Untold Stories

What Untold Stories does

Untold Stories, operating under the working title The Charlie Shrem Show, is a US-based podcast media venture founded in 2019 by Bitcoin Foundation and BitInstant founder Charlie Shrem. The company produces and distributes a long-form interview podcast focused on the personal histories and untold narratives behind the development of Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and Web3. The core product is the Untold Stories podcast, with 446+ episodes produced across multiple seasons through October 2025, featuring founders, executives, and thought leaders from the crypto ecosystem. Secondary products include video versions of episodes distributed via YouTube and the company website, a searchable episode archive, and a blog.

The technical platform is a standard podcast production and distribution stack: audio content is syndicated through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, and an RSS feed hosted on Megaphone, with a self-hosted web player and Podpage website providing additional discovery surfaces. There is no proprietary technology, no application layer, no API, and no SDK. The company operates a small team of 17 employees and is structured as a sole proprietorship under Charlie Shrem with no external investors, parent company, or institutional ownership.

The business model is advertising-based. The podcast is free to listeners and generates revenue through sponsored segments and advertisements from crypto-related companies including Yield, Cosmos, Paraswap, BlockWorks Group, Bitcasino, and Efani, plus a branded content partnership with KILT Protocol. There are no paid tiers, subscription products, or premium content offerings. The target audience is crypto and Bitcoin enthusiasts seeking first-person, insider perspectives on the development of the industry, and marketing relies on community engagement through podcast platform distribution, email newsletter signups, and Charlie Shrem's personal brand within the Bitcoin community.

Name

Untold Stories

Legal name

Charlie Shrem

Website

https://untoldstories.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Untold Stories is a US-based podcast media venture founded in 2019 by Bitcoin pioneer Charlie Shrem. It produces and distributes a long-form interview show covering the personal histories behind Bitcoin, crypto, and Web3 development, monetized through sponsorships from crypto-related advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Podcast Sponsorships: The podcast features sponsored segments and advertisements from crypto-related companies. Episode descriptions reference sponsors such as Yield, Cosmos, Paraswap, BlockWorks Group, Bitcasino, and Efani. Sponsors are mentioned during episodes with promotional offers for listeners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Untold Stories is a long-form interview podcast hosted by Bitcoin pioneer Charlie Shrem that features founders, executives, and thought leaders from the Bitcoin, crypto, and Web3 ecosystem. The show emphasizes personal histories and first-person narratives rather than technical analysis or price commentary, distributed globally as free audio and video content via major podcast platforms.

Product overview

Untold Stories (also known as The Charlie Shrem Show) is a podcast platform offering a single unified podcast product. The core offering is the Untold Stories podcast series—a long-form interview show where host Charlie Shrem discusses Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and Web3 topics with influential industry leaders. The show includes video versions of episodes (Videos section), a searchable archive of all episodes, and a blog component. Content is distributed through major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Castro, as well as via RSS feed syndication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Untold Stories (The Charlie Shrem Show) A long-form interview podcast hosted by Charlie Shrem featuring influential leaders in the Bitcoin, crypto, and Web3 movements, focused on personal stories and first-person accounts of how the ecosystem developed. Distributed free of charge globally through major podcast platforms.
• Videos Video content derived from podcast episodes, including full-length video interviews and short-form clips covering Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, DeFi, and Web3 topics with industry leaders.
• Episodes Archive Audio podcast episode archive organized by season and date, with over 446 episodes covering Bitcoin, crypto, and Web3 topics featuring interviews with influential figures in the space.
• Blog Written blog content accompanying the Untold Stories podcast, providing supplementary editorial around Bitcoin, crypto, and Web3 topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• High listener engagement as evidenced by consistently positive reviews across multiple years of ratings
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• YieldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYield sponsors the podcast, offering DeFi investment services. Sponsorship mentions yield filters through DeFi investments with potential for up to 20% APY. Promotional URL provided in episode descriptions for listener access.
• CosmosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCosmos Hub sponsors the podcast as the 'port city for blockchains' across the world. Episodes promote Cosmos network capabilities for bridging siloed blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum to ensure liquidity accessibility.
• ParaswapminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParaswap sponsors the podcast as a DeFi aggregator offering competitive swap prices across major DEXs. Promotion in episode descriptions directs listeners to paraswap.io/untold-stories for optimized swaps with lowest slippage.
• BlockWorks GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlockWorks Group powers the podcast by providing exclusive content and events offering insights into the crypto and blockchain space. Partnership provides additional exclusive content and industry events for the podcast audience.
• EfaniminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEfani, a secure telecommunications service protecting against SIM port-out hacks, sponsors the podcast. Featured in episode discussing cryptocurrency security and SIM swap protection for crypto holders.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coin Bureau: Crypto education and interview-focused media brand with an active YouTube and podcast presence. Comparable in producing long-form interviews with crypto leaders and serving a similar enthusiast audience.
• The Defiant: DeFi-focused media outlet with a flagship podcast covering crypto founders and protocols. Highly comparable in audience (crypto enthusiasts), format (long-form interviews), and sponsorship model (crypto protocol advertisers).
• Unchained (Laura Shin): Host-driven crypto podcast featuring deep interviews with industry founders and leaders. Comparable in format, audience, and reliance on a single recognizable host brand for differentiation.
• The Breakdown by NLW: Daily crypto podcast covering markets, macro, and interviews with key industry figures. Comparable in targeting crypto-native audiences and in podcast-sponsorship revenue model.
• Bitcoin Magazine Podcast: Long-running Bitcoin-focused podcast covering the history, personalities, and development of the Bitcoin ecosystem. Direct peer in Bitcoin-first long-form interview content and crypto-sponsor-funded model.
• The Pomp Podcast: Anthony Pompliano's long-running crypto and Bitcoin podcast featuring founder interviews and macro commentary. Closely comparable in host-driven branding, Bitcoin-first audience, and sponsorship-supported revenue model.
• What Bitcoin Did: Long-running Bitcoin-focused interview podcast hosted by Peter McCormack, featuring leading Bitcoin developers, investors, and thinkers. Directly comparable in Bitcoin-first long-form interview format and host-led brand identity.
• Bankless: Leading crypto-native media brand producing daily podcasts, newsletters, and video content for the Ethereum and broader crypto audience. Directly comparable as a long-form interview-driven crypto podcast competing for the same listener attention and sponsor dollars.

Broad incumbents

• BlockWorks Group: Large institutional crypto media and events company producing multiple podcasts, newsletters, and research. Comparable as both a direct podcast competitor and a sponsor partner of Untold Stories, operating with significantly larger resources.
• CoinDesk: Major crypto news outlet operating multiple podcasts and video series. Comparable as a broad crypto content incumbent competing for overlapping audience and sponsor share, with much larger editorial scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7xKjN7bz0cTjFACDDWWI8Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/untoldstoriespodcast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Untold Stories