Stafford Masie
Executive Chairman & Director of Bitcoin Strategy
Africa Bitcoin Corporation
Stafford Masie is a pioneering South African technologist, entrepreneur, and futurist with over three decades at the forefront of digital innovation. His career began in the early 1990s as a software developer at South Africa’s largest telecommunications company, followed by technology leadership roles at a major technology integrator. He went on to launch his own startup, later acquired, leading him to the U.S. tech scene in 1997, where he spent seven years immersed in Silicon Valley’s ecosystem of innovation at Novell’s HQ in Utah.
Upon returning to South Africa in 2004 as Managing Director of Novell Sub-Saharan Africa, Stafford later established Google’s first presence in the country in 2006, serving as its founding country manager. He later launched thumbzup that invented the Payment Pebble®, a world-first globally adopted fintech innovation backed by Visa Inc.
During 2014 he was first exposed to Bitcoin, sparking a lasting fascination up until today where he is known in SA as a Bitcoin maxi.
Since then, Stafford has become a leading voice and investor in the African Bitcoin and crypto ecosystem. He has angel-invested in and advised multiple AI and blockchain startups, co-founded BitMach, a Bitcoin mining venture in South Africa, and is currently launching a crypto audit and analysis platform in the United States.
He served as Chairman of the Board of Altvest Capital, which has since transformed into Africa’s first Bitcoin treasury company (BTCTC) listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), where he now holds the position of Executive Chairman and Director of Bitcoin Strategy.
In addition to his corporate leadership, Stafford independently advises African regulatory bodies on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency legislation. He has previously served on the boards of Discovery Bank, ADvTECH, and Chairman WITS University/Telkom Innovation Lab, among others.
Widely recognized as a Bitcoin maximalist, Stafford is passionate about “orange-pilling” key stakeholders and advocating for Bitcoin as a transformative force for financial sovereignty across the African continent.
Upon returning to South Africa in 2004 as Managing Director of Novell Sub-Saharan Africa, Stafford later established Google’s first presence in the country in 2006, serving as its founding country manager. He later launched thumbzup that invented the Payment Pebble®, a world-first globally adopted fintech innovation backed by Visa Inc.
During 2014 he was first exposed to Bitcoin, sparking a lasting fascination up until today where he is known in SA as a Bitcoin maxi.
Since then, Stafford has become a leading voice and investor in the African Bitcoin and crypto ecosystem. He has angel-invested in and advised multiple AI and blockchain startups, co-founded BitMach, a Bitcoin mining venture in South Africa, and is currently launching a crypto audit and analysis platform in the United States.
He served as Chairman of the Board of Altvest Capital, which has since transformed into Africa’s first Bitcoin treasury company (BTCTC) listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), where he now holds the position of Executive Chairman and Director of Bitcoin Strategy.
In addition to his corporate leadership, Stafford independently advises African regulatory bodies on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency legislation. He has previously served on the boards of Discovery Bank, ADvTECH, and Chairman WITS University/Telkom Innovation Lab, among others.
Widely recognized as a Bitcoin maximalist, Stafford is passionate about “orange-pilling” key stakeholders and advocating for Bitcoin as a transformative force for financial sovereignty across the African continent.