminated in the formation of ZBD. Within months, I was actively seeking funding, and by October 2019, ZBD was launched. Our mission is to empower developers, users, and businesses to engage with the new global digital economy powered by Bitcoin.
In line with my career background, I have also co-founded Vinteum, an R&D non-profit focusing on supporting and fostering Bitcoin development in Brazil through various initiatives like education, conferences, and grants. Moreover, NBD, a project from the core ZBD team, exemplifies our commitment to creating open source software without any commercial intent, and has already released giants such as Lightning Address and Nostr.
As of 2024, ZBD has become a driving force in the internet money landscape, empowering millions of users and developers across over 100 countries. Our platform caters to a diverse range of needs - from game developers eager to integrate Bitcoin rewards into their games, to newcomers exploring zaps in social media, and developers seeking to incorporate global payments into their apps and modern fintech experiences. At ZBD, we're committed to making Bitcoin accessible and functional for everyone, everywhere.
#buildthefuturenow
Technical contributions
- Created the first Bitcoin Lightning Network Decoder tool geared for app developers entering the Bitcoin payments development space.
- Co-authored various LNURL spec definitions schemes to improve payment UX flows for internet citizens, used by all companies and developers in the industry.
- Designed and co-authored the Lightning Address protocol for seamlessly sending and receiving Bitcoin over the Lightning Network through the use of email-like internet identifier (e.g. andre@zbd.gg) between users.
- Through NBD, supported and fostered the creation and ecosystem development of Nostr - a truly decentralized communications protocols that can achieve censorship resistant apps and protocols.
- Wrote the handbook on how to setup both paid and free Nostr relays for enthusiast developers.