Armani Cotton on Cypherpunk Studio, NBA Culture, and Bitcoin Branding

Bitcoin has the best engineering in the world, but does it have the best storytelling? In this episode, Brandon Karpeles sits down with Armani Cotton, professional basketball player, former VP at Swan, and founder of Cypherpunk Studio.

Armani argues that "number go up" isn't enough to capture the world—we need to build worlds, culture, and experiences that people want to step into. He breaks down:

His unique background: From Yale Neuropsychology to Pro Basketball to Bitcoin
Why he founded Cypherpunk Studio to be the creative partner for serious Bitcoin companies
The Clutch Sports Story: Teaching financial literacy to the next generation of NBA stars
How the Cleveland Cavaliers used Bitcoin culture to expand their brand in Brazil
Why "Convincing" people is weak, but demonstrating "Conviction" is unstoppable (The Michael Saylor effect)
Why the Silk Road story resonated because of freedom, not drugs
Why Bitcoin is an "open source game" just like basketball
How to bridge the gap between "Lanyard Land" conferences and real-world cultural experiences
Why he follows rules only based on consequences (The NYC mentality)
The 2026 vision for experiential Bitcoin marketing

This episode is a masterclass on branding, human psychology, and why the next wave of Bitcoin adoption will be driven by culture, not just charts.

Connect with Armani & Cypherpunk StudioEmail: 11@armanicotton.com Website: https://armanicotton.com LinkedIn: Armani Cotton

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Connect with Brandon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-karpeles-b122b45/Nostr: @plebiAnon

Connect with SovreignLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/officialsovreignX: @sovreignX