For episode 225 of the Crypto Altruists podcast, we’re excited to welcome Lindsay Poss, former Hoops Sagrado player and current Campaign Architect behind their groundbreaking new initiative powered by the Stellar network.
Through this campaign, Hoops Sagrado is paying basketball camp employees, vendors, and local partners in Guatemala using the Stellar Disbursement Platform and Beans App, enabling fast, transparent, and secure digital payments where traditional banking access is limited.
But this project goes far beyond technology. It’s about trust, culture, and connection, using the power of sport and community to show how crypto can meet people where they are, build bridges between people, economies, and generations. and serve real human needs.
In today’s conversation, we’ll explore how basketball is breaking barriers for blockchain, how Stellar’s ecosystem is helping bridge financial divides, and the importance of local community engagement in driving meaningful change in Web3.
You’ll learn:
🏀 Meeting People Where They Are: True financial inclusion starts with accessibility. The Stellar Disbursement Platform makes crypto simple by offering easy on/off ramps and intuitive tools that work for those without deep tech knowledge.
💸 Solving Real Problems, Simply: In rural Guatemala, staff once carried wads of cash to pay workers. Stellar and Hoops Sagrado replaced that risky system with fast, secure digital payments, proving that where there’s a clear need, the right tech can deliver lasting impact.
🌱 Community Is the Gateway: By starting with culture and connection through basketball, shared spaces, and local collaboration, this project built trust from the ground up, showing how community-first design can make blockchain adoption truly stick.
PIPE gDAO is leveraging blockchain for their University Real World Asset IP Launchpad that helps bring groundbreaking ideas from lab to market. By joining the Pipe Associate Network (aka PAN), associates can create a profile highlighting their skills, be notified of opportunities, and then contribute fractional work to pre-IPO companies in return for equity and tokens.
Check out their Linktree for links to all of their socials so you can get involved and join this growing community!
02:15 - To kick things off, can you introduceyourself and tell us a little bit more about your journey from being a formerHoops Sagrado player to now being the Campaign Architect of this campaign?
04:15 - Tell me more about what drew you into theStellar ecosystem.
07:00 - Can you please give listeners ahigh-level overview of the mission of Hoops Sagrado and what makes their workin Guatemala so powerful for both D.C. youth and Mayan communities?
14:40 - It can be challenging onboarding newusers to crypto. What has been the reception of communities you’ve worked within Guatemala?
21:20 - Many of the users you are onboarding havenever had access to traditional financial tools. Have you found that this hascreated a situation where regions like Rural Guatemala are “leapfrogging”traditional finance directly to Web3?
26:25 - The project is more than just an upgradeto payroll and cash transfers, as I understand you’re also restoring abasketball court, funding arts and music teachers, and connecting schools. Whywas it important to go beyond just financial infrastructure to support broadercommunity needs?
30:25 - Do you have any stories of on-the-groundimpact you can share with listeners that demonstrates the value of this work tothe local community?
34:15 - What is the longer-term vision? Whatdownstream impacts do you expect to see in the future as the project matures?
38:00 - One of the challenges across the cryptoindustry is trust. What are some strategies you’ve used to build trust whenonboarding communities to Web3?
41:45 - Do you have a CTA for listeners? What’sthe best way to learn more about Stellar and Hoops Sagrado?
44:00 - If this project in Guatemala is just thebeginning, what’s your dream scenario for how blockchain could transformcommunities like these over the next decade?
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While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More available HERE.
