​Speakers

​Michael Haft, Founder/CEO of Compass Coffee

​Andrew Newman, CFO PubKey

​Seong-Kwan Hong (Moderator)

​Join us for a special evening at PubKey DC where we dive into the unique opportunities and challenges of running a small business in Washington, DC. 

​Our featured guests are Michael Haft and Andrew Newman. Micheal is the CEO and Founder of Compass Coffee, which pioneered Bitcoin payments with Square across its DC cafés. Andrew is a Co-Founder & CFO of Pubkey, the Bitcoin themed bar and cultural hub in NYC with a new location in DC. The talk will be moderated by Seong-Kwan Hong, a seasoned financial executive, former partner at a global consulting firm, and member of Bitcoin District Initiative. 

​They’ll discuss the practical realities of accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment, how Compass Coffee teamed up with Square to be the first business to roll out Bitcoin payments across their cafés, Pubkey’s experience in NYC with Bitcoin and their plans for DC, and what business owners should know as interest grows across the District. 

​We’ll also examine challenges unique to DC such as government shutdowns, shifting commuter patterns, and the long-term impact of remote work, and how a monetary asset like Bitcoin can be used as a long term store of value that can give small businesses tools to weather downturns or grow their operation.

​The conversation will also look ahead: where DC stands in the broader Bitcoin adoption cycle, what it means to develop a Bitcoin circular economy in the Nation’s Capital, and how residents, businesses, and local communities can all play a role in building it from the ground up.

​About the Bitcoin District Initiative

​This event was organized by the Bitcoin District Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to build a grassroots Bitcoin circular economy in Washington, DC through education, business onboarding, and community outreach programs. Learn more or get involved at bitcoindistrictinitiative.org.