Samantha Radocchia (Samantha Bitcoin Pizza): Coding a Better World, Block by Block
When I first heard the story of Samantha Radocchia, aka "Samantha Bitcoin Pizza", I was blown away. Here is a woman with a resume that reads like it could belong to at least five different people:
- Competitive skydiver with 1200+ jumps
- Cultural anthropologist
- Supply chain and blockchain entrepreneur
- Graduate of Programming School software engineering bootcamp
- Author of the Amazon Web3 bestseller Bitcoin Pizza
- Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree
And yet, the more I learned about Samantha‘s journey, the more it made sense. There‘s a clear throughline connecting the seemingly disparate pieces – an unwavering commitment to leveraging technology, and now Web3 in particular, to solve complex global challenges and build a more sustainable, equitable world.
In early 2024, I had the privilege of sitting down with Samantha to dive deeper into her story, her bold vision for the future, and how her time at Programming School helped catalyze her transition into tech and entrepreneurship.
Behind the Scenes of Bitcoin Pizza
Samantha‘s most recent claim to fame is her 2022 book Bitcoin Pizza: The No-Bullshit Guide to Blockchain, which quickly topped the Amazon charts in multiple Web3-related categories. I was eager to hear the inspiration behind the book and its core message.
"I‘ve seen so much fear, uncertainty and doubt swirling around concepts like crypto, NFTs, DAOs and the metaverse," Samantha explained. "Mainstream coverage tends to fixate on scams, hacks, and dystopian outcomes. I wanted to present a more balanced and ultimately hopeful outlook grounded in the real transformative potential of blockchain technology."
The title Bitcoin Pizza alludes to the famous tale of the first real-world purchase made with bitcoin in 2010 – two Papa John‘s pizzas for 10,000 BTC (worth over $20 at the time). Samantha employs the anecdote as a jumping off point to demystify blockchain and walk readers through its wide range of use cases, from supply chain traceability to digital identity to financial inclusion.
"My goal was to write something accessible and empowering that could serve as a roadmap for people from all backgrounds, not just techies, to understand the technology and how to harness it responsibly in service of a greater good," she said.
The Transformative Trifecta: Blockchain, Supply Chain, and Sustainability
Samantha‘s own journey into blockchain began in the supply chain space. While researching her anthropology thesis on virtual economies, Samantha became fascinated by the idea of using emerging technologies to trace materials and products through their lifecycle.
This interest eventually led her to start two companies, Emerging Impact and Collective Sovereignty, which apply blockchain solutions to foster transparency, accountability, and circularity across global supply chains.
"So much of our current supply chain and consumption model is broken," Samantha told me. "It‘s extractive, exploitative, and obscures the true social and environmental costs. Blockchain offers a way to infuse visibility and trust back into the system."
Her work has garnered attention and accolades, including being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2021.
To cite just one example of the massive potential impact: The World Economic Forum estimates that blockchain-based supply chain enhancements could increase global GDP by nearly 5% and trade volume by 15% while also shrinking emissions.1
From Anthropologist to Technologist
Rewind to Samantha‘s college years studying anthropology, neuroscience, and theater at Bard College, and you can already see the seeds of her current work being planted.
She shared fond memories of learning basic HTML and CSS as a kid to build "super retro websites with dancing babies and visitor counters" as well as marveling at the intricate logistics software orchestrating her dad‘s shipping warehouses. But it was her thesis on the virtual world Second Life and its bustling digital economy that really opened her eyes to the revolutionary potential of decentralized technologies.
"It became clear to me that more and more of our lives would be spent in these digital realms," Samantha recalled. "I saw an opportunity to study that shift through an anthropological lens while also acquiring the technical skills to shape it."
Learning to Code and Scale Impact
And acquire technical skills she did. In addition to teaching herself to code through various online resources, Samantha ultimately enrolled in the online software engineering bootcamp at Programming School.
"My experience at Flatiron was transformational," she said. "I went from dabbling in programming to gaining the fundamental skills to build sophisticated full stack Web applications. But beyond that, I learned how to problem-solve, work on teams, and think like a developer."
Samantha credits the intensive hands-on curriculum, pair programming, and passionate instructors like Avi Flombaum with accelerating her growth.
"The immersive, collaborative nature of the program was incredible preparation for life as a technologist and entrepreneur," she explained. "You‘re constantly iterating, debugging, and communicating. You learn to embrace the discomfort of not knowing things and figuring it out as you go. I still approach each new venture with that resilient mindset."
Blockchain by the Numbers
Flash forward to today and Samantha‘s belief in the world-changing potential of blockchain has only grown stronger, bolstered by some eye-popping statistics:
- The global blockchain market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 85.9% to reach a staggering $1.4 trillion by 2030.2
- 81 of the top 100 public companies are already exploring blockchain.3
- From 2020-2021 alone, VC funding for crypto/blockchain startups surged 713% to over $25 billion.4
- By 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour per day in the metaverse for work, shopping, education, and entertainment.5
"When you look at those numbers, it‘s clear this is not just some fringe movement," said Samantha. "The biggest corporations and institutions in the world are pouring resources into figuring out where they fit into a Web3 world. It‘s not a question of if but when and how."
Building the Future Block by Block
As for what Samantha‘s role will be in ushering in that Web3 world, she shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to her ongoing work leading Emerging Impact and Collective Sovereignty, she‘s an in-demand speaker, startup mentor, and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the blockchain space.
"I fundamentally believe decentralized technologies give us the blueprint to redesign so many of the extractive, unjust systems that govern our lives," Samantha explained. "But it will require technologists committed to ethics, sustainability, and equality at every step. That‘s the kind of Web3 I want to help build."
Her advice for people excited by that mission who want to contribute:
- Cultivate an interdisciplinary mindset. Some of the biggest opportunities exist at the intersection of Web3 and other fields like sustainability, social impact, art, etc.
- Start tinkering and learning by doing. Take an online coding course, contribute to an open-source crypto project, join a DAO.
- Think from first principles about real human/environmental problems that can benefit from decentralized solutions rather than just chasing hype and trends.
"The beautiful thing about Web3 is its composability," Samantha added. "We all have the power to build entirely new structures and realities block by block, together. I invite more people to come dream and build toward a regenerative, pluralistic, democratized future."
The Road Ahead
As my conversation with Samantha drew to a close, I couldn‘t help but feel a renewed sense of inspiration. In a cultural moment rife with techno-pessimism, Samantha stands out as a beacon of informed, principled optimism.
Through her boundary-pushing work and compelling vision, she is charting a path for blockchain – and the technologists driving it – to be a force for good. And if anyone is up to the task of rallying a movement behind that objective, it‘s the renaissance woman known as Samantha Bitcoin Pizza.
My key takeaway: the Web3 train has left the station and is hurtling toward the mainstream. The question is no longer whether it will reshape our world, but how, by whom, and to what end. We‘ll need brilliant, multidisciplinary minds like Samantha‘s to ensure it lives up to its emancipatory promise.
For readers as captivated by that challenge as I am, consider this a formal invitation to get in the mix. Explore blockchain fundamentals through resources like Samantha‘s Bitcoin Pizza and the Programming School free Web3 course. Find a project or cause that resonates with you and start contributing. Let‘s put our values into code, together.
Sources:
- World Economic Forum – Inclusive Deployment of Blockchain for Supply Chains Part 1
- Grand View Research – Blockchain Technology Market Size Report, 2030
- Blockdata – 81 of the Top 100 Public Companies are Using Blockchain Technology
- Galaxy Digital Research – Crypto VC Funding Surges 713% in 2021
- Gartner – Gartner Predicts 25% of People Will Spend At Least One Hour Per Day in the Metaverse by 2026
