Roger Ver, once known as “Bitcoin Jesus” for his early and enthusiastic evangelism of Bitcoin, is one of the earliest prominent investors in the Bitcoin ecosystem. He began investing in Bitcoin in 2011 when the price was around $1.
Early Investments
Ver was one of the first angel investors in Bitcoin startups, backing companies including BitPay, Kraken, Blockchain.info, Ripple, and others during a period when few mainstream investors would touch cryptocurrency. His early investments and vocal advocacy helped bring attention to Bitcoin during its formative years.
Bitcoin.com and Bitcoin Cash
Ver owns the Bitcoin.com domain name. After the Bitcoin Cash hard fork in August 2017, he became the most prominent advocate for Bitcoin Cash (BCH), using Bitcoin.com to promote it as the “real” Bitcoin. This stance put him at odds with much of the Bitcoin community, and his earlier “Bitcoin Jesus” nickname gave way to less flattering labels.
Criminal History and Legal Issues
In 2002, Ver was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for selling explosives on eBay without a license. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2014 and became a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis.
In April 2024, Ver was arrested in Spain on a U.S. federal indictment charging him with tax evasion and fraud related to the disposition of his cryptocurrency holdings after renouncing U.S. citizenship. The DOJ alleges he failed to report and pay taxes on approximately $240 million in Bitcoin held at the time of his expatriation. The case is ongoing.
Bitcoin Foundation
Ver provided significant early funding to the Bitcoin Foundation and was an influential voice in Bitcoin governance debates. He was a vocal supporter of increasing Bitcoin’s block size, backing Bitcoin XT, Bitcoin Classic, and ultimately Bitcoin Cash.
Investments
ShapeShift: $1.6 million - First
| Exchange
Description: Trade any leading blockchain asset for any other. Protection by design. No account needed.
Investors: Digital Currency Group, Roger Ver, Bruce Fenton, Michael Terpin, Trevor Koverko
Headquartered: Zug
Country: Switzerland
ShapeShift: $0.53 million - Seed
| Exchange
Description: Trade any leading blockchain asset for any other. Protection by Design. No Account Needed.
Investors: Barry Silbert and Roger Ver
Headquartered: Zug
Country: Switzerland
Hive: $0.19 million - Seed
| Wallet
Investors: Roger Ver, Seedcoin
Headquartered: Hong Kong
Country: China
Safello: $0.6 million - Seed
10-Feb-2014 | Exchange
Investors: Roger Ver, Nicolas Cary, Eric Voorhees, Individual Investors
Headquartered: Stockholm
Country: Sweden
BitPay: $0.51 million - Seed
1-Sep-2012 | Payment Processor
Investors: Shakil Khan, Barry Silbert, Roger Ver, Ashton Kutcher, Matt Mullenweg, Ben Davenport, Trace Mayer, Jimmy Furland
Headquartered: Atlanta
Country: United States