Naval Ravikant, Angel Investor & Philosopher
Biography
Naval Ravikant was born on November 5, 1974, in New Delhi, India, and relocated to Queens, New York at the age of nine. He attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College.
Throughout his career, Naval has become a prominent figure in technology, venture capital, and philosophy. He co-founded Epinions.com in 1999, an early peer-review platform that was acquired by eBay for $82 million. In 2007, he co-founded Venture Hacks, which later became AngelList in 2010, a platform that has revolutionized how startups raise capital and connect with angel investors. As an angel investor, Naval has made over 200 investments, including early bets on Uber, Twitter, and Postmates, among many others.
Naval is the author of “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant,” a compilation of his insights on wealth, philosophy, and happiness that was edited and compiled by Eric Jorgenson in 2020. This book became a bestseller and is widely considered a modern classic of self-improvement literature. He also hosts the Naval podcast, where he discusses topics ranging from wealth creation to meditation and human flourishing. His estimated net worth is between $60 million and $120 million or more, making him one of the most successful angel investors of his generation. You can find him on Twitter at @naval, where he maintains an active presence with over 2.3 million followers.
Orange Pill Story
Naval’s journey into Bitcoin began around 2013, when his philosophical interests in decentralization and financial sovereignty aligned with Bitcoin’s core principles. In 2014, he took his commitment further by co-founding MetaStable Capital, a cryptocurrency hedge fund, alongside Josh Seims and Lucas Ryan. The fund managed approximately $69 million in assets under management and became known for its exceptional returns during the crypto boom.
MetaStable Capital’s most notable achievement came in 2017, when the fund posted a remarkable 540% return, demonstrating Naval’s strategic vision for cryptocurrency investments. The fund’s portfolio included investments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Avalanche, and Cosmos, among other digital assets. In 2022, MetaStable Capital was acquired by Dragonfly Capital, marking the end of an era but validating Naval’s early bet on cryptocurrencies. Naval’s interest in Bitcoin stems from his broader philosophical worldview that views cryptocurrencies as tools for disconnecting wealth creation and wealth protection from state control, a concept that aligns perfectly with Bitcoin’s fundamental design principles.
Bitcoin Philosophy & Quotes
“People think about Bitcoin incorrectly. They think about it as currency or about gold. When really, what it is is an API for programmable cash transactions.” — Naval Ravikant BrainyQuote
“Think of Bitcoin as a bank account in the cloud, and it’s completely decentralized: not the Swiss government, not the American government. It’s all the participants in the network enforcing.” — Naval Ravikant BrainyQuote
“Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are already trustless – any machine can accept it from any other, securely. They are (nearly) free. They are global – no central bank required.” — Naval Ravikant BrainyQuote
“China may censor YouTube. China may censor Twitter. They won’t be able to censor Bitcoin.” — Naval Ravikant Medium PodClips
“Cryptocurrencies will create a fifth protocol layer powering the next generation of the Internet.” — Naval Ravikant MailBrew
“It’s very liberating to disconnect wealth creation, wealth storage, and wealth protection, from the state and that’s what cryptocurrency is really enabling.” — Naval Ravikant X/Twitter
“Perhaps Bitcoin is the true L1 (the store of value) and every other chain is competing for L2 (the medium of exchange).” — Naval Ravikant, June 2024 U.Today
“Bitcoin is a tool for wealth protection.” — Naval Ravikant, December 2024 MooMoo News
“It’s important not to think about Bitcoin as a replacement for cash or gold; it’s to think of it as programmable money.” — Naval Ravikant Medium
“Just as the web democratized publishing and development, Bitcoin can democratize building new financial services.” — Naval Ravikant BrainyQuote
Involvement with Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency
Naval’s involvement with Bitcoin extends beyond theoretical support into concrete action and investment. As co-founder of MetaStable Capital from 2014 to 2022, he oversaw a fund that managed approximately $69 million in assets under management and achieved a 540% return in 2017, one of the best performing years for cryptocurrency investments. The fund’s portfolio was strategically positioned in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major cryptocurrency projects including Avalanche and Cosmos.
Beyond MetaStable, Naval became an early investor in Bitwise, a company known for its Bitcoin ETF operations and efforts to bring Bitcoin into traditional investment vehicles. He also participated in significant cryptocurrency projects, co-investing $715,000 in Zcash alongside other prominent figures in the space including Barry Silbert and Roger Ver, demonstrating his commitment to exploring the full spectrum of cryptocurrency innovations.
As a philosophical advocate for Bitcoin, Naval positions it as the true Layer 1 store of value in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, viewing other blockchains as competing for the Layer 2 role of medium of exchange. Through his active Twitter presence with over 2.3 million followers, he continues to advocate for Bitcoin as a tool for financial sovereignty and a solution to the problems of centralized monetary systems.
Media Appearances & Coverage
Naval’s insights on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have been featured in numerous prominent media outlets and podcasts. CoinDesk published “Naval Ravikant: Bitcoin Solves ‘Money Problems'” in 2017, exploring his perspective on how Bitcoin addresses fundamental issues with traditional money. Laura Shin’s Unchained Podcast featured Naval in November 2017, providing an in-depth discussion of his cryptocurrency strategy and philosophy. The Tim Ferriss Show episode #473, released in October 2020, saw Naval discussing crypto strategy and wealth creation with one of the largest audiences in the podcast space. Joe Rogan invited Naval to his Experience podcast (episode #1309) in June 2019, where they discussed various aspects of cryptocurrency and technology. Naval has also appeared on Goldman Sachs Talks discussing blockchain and its implications for finance. More recently, U.Today published “Naval Ravikant Calls Bitcoin True Store of Value” in 2024, confirming his continued advocacy for Bitcoin as the premier cryptocurrency.
Notable Bitcoin Tweets
Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected thinkers, has been a thoughtful and influential voice on Bitcoin since its early days, often distilling complex ideas about money and freedom into powerful statements.
“Bitcoin is a bank account in the cloud that is censorship-resistant, cannot be frozen, and accessible to anyone in the world.”
— @naval
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“Bitcoin is the true L1, the ultimate store of value.”
— @naval
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“Blockchains combine the openness of the internet with the security of cryptography to give everyone a faster, safer way to verify information and establish trust.”
— @naval
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Related Bitcoin Quotes
