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Feb 17, 2017 · 19m · top-founders

EP 573: I Sell My Financial Data On This Podcast with BitMark CEO Sean Moss-Pultz

Sean Moss-Pultz · 9m spoken Nathan Latka · 8m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews Bitmark founder and CEO Sean Moss-Pultz to examine how cryptographic titles establish property rights for personal digital data. The discussion explores data monetization mechanics, startup fundraising, legal enforceability, and an on-air experiment where Nathan offers his personal financial data for public sale.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 48.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.2 Guest teaching 2.8 Guest disagreement 1.5 Nathan pushing back 2.2
05100:0010:001:07–6:29 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Introducing Sean Moss-Pultz and Bitmark's Core Concept Latka probes the practical reality of Bitmark by checking the website live and questioning the download availability. He also pushes on how data valuation works when Moss-Pultz claims location data is worth $50 a year.6:29–8:39 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Legal Foundations of Digital Property and Chain of Title Latka questions whether digital property claims have any legal standing in court. Moss-Pultz pushes back against Latka's premise about intangible goods by explaining the historical legal precedent of intellectual property and contract law.8:40–12:47 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Bitmark Founding Story, Past Failures, and Seed Funding Latka demonstrates strong financial fluency, instantly computing post-money valuation, monthly burn rates, and runway based on Bitmark's Taiwan operating costs.12:47–15:18 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Nathan Latka Offers His Financial Data for Public Sale The exchange turns highly collaborative as Latka pitches himself as a case study, offering up all of his personal financial data for Bitmark to broker.15:20–17:54 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Extended Free Trial Latka delivers a mid-roll advertisement for Acuity Scheduling before conducting the standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire.17:56–19:48 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Episode Recap, Past Guest Teaser, and HostGator Promotion Monologue closing segment featuring an episode recap, teaser for previous guest Phil Town, and a promotional read for HostGator.1:07–6:29 · Guest teaching 5/10 Introducing Sean Moss-Pultz and Bitmark's Core Concept Latka probes the practical reality of Bitmark by checking the website live and questioning the download availability. He also pushes on how data valuation works when Moss-Pultz claims location data is worth $50 a year.6:29–8:39 · Guest teaching 7/10 Legal Foundations of Digital Property and Chain of Title Latka questions whether digital property claims have any legal standing in court. Moss-Pultz pushes back against Latka's premise about intangible goods by explaining the historical legal precedent of intellectual property and contract law.8:40–12:47 · Guest teaching 2/10 Bitmark Founding Story, Past Failures, and Seed Funding Latka demonstrates strong financial fluency, instantly computing post-money valuation, monthly burn rates, and runway based on Bitmark's Taiwan operating costs.12:47–15:18 · Guest teaching 2/10 Nathan Latka Offers His Financial Data for Public Sale The exchange turns highly collaborative as Latka pitches himself as a case study, offering up all of his personal financial data for Bitmark to broker.15:20–17:54 · Guest teaching 1/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Extended Free Trial Latka delivers a mid-roll advertisement for Acuity Scheduling before conducting the standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire.17:56–19:48 · Guest teaching 0/10 Episode Recap, Past Guest Teaser, and HostGator Promotion Monologue closing segment featuring an episode recap, teaser for previous guest Phil Town, and a promotional read for HostGator.1:07–6:29 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Introducing Sean Moss-Pultz and Bitmark's Core Concept Latka probes the practical reality of Bitmark by checking the website live and questioning the download availability. He also pushes on how data valuation works when Moss-Pultz claims location data is worth $50 a year.6:29–8:39 · Guest disagreement 4/10 Legal Foundations of Digital Property and Chain of Title Latka questions whether digital property claims have any legal standing in court. Moss-Pultz pushes back against Latka's premise about intangible goods by explaining the historical legal precedent of intellectual property and contract law.8:40–12:47 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Bitmark Founding Story, Past Failures, and Seed Funding Latka demonstrates strong financial fluency, instantly computing post-money valuation, monthly burn rates, and runway based on Bitmark's Taiwan operating costs.12:47–15:18 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Nathan Latka Offers His Financial Data for Public Sale The exchange turns highly collaborative as Latka pitches himself as a case study, offering up all of his personal financial data for Bitmark to broker.15:20–17:54 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Extended Free Trial Latka delivers a mid-roll advertisement for Acuity Scheduling before conducting the standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire.17:56–19:48 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Episode Recap, Past Guest Teaser, and HostGator Promotion Monologue closing segment featuring an episode recap, teaser for previous guest Phil Town, and a promotional read for HostGator.1:07–6:29 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Introducing Sean Moss-Pultz and Bitmark's Core Concept Latka probes the practical reality of Bitmark by checking the website live and questioning the download availability. He also pushes on how data valuation works when Moss-Pultz claims location data is worth $50 a year.6:29–8:39 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Legal Foundations of Digital Property and Chain of Title Latka questions whether digital property claims have any legal standing in court. Moss-Pultz pushes back against Latka's premise about intangible goods by explaining the historical legal precedent of intellectual property and contract law.8:40–12:47 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Bitmark Founding Story, Past Failures, and Seed Funding Latka demonstrates strong financial fluency, instantly computing post-money valuation, monthly burn rates, and runway based on Bitmark's Taiwan operating costs.12:47–15:18 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Nathan Latka Offers His Financial Data for Public Sale The exchange turns highly collaborative as Latka pitches himself as a case study, offering up all of his personal financial data for Bitmark to broker.15:20–17:54 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Extended Free Trial Latka delivers a mid-roll advertisement for Acuity Scheduling before conducting the standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire.17:56–19:48 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Episode Recap, Past Guest Teaser, and HostGator Promotion Monologue closing segment featuring an episode recap, teaser for previous guest Phil Town, and a promotional read for HostGator.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 67.9% · guest 32.1%0:00 · Nathan 67.9% · guest 32.1%3:00 · Nathan 21.5% · guest 78.5%3:00 · Nathan 21.5% · guest 78.5%6:00 · Nathan 19.3% · guest 80.7%6:00 · Nathan 19.3% · guest 80.7%9:00 · Nathan 37.7% · guest 62.3%9:00 · Nathan 37.7% · guest 62.3%12:00 · Nathan 39.4% · guest 60.6%12:00 · Nathan 39.4% · guest 60.6%15:00 · Nathan 73.2% · guest 26.8%15:00 · Nathan 73.2% · guest 26.8%18:00 · Nathan 99.2% · guest 0.8%18:00 · Nathan 99.2% · guest 0.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 8:02 Moss-Pultz refutes difficulty of intangible ownership

Moss-Pultz explicitly states he wants to push back against Latka's assertion that intangible data cannot be tracked like physical property.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 5:46 Latka challenges the $50 location data figure

Latka interrupts to demand clarification on what $50/year actually buys and whether that represents single-app or aggregate phone telemetry.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 8:04 Moss-Pultz explains property law evolution to intangibles

Moss-Pultz educates Latka on how the judicial system transitioned from land titles to intellectual property, validating digital property rights.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 11:43 Latka breaks down seed round economics and cost structure

Latka immediately calculates the exact post-money valuation ($9.7M) and audits Bitmark's monthly burn rate per employee in Taiwan.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Introducing Sean Moss-Pultz and Bitmark's Core Concept 4524 Latka probes the practical reality of Bitmark by checking the website live and questioning the download availability. He also pushes on how data valuation works when Moss-Pultz claims location data is worth $50 a year.
Legal Foundations of Digital Property and Chain of Title 3744 Latka questions whether digital property claims have any legal standing in court. Moss-Pultz pushes back against Latka's premise about intangible goods by explaining the historical legal precedent of intellectual property and contract law.
Bitmark Founding Story, Past Failures, and Seed Funding 6213 Latka demonstrates strong financial fluency, instantly computing post-money valuation, monthly burn rates, and runway based on Bitmark's Taiwan operating costs.
Nathan Latka Offers His Financial Data for Public Sale 4211 The exchange turns highly collaborative as Latka pitches himself as a case study, offering up all of his personal financial data for Bitmark to broker.
Sponsor Segment: Acuity Scheduling Extended Free Trial 2111 Latka delivers a mid-roll advertisement for Acuity Scheduling before conducting the standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire.
Episode Recap, Past Guest Teaser, and HostGator Promotion 0000 Monologue closing segment featuring an episode recap, teaser for previous guest Phil Town, and a promotional read for HostGator.

Statements from this episode (6)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Moss-Pultz: US location data is worth around $50 a year
“Location data in the U S is worth around 50 dollars a year.”
Sean Moss-Pultz Feb 17, 2017 ▶ 5:38
Insight
Moss-Pultz: Personal data will be the next major asset class
“Our thesis, if you will, is that data is the next big asset class.”
Sean Moss-Pultz Feb 17, 2017 ▶ 6:13
Disclosure
Moss-Pultz lost $6.5M in angel funding on a previous startup
“I think in total about six and a half million.”
Sean Moss-Pultz Feb 17, 2017 ▶ 9:20
Disclosure
Bitmark raised a $1.7M seed round at $8M pre-money valuation
“No, this was all priced... We priced it at pre eight million.”
Sean Moss-Pultz Feb 17, 2017 ▶ 10:57
Disclosure
Bitmark is making health data its initial strategic focus
“So we are actively recruiting buyers who would be interested in certain types of health data. Health is our first focus”
Sean Moss-Pultz Feb 17, 2017 ▶ 13:19
Insight
Moss-Pultz: Donating health data benefits humanity more than organ donation
“Let's say I donate my kidney, right? Well, I can save one person, but if I donate health data that then is used by a research study, I can save like, or not, not safe, but I can benefit like all of humanity for the entire future. I mean, that, that, that might…”
Sean Moss-Pultz Feb 17, 2017 ▶ 13:33
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