Growing up in a small town on the northern coast of the Iberian peninsula, I had always been the “odd boy”. While my peers were enthralled by sports like football, I found myself intrigued by playing piano, chess, and numismatics.

I had a collection of old coins I had started since I had memory. Perhaps my grandma was the one who sparked my fascination with coins and their value when she gave me some old coins and would talk about the basket of gold coins her aunt had. And playing piano was the window for me to express my innermost thoughts and emotions. These childhood interests would later open doors for me in the years to come.

Ibai Growing Vegetables With Grandma

First, at the age of 17, I won a full scholarship in Piano which launched me into an adventure in America to pursue undergraduate degrees in both classical piano and mathematics and later master’s and Ph.D. degrees.

Outstanding Student at College of Charleston

In 2013, I stumbled upon an article about Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer digital currency that piqued my interest. As a mathematician, Satoshi Nakamoto’s white paper on Bitcoin’s underlying technology resonated deeply with me. I saw the potential for a groundbreaking network that could revolutionize the financial landscape.

Driven by this newfound obsession, I immersed myself in learning everything I could about the newly created cryptocurrency space. I also started trading Bitcoin and attended conferences.

At the Miami Bitcoin Conference where Vitalik announced Ethereum

In 2014 at the Bitcoin Center in New York

It was 2013, and I had over 150k USD in Bitcoin. I got a phone call from Olaf Carlson-Wee, the first employee of Coinbase, offering me to help them with customer service at Coinbase. I crossed paths with the legendary Vitalik Buterin when he introduced Ethereum at the Miami Bitcoin conference in 2014. He offered ether to me at 3000 ether per bitcoin, a lower price than the upcoming public presale.

Getting some Bitcoin from the first Bitcoin ATM in the US

At the 2014 Texas Bitcoin Conference

The crypto world became my stage, and I reveled in the excitement of the ever-evolving industry. Alongside my endeavors in the crypto industry, I directed a math school and gained some orchestral conducting experience. My restless spirit drove me to explore new opportunities, leading me to Shanghai in 2017.

In Shanghai, I joined BitSE, a promising crypto project that housed Qtum and Vechain. While I found success in trading during the 2017 bull run, the desire to create my own projects grew.

In 2019, I experienced a life-altering dream that would shape the trajectory of my work. The dream revealed three symbols to me: 2ØY.

Presenting 2ØY in Shanghai

“2” represents duality, involved in all aspects of this universe, from energy and subatomic particles to language and computers. The symbol of “Ø” is used in math to represent the empty set, the origin of the universe, and the empty space that unites all. “Y” is the ultimate question and the origin of all curiosity, represented by the Tree of Knowledge.

It was a moment of clarity, a glimpse into my life’s purpose. My then project dAbacus would be channeled into two projects: The UNIT (Ø) and Blocktree (Y). The first concept aimed to create a decentralized and unbiased unit that transcended particular cryptocurrencies. The second idea focused on building a shared network built to work as an interstellar layer 1.

Launching as dAbacus in May 2021, The UNIT underwent numerous redesigns to crystallize its vision. The journey has been both thrilling and demanding, but our unwavering vision keeps us focused.

The Unit at the 2ØY Club

Totaling around 2.6 million USD, initial funding for The UNIT came from personal resources, the 2ØY fund, CryptoYC, Attention Ventures, and other angel investors as well as grants from the NEAR Foundation, Aave Grants DAO and The Graph Foundation; and technical support from CoinGecko, ENS, Unstoppable, Chainlink, and TradingView. As we move forward, our focus is on engaging the wider community through the launch of our project token and our vaults and farms, fostering collective growth and participation.

Bobby Lee at the 2ØY Club celebrating Bitcoin’s 13th Birthday

The UNIT is diligently testing its vaults and constructing its farms while involving the treasuries of other projects in UNIT and its peg, TINU. We are also working on our next launch coming on the 28th of December. Moving forward, we aim to involve the wider community to propel our growth.

UNIT DAO (UN) UNIT ETF (TINU)

Having degrees in both mathematics and classical piano may seem like an unconventional pairing, but for me, they are intrinsically connected. Just like the ancient Greeks, I see music as part of mathematics. It is the mathematics of airwaves, a structured and harmonious language that mirrors the complexity of formal mathematical systems. Both have played a significant role in shaping my perspective on the structures that humans can come up with to bring clarity and unity to the chaos and volatility.

Music & Math

The UNIT is the structure I came up with amidst the chaotic and volatile world of cryptocurrency.

Besides the influence of music and mathematics, Satoshi Nakamoto’s groundbreaking work and innovative ideas continue to inspire me. The enormity of the problem that The UNIT aims to solve lies in Satoshi’s creation itself — the decentralization of currency creation.

Currency has three functions: medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account. Cryptocurrencies have been able to function as a store of value and medium of exchange but have outsourced the most important function to the US dollar. So cryptocurrencies are currently not fulfilling all aspects of money. As a crypto-native and unbiased unit of account, UNIT seeks to remedy this gap and at the same time, unify the fragmented crypto landscape, allowing all coins to coexist. So what sets UNIT apart is its design for inclusion and unity, rather than driving cryptocurrency into a traditional business structure where a winner takes all.

That’s what is behind our mission: “Unite & Build”.

Some may question the decision to build a crypto project during a bear market when investors are fleeing the space. However, having experienced multiple bull and bear markets, I understand that these fluctuations are mere waves in the vast ocean of crypto. The UNIT is here for the long haul, resilient and determined not only to withstand the rise and fall of numerous market cycles but also to shield investors from volatility.

In the next couple of years, The UNIT envisions becoming the leading decentralized index, garnering attention and adoption as a unit of account. As crypto indices gain prominence, UNIT will emerge as a benchmark for the entire industry.

My journey, from childhood dreams to the creation of The UNIT, has been an adventure. The UNIT is not merely a project — it is a commitment to unite, to a world where diverse currencies coexist harmoniously. As I embark on this quest, I invite the world to join me, to be part of a movement that embraces inclusivity, unity, and the endless possibilities of the crypto universe.