We have recently begun a number of new sponsorships and payment processing partnerships in the educational field. As students walk around their campuses this fall, they may notice that, regardless of their own team colors, bitcoin orange is all the rage.
Young people tend to be some of the most enthusiastic supporters of bitcoin. As a young bitcoiner myself, I can attest to the excitement around the technology. My own passion for bitcoin has led me to join BitPay as a marketing intern, but many of my peers are learning about and using digital currency on college campuses. With all of this student interest, it is encouraging to see so many schools embracing bitcoin.
Bitcoin in Higher Ed
Simon Fraser University Accepts Bitcoin Donations
Simon Fraser University recently became the first Canadian university to accept bitcoin donations through BitPay. Spurred into taking digital currency by its Simon Fraser Bitcoin Club and interested alumni, the university seeks to use some of its first bitcoin donations to fund its student body's international charitable work. We are dedicated to supporting the payments which will make this great work possible. We hope that Simon Fraser and other universities will continue to expand bitcoin options for students and alumni alike.
MIT Bookstore Adds Bitcoin Payment Option
Another addition to the roster of businesses accepting bitcoin through BitPay has been MIT university bookstore The COOP. The COOP has begun accepting bitcoin in response to the MIT Bitcoin Project- a plan to distribute $100 of the digital currency to every student of the school. As one of the largest university bookstores in the country, MIT's The COOP is a significant new member of the bitcoin economy.
BitPay and Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech (alma mater of BitPay co-founders Stephen Pair and Tony Gallippi) recently announced a payment processing partnership with us which will allow Tech students to pay for university shopping and dining credit with bitcoin. This credit, stored on the "Buzzcards" carried by Georgia Tech students, will give bitcoin users access to a range of food, goods, and services at more than 200 locations on the school's campus.
We also made a foray into Georgia Tech sports earlier this year with our full-season sponsorship of the school's football and basketball teams. The Georgia Tech Athletic Association announced Wednesday that it will be partnering with us to accept bitcoin for concessions in the student section of its home stadium.
The Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
Our sponsorship of December's Bitcoin Bowl game in St. Petersburg, Florida will give us another chance to support college sports. The game will host the teams and fans of two schools from the ACC and AAC football leagues as well as a number of tech companies and merchants from the bitcoin space. The Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl, expected to be the largest event in bitcoin's history, will allow many college football fans to directly experience digital currency for the first time.
Supporting Student Bitcoiners
BitPay Teams Up With College Cryptocurrency Network
We recently became a leading sponsor of the College Cryptocurrency Network, a group of independent bitcoin clubs started at colleges and universities across the globe. With member clubs participating in projects as ambitious as the MIT Bitcoin Project and the upcoming BitDrop bitcoin distribution event on the island of Dominica, the College Cryptocurrency Network has been extremely successful in mobilizing student bitcoiners.
Our team will be working to ensure that the Network has the resources it needs to increase bitcoin awareness and adoption. We are also committed to sharing our industry perspective and expertise with College Cryptocurrency Network members through educational webinars, BitPay-sponsored challenges and learning events, and internship opportunities. We are confident that these young writers, coders, and entrepreneurs of the College Cryptocurrency Network will become leading lights of the Bitcoin community in the years to come.
BitPay Hosts Bitcoin 101 Event at Georgia Tech
Our team has also been active in educating students through events such as last week's "Bitcoin 101" event at Georgia Tech. More than seventy students showed up to hear about the basics of bitcoin from BitPay developer Eric Martindale. Wallet provider Pheeva and The Bitcoin Society also presented at the event, revealing their new "Jacket Wallet"- a bitcoin wallet app designed specifically for Georgia Tech students.
Beyond College
College Alternative Praxis Accepts Bitcoin
Educational startup Praxis recently began working with us to accept bitcoin for tuition payments. Praxis is a ten-month apprenticeship and liberal arts study program for young people interested in entrepreneurship. With "Break the Mold" as its motto, the program offers its participants the unique opportunity to work with growing startups and to engage with big ideas beyond the confines of college classrooms. My own participation in Praxis has brought me the chance to work with BitPay, so I am especially excited to see where this innovative program is headed.
We believe that Bitcoin as a technology has partly been successful so far because its users have shared their knowledge with others. It is our goal to pay the benefits of this learning forward by leading the way for bitcoin adoption and understanding in the field of higher learning.
