Why Zero Hash Rejected a $2Bn Offer to Build the Future of Financial Infrastructure - Edward Woodford, CEO

Feb 10, 2026

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Miguel Armaza welcomes Edward Woodford, founder and CEO of ZeroHash, to Fintech Leaders for a candid, insightful conversation on the future of blockchain infrastructure and the lessons learned from nearly a decade of building in crypto.

Edward offers a unique perspective as a London-born, MIT-educated entrepreneur who’s seen ZeroHash grow into one of the most critical and least visible companies powering the global blockchain ecosystem. He shares his journey— from getting rejected by Oxford and taking the leap to the US, to building his first fintech business and discovering Bitcoin at the MIT bookstore.

Join Miguel and Edward for a conversation packed with actionable insights for fintech founders, builders, and investors aiming to navigate the fast-evolving landscape at the intersection of crypto, infrastructure, and financial innovation.

Timestamped Overview
00:00 Intro & Edward’s Background
05:49 Balancing Business and Personal Life
08:58 MIT Bitcoin and Career Exploration
13:14 Tech-Driven Market Shift Insights
16:07 Tokenization and Global Interoperability
20:08 Impact of the founding team
21:54 Founding team dynamics explored
26:32 Power versus influence in investing
29:25 Effective Infrastructure Pricing Strategy
33:44 Weighted performance-based churn metric
35:00 Founder Mode Intensity Defined

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Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

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