Why the UK Is Drifting on Bitcoin, And How to Fix It | Ben Cousens #221

The UK has the talent, the capital, and the financial infrastructure. So why are Bitcoin founders still hesitating?Ben Cousens — Chief Strategy Officer at ZBD, co-founder of Antidote, and one of the few people who’s been backing Bitcoin businesses from inside venture capital — joins Jordan on the rooftop at Antidote’s Hatton Garden space to get into it.🇬🇧 Join the UK Bitcoin Business Network here:https://bitcoincollective.co/bbn/CONTACT JORDAN:X: https://x.com/JayW132LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-walker-293955106/Email: hello@bitcoincollective.coCONTACT BEN:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencousens/Website: https://antidotebtc.com/TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro — The UK Is Drifting, Not Falling Behind01:37 Ben’s Background — Video Games, Film and a Hard Pivot to Finance03:00 How Ben First Encountered Bitcoin04:15 The Hairdresser Top Signal and Selling at the 2017 Peak06:25 Top Three Video Games of All Time08:24 Getting Sign-Off to Research Bitcoin Inside a VC Fund09:33 Building a Bitcoin Investment Thesis at Lake Star11:15 What Is ZBD and How Does It Work?15:59 ZBD’s $40M Series C19:29 What People Get Wrong About Building Bitcoin Businesses25:15 The Moment Ben Decided to Found Antidote28:31 The UK Isn’t Falling Behind — It’s Drifting33:32 What Kind of Founders Is Antidote Looking For?38:48 How Early Do You Need to Be to Apply?41:50 Why Antidote Is Based on Hatton Garden49:53 Where Does Ben Want Antidote to Be in Five Years?READ OUR NEWSLETTER:https://newsletter.bitcoincollective.co/LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06sBiOznJDxuhafDmkE9VK?si=3f0a8bb8abd64eecApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-bitcoin-collective/id1561573613Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/AYHiNhTTv0HOgGEjRjWNYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bitcoincollective?sub_confirmation=1All content provided by The Bitcoin Collective and guests in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, trading, or investment advice.⸻EDITED BY JAMES PEARCELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-pearcesf/Available now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.