Genesis Founding Member: Kunkomu

*In Oct 2020, the protocol undertook a rebrand from Coda to Mina.

Kunkomu joined the community in the early days and has evolved to be a true community leader, from learning how to run a node himself back in release 2 to now helping newcomers with their node configurations. He has always been very active and passionate about the Mina community and many know to turn to him for any help or questions they may have. In fact, Kunkomu is offering live demo/hands-on classes before the start of Testnet Release 3.3 to show people how to set up their Mina node under different operating systems—you can sign up here. Kunkomu is a perfect example of how you can go from beginner to expert helper in the Mina community. Apply for Genesis to join him!

How did you get involved in blockchain?

I got into crypto when I was looking for an option for an investment. I have never bought any stocks in the stock market because I could never really fully understand how the market worked on a day-to-day operations basis. So I looked into crypto and started reading the technologies behind what a blockchain is. I understood how a blockchain works, mainly because I am more of a technically inclined person. So I can visually see the start of the chain and how it creates the coins. Even though I don’t understand the blockchain completely, I feel I have more of a grasp of the technology and it came to me so much faster then the stock market. Since I understood it, I decided that I could invest my money into it because I felt a lot more comfortable investing in something that I understood.

Why did you join the Mina Testnet?

To be honest, Mina was recommended to me by a friend from a different Discord channel. When it was brought to my attention, I thought it would be a great place to start learning the in’s and out’s of a cryptocurrency, and the best way to learn is by helping to debug issues, which is what I started out doing. Also, Mina really caught my eye with its lightweight blockchain, which is different from other protocols. After reading a little about Mina’s mission, I thought to myself that this technology could be used in so many places, and so I dove in head first, not really even knowing where I would end up.

Tell us about your experience with Mina and the community.

I have been in a lot of different Discord channels and talked in many of them. The community that surrounds Mina is just a set of friendly people that has no problem helping others get started. When I started, I wasn’t treated like a noob or a person that didn’t know anything, even though I am still a bit clumsy in Linux. I was met with motivation and helping hands that got me rolling in the right direction, which was all I needed—a direction to head towards and a small push. The community is more than welcoming and happy to help anyone from all levels of expertise.

What are your favorite things about the Mina technology and community?

The technology – the fact that the blockchain is so lightweight. Being able to access this blockchain in a web browser and run a fully operational node is crazy. I see that in the near future, the world will be using a form of electronic money, and since this blockchain is so light, it opens doors to make things so easy for people to use. This is what excites me most about Mina’s tech.

The community just make Mina more fun to learn with people willing to take the time to point others in the right direction for that slight push is just amazing in today’s world.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I am a DIY 3D printer builder and I also build table CNC routers. I also spend time with my kids, teaching them how to code, and we program add-ons for our Minecraft server.

Are you participating in any other projects?

I am currently mining for the RVN coin and I run a node for the Meter project. Been thinking of starting up a Tezos node and a Filecoin node but haven’t started the research behind it all yet.

What are some resources you rely on to stay on top of blockchain/crypto news and info?

I am a part of a great discord channel ran by the Mining Store out of Melbourne, Australia and so far they are the best place for crypto knowledge I have ever seen or ran into. Their community is a lot like Mina’s in that there are so many people from all walks of life there willing to help and support others.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I am really excited about being a Genesis founding member for Mina. I can’t wait till mainnet is released and see what Mina can accomplish. I think the team is working hard and doing a great job of building this blockchain and wish for them to keep up the great work.

We so appreciate your dedication and are very glad to have you as a Genesis Founding Member (as well as Technical Community Ambassador), Kunkomu! With your help, Mina will grow to be bigger and better than before.