
The trademark application for Obilisk has officially been filed; making today’s date a very special day. The logo for the website has been finalized, our Bitcoin node is nearly fully synced and the website is soon to go live. This is truly a new beginning.
When I started developing Obilisk in the early summer of 2019, I had just returned to my beloved hometown of Timmins, Ontario where I had paid off the last of my student loans. Shortly after, I was given an opportunity abroad to pursue a career in my field of aerospace engineering. Honoured yet apprehensive, I was at a crossroads and questioned: “Should I pack up my life, put my vision on the shelf and head to the other side of the globe? Or should I take the risk, and take my future into my own hands?”. I believed that as a fresh graduate, with no debt and no other commitments, I had this once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue my dreams; thus, Obilisk was born.
Starting out, all I had was a vision, an introductory computer programming course, and a handful of university level math classes under my belt — So I got to work. Using HTML and CSS tutorials I had found on the web, I first started my process by creating basic web pages; playing around with what Obilisk could look like. From there, I started developing the algorithm that is now the heart of the app. With each hurdle I encountered, the Internet was right there to guide me in the right direction. Whether it is Stack Overflow or LNDs Slack channel, the answers are there for anyone wanting to learn anything about Bitcoin and or web development.
Some of the hurdles were not within the coding landscape, but in my every day life. I had been laid off from one of my jobs due to a fire in the establishment, forcing it to close its doors for many months, and soon after, I had nearly lost my life in a major car accident. This life changing event reinforced my decision to take my dreams and aspirations, and begin to make them a reality.
It was and still is not easy to follow the path of an entrepreneur. From taking risks to trying to convince people that you are doing the right thing, the road ahead will require a lot of hard work — and it will not be free. Funding the development of Obilisk required I leave my hometown and take a part time job as a waiter. As I carry trays full of drinks to my assigned tables, the iron ring I wear on my right hand often sparks the common question: “What’s an engineer doing working in a restaurant?”. Doubt often overcomes me, but small victories like when I find a bug in my code, or when I receive a promising email from the trademark agent, quell any instances of uncertainty in my mind.
I have come a long way from having just a vision and an introductory understanding of coding, but I still have much to learn about web development, mathematics, and Bitcoin. As the launch date approaches, I look forward to releasing V1 of Obilisk for the world to see, and growing the project into something great. Stay tuned!

