Listen in as we catch up with John, the founder and CEO of Zaprite—a powerful, non-custodial Bitcoin payment platform that began as a personal tool and evolved into a full-fledged business solution. John shares the origin story of Zaprite, its evolution from an invoicing platform to a multi-feature merchant toolkit, and its transition from solo founder days at Pleb Lab to a venture-backed team with Bitcoin veterans like Parker Lewis and Will Cole. He breaks down the product’s usage across industries, discusses the upcoming shift to transaction-based billing, and unveils Zaprite’s latest feature: event ticketing. The interview concludes with heartfelt advice for new founders: build what you need, gather real feedback early, and demonstrate proof of work.In this video, we cover:- Zaprite's origin story and early product focus- Transition from freelancer tool to full business platform- Overview of Zaprite’s core features- Non-custodial architecture and self-custody ethos- Use cases and user base: freelancers, SMBs, miners, professionals- Decision to move to a paid subscription model- Adding fiat payment rails while maintaining Bitcoin-first UX- Key integrations (Strike, Stripe, Speed, Voltage, Breeze, etc.)- API use cases- Growth of transaction volume and subscriber base- Strategic hires: Parker Lewis, Will Cole, Nate, Tom, Nick- Bitcoin treasury strategy and bear market runway extension- Upcoming billing engine with transaction-based fees- New feature: full-service event ticketing system- 5-year vision: mainstream Bitcoin payments, online-first commerce- Advice to founders----------------------------------------------Want to get started investing in #Bitcoin startups? Fill out this form, and we'll get you started 👉 https://ltng.ventures/investors#investor-contactAlready angel investing? Join our syndicate to learn about #angelinvesting, #bitcoin companies, #lightningnetwork projects, support amazing founders, and invest in #bitcoin startups: https://angel.co/s/lightningventures/ld5f4Not an accredited investor? No problem, check out Thunder Funder where almost anyone can invest in #Bitcoin and #opensource companies 👇https://www.ThunderFunder.com Need more info on all this rad stuff? We got youLearn about Lightning⚡️Ventures 🎸https://www.ltng.venturesLearn More About Zaprite 📡 https://zaprite.com/Follow Lightning⚡️Ventures 🎸https://www.x.com/LTNGVenturesFollow Zaprite:https://x.com/zapriteappFollow Mike Jarmuz @mikejarmuz 🤘🏼 https://www.x.com/MikeJarmuzJoin our Lightning⚡️Ventures Telegram Channel and hang with us 🤙 https://t.me/+kDv7VYEO2fAxYmFhEarn Bitcoin Streaming Podcasts on Fountain https://fountain.fm/show/zh5K7JF2ObMmzyfzGO0tSubscribe to our audio-only podcasts belowhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lightning-ventures-investing-in-bitcoin-companies/id1615934125Give Us a Thumbs Up 👍 if You Enjoyed This Video!