Venezuela has suffered some of the highest inflation rates in the world under the presidential reigns of Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro. The effects have been catastrophic. After Maduro’s controversial election in 2013, inflation made it nearly impossible for Daniel Di Bartolomeo to run the business he owned with his wife. So when he was introduced to Bitcoin he discovered an alternative path to financial stability, something that was extremely rare in a Venezuelan economy that was in shambles. But after a few successful years, the authorities stumbled on Daniel’s Bitcoin mining operation and the consequences would be life changing. In this special episode Daniel joins his brother Mauricio to reflect on the hardships of living in Venezuela under Chavez and Maduro, and how Bitcoin changed the Di Bartolomeo brothers’ lives in unimaginable ways - culminating in a daring escape from Venezuela that has the makings of a movie script.

This podcast episode was produced by Quill.