Entrepreneurship on the Frontier, Surrounded by Peers, Confidants & Friends
In 2023, I moved to El Salvador, drawn to its frontier spirit, the burgeoning Bitcoin community, and the sense that something big was being built here.
While momentum gained quickly for myself and my company, things took an abrupt turn in 2024. Soon the Bitcoin community in El Salvador entered a bear market, Bitcoiners were leaving the country, and the company I had built around this ecosystem was splitting apart. The emotional toll, and the challenge of navigating this alone in a foreign country, was enough for me to consider leaving too.
However, a chance meeting introduced me to a group of entrepreneurs who were still building and still optimistic about El Salvador's future. I felt reinvigorated, and decided to stay and rebuild my company into what BIES is today.
I thought, how many other people are in this position, struggling alone on their entrepreneurial journey? How can I replicate this feeling of community that kept me here, so other people can experience it too?
I started reaching out to local entrepreneurs and hosting informal gatherings, a sort of AA for entrepreneurs to talk about what's on their minds. This quickly grew into workshops and roundtables, which continue to be foundational to BIES today.
Since then, we've expanded beyond community events. Today, we're building a comprehensive network and infrastructure that helps connect builders to the right people, resources, and capital they need to move their visions forward in El Salvador.
Welcome to the frontier. I'm excited for you to join us.
Michael Ruiz
Michael Ruiz, Founder of BIES
We Believe In a Future Where Collaboration Creates Prosperity
Our ecosystem is designed to help accelerate your progress the moment you step into El Salvador. If you're actively building out a project, we help you find the right partners, investors, vendors, and peers to support you on your entrepreneurial journey. If you're motivated to join someone's team, we help you find the right projects where you can contribute your expertise and make a meaningful impact.
Our network runs on a decentralized, AI-powered, Bitcoin-native infrastructure. This sets the environment for you to meet other high-agency builders, participate in high-signal conversations, and plug into a high-trust network that has everything you need to thrive in El Salvador.
The Sovereign Builders Thesis
“The masterminds bubbling up out of this group is super inspiring.” Jess Allen
How We Operate
The quality of our network is preserved through a set of values that define our culture and how we operate. It ensures discussions stay productive, collaborations remain progress-oriented, and our network continues to be a positive force for its members and stakeholders.
1. We empower individual agency.
We are high-agency builders who take initiative in creating the world we want to see. We don't default to powerlessness or blame. We see an opportunity and take bold action, we move forward even in the face of imperfect conditions, and we respond to challenges with resilience, creativity, and optimism.
2. We collaborate towards a more prosperous future.
We believe that collaboration, not competition, is the path to prosperity. We operate on a low time preference, focused on building long-term relationships and creating long-term value. We speak up when we see other members engaging in short-term, transactional, or extractive behaviors.
3. We build on transparent, open, honest foundations.
We seek to build on a foundation that utilizes open and decentralized protocols, where trust is verifiable through proof of work, and where sound money is transacted to secure the value we create. We recognize the pitfalls of a closed and centralized system. And we believe this foundational layer should be Bitcoin-native.
4. We leverage technology that liberates and uplifts our humanity.
We embrace technology that elevates the human spirit. We don't shun technological progress. Rather, we leverage emerging technologies such as AI to unlock new levels of human agency, capability, and coordination. We understand that abundance is downstream of technological innovation.
5. We embrace a regenerative way of living.
We acknowledge that many of our current systems are unsustainable. These systems extract value in preference for the here and now, at the cost of society and human flourishing down the line. Rather than participating in these systems, we seek out or build alternative structures that sustain humanity, abundance, and harmony with nature.
What Builders Are Saying
“The masterminds bubbling up out of this group is super inspiring.”
“A sense of being around others and sharing resources is something new to me that I really find valuable.”
“There are moments where I have doubts, insecurities, and to be around people where I can not only share that, but also find strength and motivation and sustainability.”
How We Contribute to El Salvador's Growth & Revitalization
The National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) under President Nayib Bukele envisions dynamic new projects emerging from El Salvador that contribute to the nation's revitalization and rebirth. A Renaissance 2.0.
Our network helps advance this vision in two important ways. First, we attract entrepreneurs, investors, and other bright minds to El Salvador, who see this new renaissance as a window of opportunity. And not only that, we keep talent in the country with a supporting ecosystem. Second, we provide education and employment opportunities to Salvadorans who want to see their country grow, succeed, and prosper through generations.
- Innovation
- Highly-skilled talent
- Job creation
- Outside investment
- A Bitcoin-native economy
- Educational workshops and training sessions
- Tourism
- Circular economies
Our Partners
Partner 1
Aligned partners help us support our builders through events, media, and community projects. We're always looking for the right collaborators who share our values and want to invest in the growth of El Salvador.
Partner 2
Partnership opportunities span sponsorship, vendor collaboration, and community initiatives. If you'd like to support the BIES ecosystem and reach a network of high-agency builders, we'd love to talk.
Tap Into the Signal
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Become a Member
Join a network of entrepreneurs and builders collaborating around shared values and bold visions. Apply to see if it's a right fit.
Apply to joinBecome a Partner
Want to sponsor or advertise with us? We're looking for aligned partners to support our builders through events, media, and community projects.
Get in touch