Meet the Melanin Team and Leadership Collaborative Innovation in Blockchain Technology
From founding BitHub.Africa (one of Africa's largest blockchain communities, 20+ events, hundreds of engineers trained) to launching Whive Protocol and the Proof of Work Show, our team has been building at the intersection of Bitcoin and energy since 2015. We've seen the $21 billion funding gap in energy access, the 685 million people without electricity, and the 200+ TWh of renewable energy curtailed annually. That's why we're building Melanin: to turn stranded energy into economic opportunity through distributed, non-custodial Bitcoin mining.
Leadership
John Wainaina Karanja
Founder
Visionary behind Melanin Ventures and the global distributed solar energy infrastructure initiative. Leading the mission to transform stranded energy into digital value through Bitcoin-first dual mining from our Boston headquarters.
Christian Kakoba Mugisho
Co-Founder
Strategic partner driving Melanin's expansion across emerging markets. Instrumental in developing the MSBX solution and building blockchain communities through BitHub Africa.
Company Structure
Melanin Ventures
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts
Global Operations
Distributed Team
Americas, Africa, and beyond
BitHub Africa
Foundational Academy
East Africa (Dec 2015 - Dec 2025)
Core Team
Lead Architect
Focus: Stratum V2, Consensus Protocols, ARM Optimization. "Code is law, but energy is life."
Systems Engineer
Focus: Embedded Systems, Melanin OS, Hardware Abstraction. Building the bridge between silicon and blockchain.
Energy Analyst
Focus: Microgrid Integration, Solar Economics, Battery Storage. Designing the prosumer future.
Community Lead
Focus: Global Chapters, Education, Developer Relations. Empowering local leaders.
Product Designer
Focus: UI/UX, Accessibility, Design Systems. Making complex mining technology usable.
Join Us
Open Source
We build in public. Check our GitHub.
Bitcoin First
We prioritize the most secure network.
Energy Aware
We mine to stabilize, not to waste.
Local Impact
We build for the edge, not just the core.
