Catching up with Vertcoin Athlete

vertcoin_athlete

The rapid growth of cryptocurrency has inspired much innovation and opened the doors of opportunity to aspirational individuals with big ideas. Brandon Kurtz and his newly launched brand, Vertcoin Athlete, is one such example of this. An astute idea with the potential to positively influence people’s health whilst promoting his preferred cryptocurrency - Vertcoin.

In mid-March 2014, Brandon, a Vertcoin enthusiast and keen marathon runner based in the Colorado Mountains of USA launched a campaign on Vertcoin Market (A crowd funding site similar to Kickstarter). The campaign aimed to raise funds from the Vertcoin community to sponsor Brandon for the upcoming Berlin and Space Coast Marathons.

What I am proposing is simply to be sponsored and be the official Vertcoin marathoner (triathlete next year!). I will wear a green shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, whatever with the Vertcoin logo in every race I run.

The 200 Vertcoins required were raised in just under two months with one member offering to double the total donation as an extra bonus.

vertcoin_athlete The idea quickly spiraled from being a simple sponsorship of one athlete to becoming a brand that “raises awareness for Vertcoin, the Vertcoin community, and all those athletes that need the extra support to do something great!”. The website vertcoinathlete.com was launched as a place where people could buy Vertcoin themed sportswear to wear during their sporting activities.

We got in touch with Brandon to ask him some questions:

How and why did you take an interest in Vertcoin?

“I took an interest in Vertcoin as soon as I discovered it on the bitcointalk forums. I had been mining for about a month and spent most of that time learning everything I could about Cryptocurrency. At the time, Vertcoin seemed like a worthy altcoin and not just another pump and dump. It’s innovative, has a great dev team, has a great community, and can be marketed well. I still believe that today.”

What made you realise Vertcoin Athlete could become more than a simple sponsorship of one athlete?

“Honestly, it was a progression of ideas. The support from the community for just me was great, so I thought I could sponsor others as well. Vertcoin is still a relatively small community when you look at a couple of the others, so it would be difficult to be able to sponsor professional/amateur athletes on a grander scale. That’s when I figured it would be a lot of fun to just get the brand out to the people and have them represent and promote Vertcoin! I really think it’s going to be cool to watch it grow from the ground up.”

Could you explain a bit more about Vertcoin Athlete and how it promotes sports?

“Vertcoin Athletes in ANY sport will get out and raise awareness, not only for Cryptocurrency but for their sport as well! For example, I have two really good friends that are going to become Vertcoin Athletes; they play Gaelic Football in Columbus, Ohio. Not many people, outside of maybe Ireland and some other parts of the world, have even heard of Gaelic Football. It’s a really awesome sport!  What I hope to achieve with Vertcoin Athlete is to not only promote Cryptocurrency to the everyday sports fan, but to promote athletics and fitness to the Cryptocommunity as well. I think both can be achieved with a recognizable brand.”

How have the Vertcoin community been?

“Vertans has been very supportive, both through generous donations and help in getting the project started. They have a lot of interest in the project and the members are certainly eager to represent the community, alongside myself.”

What events have you got lined up for the future?

“Personally, I have 4 planned running events where I’ll be representing the Vertcoin community. If any Vertan wants to have their event listed on the website, all they need to do is drop me a line and tell me where they will be! Doesn’t matter if it’s a 5K or disc golf tournament, any athlete promoting Cryptocurrency will be featured on Vertcoin Athlete. It’s totally cool if they don’t want to be listed on there either, and would rather just wear the shirt to bed or out on the town! I have some long term goals of possibly hosting tournaments, running events, etc. but my main focus is to get the community involved and get the word out!”

Are you considering selling any other products to sell on the site?

“Currently, I only plan on selling athletic shirts and possibly a few golf polos. Of course, I would love to do more, but right now I’m going to focus on delivering a great product that bears the Vertcoin Athlete name.”

With a solid philosophy going forward, more marathons lined up and the potential to sponsor other athletes competing in events around the world, Vertcoin Athlete has great potential. So what are you waiting for Vertans? Get over to Vertcoin Athlete, get your gear and support the cause!

Visit Vertcoin Athlete at http://vertcoinathlete.com/