We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Car Gonzalez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Car, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Back in 2021, we founded PlebLab with a simple but ambitious mission—supporting great builders in the Bitcoin space and helping them succeed. We quickly found our rhythm, attracting talented developers, founders and fostering a strong community. By 2022, we had successfully raised a small pre-seed round of $290K. I remember thinking at the time that it wasn’t a huge amount of money, but it was meaningful—especially because it was a syndicate raise. That meant multiple investors had put their trust in us, and I felt a deep responsibility to take it seriously and ensure they saw a return.

At the time, I was working as a producer for Marty Bent at TFTC, a role that was highly sought after in my industry. In the early days of PlebLab, I wasn’t officially the CEO, but I was doing everything behind the scenes to keep things running. Eventually, I reached a crossroads—I knew that if I wanted to truly build PlebLab into something substantial, I had to commit fully. That meant leaving TFTC, walking away from a secure position, and diving headfirst into the unknown.

People around me thought I was crazy. To them, leaving a stable job for an accelerator that had only just begun seemed like a massive risk. But to me, it wasn’t a question of risk—it was a question of responsibility. I felt an obligation to the investors who had bet on us, to the builders who relied on PlebLab, and to myself. I had to give this everything I had to make it work.

Looking back, I don’t regret it for a second. That decision allowed PlebLab to grow into what it is today—a thriving hub for Bitcoin builders. Taking the leap wasn’t about gambling on an uncertain future; it was about making sure I didn’t look back and wonder, What if?

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I come from a background in the arts and music, and I spent years working in web design before transitioning into IT professionally in Austin, Texas. Before founding PlebLab, I was fortunate to work at MyITpros, a company with incredible leadership that truly empowered its team. That experience shaped me in ways I didn’t fully appreciate at the time—it taught me how to manage client relationships, broker deals, build sales pipelines, and develop projects. More than anything, it reinforced a key lesson: reputation matters. In Austin, I built mine by delivering results, staying true to my word, and always pushing forward.

My leap into the Bitcoin ecosystem came after MyITpros was acquired by a larger company. I saw that as my cue to take a risk and pursue something I’d been passionate about for years. Since 2017, I had been working on Thriller Bitcoin, a local Austin blog focused on Bitcoin. I had built it in my spare time—late nights, weekends—waiting for the right moment to go all in. That moment came in 2021.

Not long after, I met my two co-founders of PlebLab, Keyan Kousha and Kyle Murphy. I convinced them to start a meetup called Austin Bitcoin Club—we launched it in July 2021. We thought it would be a small gathering, but over 200 people showed up. That overwhelming response made it clear that there was a massive demand for a true Bitcoin community in Austin. From that energy, PlebLab was born.

Keyan and I had been talking about the idea of a Bitcoin hackerspace, inspired by Mutiny in the show Halt and Catch Fire. We wanted to create a space where builders, developers, and creatives could collaborate, push the limits of what was possible, and have the kind of environment that fosters innovation. That vision became reality, and today, PlebLab is a thriving hub for Bitcoin builders.

What sets us apart is that we are deeply embedded in the grassroots Bitcoin movement. We don’t just talk about supporting builders—we live it. PlebLab is a place where real innovation happens, where people build, fail, iterate, and ultimately succeed. We help early-stage Bitcoin startups by providing mentorship, resources, and a network of like-minded builders who are all pushing forward together.

What I’m most proud of is the community we’ve built. Seeing people come through PlebLab, develop their ideas, and launch real, impactful projects in the Bitcoin space is what drives me. If there’s one thing I want people to know about me and my work, it’s that I believe in taking risks, building from the ground up, and supporting those who are willing to bet on themselves. Bitcoin is about sovereignty, and in many ways, so is PlebLab. We’re here to make sure the builders shaping the future of Bitcoin have a place to do it.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Yes, we had a major turning point in mid-2022. My co-founder, Kyle Murphy, met the love of his life, got married, and shortly afterward welcomed his first child. As anyone who’s built a startup knows, running an early-stage company—especially one with investor expectations—is already an all-consuming challenge. Balancing that with a newborn and a new family made it even tougher for him to continue leading PlebLab in the way he wanted.

By early 2023, we made the decision for me to take over CEO duties. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the weight of that decision—I just knew that if PlebLab was going to survive, we needed to adapt. What I didn’t realize was just how difficult the road ahead would be. Taking over as CEO meant facing challenges I hadn’t fully prepared for, and some of those were existential moments for the company.

One of my first moves was bringing in Teresa Martin, a business developer based out of Dallas, Texas, to help put us back on track. Looking back, I think this was the right decision—if anything, it should have happened sooner. As founders, we sometimes don’t realize when we’re in the wrong position, and that can hold the company back. At the same time, you never truly know what you’re capable of until you’re on the hot seat, responsible for making the hard calls.

There were definitely moments when it felt like we were at a breaking point, but what kept me going was the commitment to finding answers through my faith—no matter where I had to look or who I had to learn from. Leading a startup through near-death moments forces you to grow fast, think harder, and push past the limits you thought you had. PlebLab made it through those tough times, and I came out of it with a deeper understanding of what it really takes to be closer to God.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

In late 2023, we got an unexpected opportunity—Wolf, a New York-based accelerator, reached out to us with an offer to collaborate. They believed in what we were building at PlebLab so much that they essentially handed us a blank check and told us to create something impactful. It was one of those rare moments in startups where someone bets on you with full confidence, and we knew we had to make it count.

With that funding, we launched Top Builder—a three-month global competition designed to push Bitcoin innovation forward. The idea was simple but bold: bring together top builders, challenge them to solve real-world Bitcoin problems, and give them a platform to showcase their work. More than just a hackathon, Top Builder was built around mentorship, community collaboration, and technical innovation.

The impact was immediate. Top Builder became an annual event, with the final round now held during SXSW. The competition isn’t just about building—it’s about pushing the limits of what’s possible in Bitcoin. Emerging startups get the chance to pitch live, gain exposure, and connect with investors and industry leaders.

We recently wrapped up Top Builder Season 2, where Jippi—an AR-based Bitcoin app that rewards Gen Z users in a Pokémon Go-style environment—took center stage. Season 1 gave us Yopaki, a Bitcoin exchange built for Latin America. Seeing these projects go from ideas to real-world solutions has been incredible.

Looking ahead, our goal is to make Top Builder Season 3 the biggest one yet. What started as a risk—a bet on an idea—has turned into a flagship event for Bitcoin builders worldwide. It’s proof that when you take bold swings, you can create something that truly moves the industry forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pleblab.dev
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pleblab
• Twitter: https://x.com/pleblab
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pleblab
• Other: https://www.plebtv.com