Many teenagers will consider whether they want to continue learning through higher education, or if they would prefer to go another direction. In 2011, Erik Finman decided that he wanted to continue learning but he did not want to go to college. At just 12 years old, Erik asked his parents if he could skip college and pursue higher education through different means IF he was able to successfully invest money. They agreed to his proposition, and the rest as they say is history.
Using funds that his Grandmother had recently gifted him, Erik bought $1,000 worth of Bitcoin at around $10-$12 per coin. Erik had invested in Bitcoin just in time, as just a short time later, it skyrocketed to around $1,100 per coin. Using money he made from his investment, Erik sold $100,000 worth of his Bitcoins to start Botangle, a tutoring service that matches students with teacher via virtual video call/chat. Erik’s big break though came when he sold Botangle. The buyer offered Erik either 300 Bitcoin or $100,000. Guess which one Erik took… today at a value of $6,500 per coin, Erik is pretty happy he chose the Bitcoins.
While tutoring services are nothing new, the thing that makes Erik’s story unique is how he knew about and invested in Bitcoin at such a young age. There are many people who still don’t understand Bitcoin or how it works today, but for a kid to know about and invest in it Bitcoin 8 years ago, that is truly special.
I love how he did not travel the normal route to success. The fact that he was able to convince his parents not to go to college and became super successful on a risk that no one thought was worth it is amazing.