Week 11: James Schuler, Atlas

This week was particularly special to me as I got to sit down with James Schuler, a long time family friend and my brother Mickey’s cofounder. Their company Atlas utilizes blockchain technology to provide mobile financial services by hooking into existing social systems, allowing for greater access to security, loans, and other financial products. More importantly, Atlas is laying the foundation for a network that will empower a share economy for money.

James has always been the wunderkind of the group, having co-founded Eligible when he was merely 17 years old and later opting to forgo college by accepting a Thiel Fellowship. Though I’ve witnessed James’ entrepreneurial journey in real time, it was great to hear him reflect on the path he’s chosen and to learn more about his vision for Atlas. While most startups claim to have a family culture, I know firsthand how true that is for this team, who flew over from Africa this past Thanksgiving to celebrate with the Costa and Schuler families. Most of the year is spent living in a “hacker house” together in Ghana as the team continues to scale across the continent. My own personal bias about the company aside, discussing the impacts of decentralized finance with James and the future of cryptocurrency proved to be an illuminating experience.

Stage 👉 Seed
Location 👉 NYC (HQ), Ghana, and Senegal
Industry 👉 Blockchain

“If you think of life as an ocean, there’s only one opportunity to catch that perfect wave and ride it to shore.”

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why cryptocurrency is more easily adopted in the developing world
• How James’ first foray intro entrepreneurship at age 12 led to a series of different ventures (and why the passion is still the same regardless)
• James’ perspective on education and skipping college, and why it’s not always the best choice for everyone
• How being a young founder has allowed James to be comfortable with the risk that comes from pursuing entrepreneurship
• Why the ability to code is a road block, not a requirement, for being an entrepreneur (and why a good one should be able to get around this)
• The importance of fairness in a company’s culture, and how to keep everyone (including yourself!) accountable

Listen to the end of the episode, where James talks about the future of cryptocurrency in America and why he’d pick Einstein to interview over anyone else.

Have a founder I should interview? Email me at crissy@52founders.com. Enjoyed the intro music? Check out Broke for Free to hear more.