About James
Entrepreneur. Strategist.
Bitcoin Educator.
James Caw is a South African entrepreneur, strategist, and writer whose work sits at the intersection of Bitcoin, business, and belief. He is the founder of SimplB, South Africa's first regulated Bitcoin-only company, and the author of books on Bitcoin and Christian faith.
Value Creation. Conviction. Long-Term Thinking.
He has spent most of his career asking practical questions about value: how it is created, how it grows, how it is protected, and why so many people work hard for decades only to store the results in systems they do not understand or control.
That question led him into business early. It later led him into marketing, strategy, and growth work across a wide range of companies. In time, it led him to Bitcoin.
James began helping people with Bitcoin in 2017 through a part-time OTC brokerage, initially serving friends and family. From the beginning, his focus was not speculation. It was helping people buy Bitcoin properly and move it into self-custody. By 2020, that work had grown to nearly 1,000 clients. Alongside that, he created a freely shareable Wallet Guide to help people take their first steps into self-custody with greater confidence. It was downloaded more than 3,000 times.
That work eventually became SimplB, South Africa's first regulated Bitcoin-only company and still the country's only regulated self-custody-focused Bitcoin firm. Today, James writes, advises, speaks, and builds around one central conviction: Bitcoin matters, but only if people understand what it is and how to hold it properly.
Alongside his Bitcoin work, James is a published author, a Bible teacher, and an active missionary. His faith is not a footnote. It shapes how he works, writes, and serves.
He is based in George on South Africa's Garden Route.
A Life of Building
James launched his first venture while still in school. The thread running through everything since then is a consistent drive to create genuine value and help others do the same.
2007 – 2010
My Gift Registry
Co-founded while at university: South Africa's first online wedding gift registry, serving couples across Johannesburg. Grew to four staff before being wound down by agreement. The lessons in product, logistics, and resilience were significant.
2009 – 2013
Sales, Marketing and Brand Building
Built commercial foundations across sales, client management, and brand development at Prestige Awards. Managed sales staff, sourced new clients, and built an online presence for a business that had previously relied entirely on word of mouth and exhibitions.
2013 – 2024
Chrysalis Marketing
Founded Chrysalis Marketing, providing strategy, AdWords management, website development, social media, and copywriting to South African businesses. The rise of Google AdWords and early Facebook created a new landscape for growth, and James was part of that shift from early on. He built a reputation as a strategist focused on practical results rather than fashionable theory.
2014 – 2019
Strategy across Financial Services
Built expertise in marketing strategy and business development across regulated financial services, including roles at Sebrio (health informatics), Currency Assist (foreign exchange treasury), and St Pauls Forex (private banking FX and financial advisor partnerships).
2020 – 2022
Living for Eternity: Kenya
Spent approximately seven weeks in Kenya training missionaries and pastors in house church planting during the COVID-19 period. The network began with 120 pastors, grew to 10,000 within six months, and by 2023 had reached an estimated 400,000 people across East and Central Africa.
2017 – Present
SimplB — South Africa's First Regulated Bitcoin-Only Platform
Founded SimplB in August 2017 as South Africa's first regulated Bitcoin-only brokerage and custody platform. Built the full suite for serious Bitcoin holders: regulated brokerage, multi-signature vaults, rand-cost averaging, estate planning, and education. Registered as Juristic Representative of CAEP Asset Managers (FSP No: 33933).
Ongoing
Author, Speaker and Podcast Host
Writes and publishes on Bitcoin strategy and Christian faith. Hosts The Strategic Reserve podcast. Speaks at Bitcoin conferences, business schools, and church events across South Africa.
Published Works
James writes across two areas: Bitcoin strategy and Christian life. His books are written for people who want clarity, not jargon.
Bitcoin: An Explanation by Satoshi
If He'd Had the Time
Book · 2025 · Share freely
Get your copyChristianity 101
Where to Start after You First Believe
Book · Living For Eternity
Get the bookThe Way Jesus Lived
40 Days to a Life Like His
Book · 2026 · Living For Eternity
Forty daily readings on what it looks like to actually live the way Jesus lived. Each day takes a passage of Scripture and asks a simple question: how does this shape how I live today? Written for disciples who want more than information.
Get the bookThe Gospel that Transforms
Book · Living For Eternity
A direct account of the Gospel as the apostles preached it: not merely a rescue plan, but a transformation. Written for sincere believers who want clarity on what the Good News actually is and what it produces in a life.
Watch on AmazonThe Strategic Reserve
The Strategic Reserve Podcast
Weekly conversations on building and securing a Bitcoin reserve: self-custody, multi-signature wallets, estate planning, regulatory compliance, and the fundamentals of Bitcoin security. For individuals, families, and businesses who are serious about holding Bitcoin properly.
Conferences, Business Schools and Churches
James speaks at Bitcoin conferences, corporate education events, business schools, and churches. His sessions are substantive and practical, whether addressing institutional Bitcoin adoption or the intersection of faith and financial sovereignty.
Selected Engagements
- UJ Business School
- University of Johannesburg: Bitcoin strategy and financial education
- Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Summit
- April 2025: Moderator on Bitcoin as a national and institutional reserve asset
- Crypto Fest SA
- Moderator, panel on Bitcoin strategy and self-custody
- CoinTelegraph
- Featured: "A Bitcoiner's guide to South Africa's Garden Route"
Interested in booking James for an event, church, or corporate session? See speaking topics
Value and Values
James does not separate commercial work from conviction. He believes the best businesses are built on the same principles as the best lives: clarity, honesty, long-term thinking, and genuine service. That belief runs through everything at SimplB. No shortcuts, no hype, no complexity for its own sake.
"Bitcoin is the most honest money humanity has ever produced. That matters to me, not just financially, but morally. How we hold our wealth reflects what we believe about the future."
— James CawWhether he is helping a family set up a multi-signature Bitcoin vault, writing a book on Christian discipleship, or distributing Bibles in rural Kenya, James operates from the same core: do good work, tell the truth, and play the long game.
Get in touch.
If you are thinking seriously about Bitcoin, or want to connect on anything on this site, reach out directly or find James on any of the platforms below.