**Math Whiz Turned Bitcoin Innovator: The Story of Willem Schroé**
When Willem Schroé was 17, he came in third out of 10,000 in a national math competition in Belgium, his home country. His prize was a book on botanics, the study of mathematics and fractals in nature. The book inspired awe in him, as he was humbled by the notion that physics and mathematics are bigger than any one of us. Today, he feels the same way about Bitcoin, which is why he’s building a groundbreaking Layer 2 on the network. But, before we get to that, let me offer you some background on Schroé.
**From Chemical Engineering to Bitcoin Innovation**
After graduating, Schroé couldn’t find a tech gig in Belgium, so he went into chemical engineering. He landed a job at a joint venture between ExxonMobil and SABIC in Saudi Arabia. On a business trip to Lebanon in 2019, he saw the ravaging effects of hyperinflation on the country. Deeply impacted by the experience, he decided to focus on building a better financial system on Bitcoin.
“I committed myself to spending all my resources, all my capabilities to make sure I helped Bitcoin succeed as soon as possible, because I could really see the world was moving faster and faster into a darker place,” says Schroé. “I see Bitcoin as being the light.”
**The Birth of Botanix: A Bitcoin Layer 2 on the EVM**
While at Harvard Business School, Schroé conceptualized Botanix, a Bitcoin Layer 2 that employs bitcoin as money on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) via a novel design structure that Schroé calls “the spiderchain.” The name Botanix was inspired by the subject of the book he won at age 17 — a nod to the idea that Bitcoin, which is governed by mathematics, is bigger than all of us.
**Building a Better Financial System on Bitcoin**
Schroé envisions a future where all real-world assets are tokenized on Bitcoin, creating a more decentralized and permissionless financial system. He believes that the EVM, despite its flaws, offers the best distribution for building financial services on Bitcoin.
**The Spiderchain: A Decentralized Network of Multisigs**
The spiderchain, designed by Schroé, aims to be inherently decentralized, allowing for a secure and decentralized network of multisigs to run on Bitcoin. Leveraging proof-of-stake consensus, the spiderchain ensures the security of both the bitcoin held in multisigs and the EVM.
**Challenges and Future Outlook**
Schroé anticipates pushback from both Bitcoin and Ethereum communities for his innovative approach. However, he believes that Botanix will bridge the gap between the two ecosystems, offering a new way to utilize bitcoin on the EVM. With the mainnet launch on the horizon, Schroé encourages developers to explore the possibilities of Botanix and join him in building a more efficient and decentralized financial system on Bitcoin.
