Square Crypto awarded a grant to designer Maggie Valentine to tackle one of the biggest obstacles keeping newcomers out of crypto: wallets that require a PhD to use. Valentine, who works at blockchai
Square Crypto awarded a grant to designer Maggie Valentine to tackle one of the biggest obstacles keeping newcomers out of crypto: wallets that require a PhD to use.
Valentine, who works at blockchain startup she256, will spend the grant period examining how beginner users interact with Bitcoin's core security concepts, particularly private keys and seed phrases. These concepts confuse even people with strong technology backgrounds. Most wallet interfaces pile on terminology and offer minimal instruction.
In her grant proposal, Valentine articulated the core problem: "The current state of products and experiences within this industry creates strong barriers to entry; wallet onboarding flows are often saturated with technical jargon, unfamiliar user concepts, and little-to-no education. Unless equipped with a technical background, users are often deterred from reaping the benefits this technology has to offer."
Square announced the grant via Twitter, describing Valentine as "a designer working to simplify wallet onboarding flows by reducing technical jargon and increasing user education." The project's findings will appear in the Bitcoin Design Guide under "Best Practices."
She brings relevant experience. Between June and September, Valentine worked as a product design intern at Celo, an open platform building a financial system for individual prosperity. That background shaped her focus on making crypto accessible to people without technical knowledge.
Square announced a separate grant to Riccardo Cassata the week before, on October 23rd. Both awards reflect the company's drive to expand Bitcoin adoption. Jack Dorsey, who runs Square as CEO, also leads Twitter and has championed Bitcoin.
The commitment extends beyond grants. Last month, Square spent $50 million on crypto, buying 4,709 bitcoin.
