Can Bitcoin Be More Than Just Digital Gold? (with Botanix)

In this episode, we talk to Alisia Painter, co-founder and COO of Botanix, about her journey from Brazil to Bitcoin, and how her experience shaped the mission behind Botanix — a project aiming to bring programmability and DeFi to Bitcoin without compromising on decentralization or user control.

—---

👉👉👉Check out the Flipside Stellar Quests here: 

https://flipsidecrypto.xyz/earn/journey/stellar-onboarding?utm_source=teach-me-defi&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=lemonade-kol-flipside-quests-q2-25

—---

We explore why Bitcoin matters in emerging markets, how Botanix is building a secure, decentralized Layer 2 for Bitcoin, and why building without traditional token incentives might be the key to long-term ecosystem sustainability. Alisia also shares insights into user adoption in Brazil, the challenges of onboarding new users, and how Botanix is thinking about digital identity, self-custody, and real-world asset tokenization.

Whether you’re a Bitcoiner, builder, or curious about the future of programmable money — this one’s for you.

📣📣📣 Building something exciting & want to come on the show or collaborate with us? 

Email us at  👉👉 business@teachmedefi.de 👈👈 or DM us on X:

https://www.twitter.com/teachmedefi

👉 Please share this if you learned something! What should we discuss next? Comment! 

👉 Fed up with crypto influencers? Follow us for quality education.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

Guest Links / Additional Material:

Botanix Website: https://botanixlabs.com/

Botanix on X: https://x.com/BotanixLabs

Botanix on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/botanixlabs

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

▸ Find us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@teachmedefi

▸ Find us on  𝕏: https://x.com/TEACHMEDEFI

▸ Find us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/TEACHMEDEFI

▸ Find us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teachmedefi_official

▸ Find us on Podcast Streaming Sites: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teachmedefi

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:30 - From Brazil To Bitcoin

05:00 - Education Financed By BTC Gains

05:50 - Bitcoin's Role in Emerging Markets

08:54 - Botanix: Bridging Bitcoin and DeFi

16:30 - First Decentralized Bitcoin Layer 2

21:30 - Bootstrapping A Bitcoin DeFi Ecosystem

29:30 - Why Not Bridge to Ethereum Instead?

32:04 - Bridging Risks and User Experience

36:00 - Bitcoin Is Slow (Finality): Implications

40:00 - Bitcoin’s Unique Standing as an Asset

42:30 - What’s Next?

--------------

Disclaimer:

TEACHMEDEFI is a provider of entertainment and opinions. We are neither a broker/dealer nor an investment advisor. This is not a service for issuing or receiving financial or investment advice. None of our content constitutes a recommendation – or should be understood as such – to conduct transactions in securities, cryptocurrencies, or crypto-assets, or to engage in any of the investment strategies presented in our discussions or provided content. We do not provide personalized recommendations or views on whether a stock, cryptocurrency, crypto-asset, or investment approach is suitable for the financial needs of a particular individual.