The Zaprite team is excited to announce that Nate Kitzke, a veteran of Veriphi, Bull Bitcoin, and Unchained, has joined as our new Head of Engineering.

Nate is a long time bitcoiner and exceptional technologist having spent his last decade building various software products in and out of the bitcoin space. Nate has also served as a technical advisor to Zaprite the past two years, and helped build the first version of the product. 

As we continue our work to make bitcoin payments easy to accept for businesses worldwide, our ambition grows to support more transaction types, wallet integrations, and commerce platforms of all kinds. This year saw Zaprite extend its payments products to include a new API, Point of Sale, and Recurring Payments. And there is a lot more to come. Nate doesn’t just align on our strategy for helping businesses accept bitcoin, he’s uniquely qualified to accelerate and execute on our current and future goals. 

Said John Magill, CEO of Zaprite:

“Nate has been part of Zaprite’s journey since day one. His deep understanding of not just bitcoin, but the product we are building, has been of immense benefit throughout our formative years. As a close friend and advisor throughout this time, his knowledge and expertise was always instrumental in helping shape our vision and roadmap. I’m incredibly excited to finally be able to work alongside Nate full time as he leads Zaprite’s technical development, continuing our mission to provide world-class bitcoin payments solutions.”

Nate, why did you choose to join Zaprite?

I’ve known John for nearly five years now and have watched him relentlessly work to bring his vision for Zaprite to life, doing everything necessary to carry a company from zero to one. Over the years, we’ve built not just a strong working relationship, but a deep friendship based on trust, respect, and alignment. I couldn’t be prouder of the journey we’ve shared, and joining him full-time at this stage feels like a natural step forward.

With Parker and Will joining last year, Zaprite’s vision has only become clearer to me. As the world moves toward a bitcoin standard, Zaprite will meet the needs of merchants who recognize the importance of accepting bitcoin payments. We have a unique opportunity to lead in creating payment experiences that unify all forms of payment, making it easier for businesses to navigate the waves of bitcoin adoption.

I’m also thrilled to be working with an old colleague from my Shutterstock days, Tom, who I consider to be a legendary developer. Introducing him to John was one of the best decisions I’ve made for Zaprite’s technical direction. I’m confident in our small team’s ability to stay laser-focused on solving real market needs with efficiency, strategy, and world-class quality.

What excites you about the payments space for bitcoin?

Bitcoin offers not only a compelling return to hard money, but also introduces something entirely new: an open monetary protocol. The future doesn’t revolve around closed networks. We will not remain siloed in the Venmos, PayPals, and CashApps, unable to interoperate without dropping to the legacy rails. Nor will we be limited by national currency accounts, unable to send instant payments globally. Bitcoin’s layered, open protocol enables us to build a more interconnected world, one where value exchange—the universal language that powers all human activity—flows freely. At Zaprite we are striving to be a part of that story, by building products that will express the underlying beauty of Bitcoin as obvious value-adds for market participants.

Fiat money supply continues to accelerate, and bitcoin adoption is accelerating in lockstep. Businesses around the world are realizing the value of holding bitcoin on their balance sheets, and the benefits of accepting bitcoin on a primary basis to achieve those goals. Zaprite offers businesses significantly lower transaction fees, speed to final settlement, and the tools to make transitioning to a bitcoin standard a breeze. Behind the scenes, there are significant technical challenges to make this work, and we couldn’t be happier to have Nate joining us to lead those efforts.