$PI Here is a concise, coherent, and engaging summary of the entrepreneurial stories of Fan Chengdiao & Dr. Nicholas, streamlined for readability. 1. Encounter: Stanford’s “Technology + Humanity” Combo Fan Chengdiao was born in Anshun, Guizhou. He studied at Minzu University of China for his undergraduate degree, then went to Stanford for a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing, focusing on the relationship between people, society, trust, group behavior, and technology. Nicholas is of Greek descent, holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford, specializing in distributed systems, blockchain, and smart contracts. He researched similar smart contracts before Ethereum’s emergence and taught a blockchain course CS359B at Stanford. They met, fell in love, and married at Stanford. People around them say: - Nicholas: a technical idealist, understands code, systems, and how to make technology stable. - Fan Chengdiao: a human-centered designer, understands users, culture, and how to make technology accessible to ordinary people. Their shared pain point: “Blockchain is too energy-consuming, too elitist, too speculative—ordinary people simply can’t get in.” 2. Original Aspiration: Creating a “Blockchain Usable by Ordinary People” (2017–2018) In 2017, Bitcoin surged, but Nicholas saw: - Mining rigs roaring, enormous electricity consumption - Only the wealthy and tech-savvy could participate - Ordinary people being shut out Fan Chengdiao proposed from an anthropological perspective: “Why not replace expensive mining rigs with mobile phones + social trust?” Over late-night talks at Stanford cafes and labs, they gradually formed an idea: - No mining rigs, mobile phone mining - No energy-intensive computation, trust built through social circles - Not just for speculation, but for inclusive, fair, and accessible digital identities for everyone In 2018, they officially decided to start a project named Pi Network (π), symbolizing “Pi: universal, infinite, decentralized.” 3. Starting Out: No Money, No People, Not Promising (2018–2019) Early days were tough: - No big capital, relying on Stanford’s StartX incubator and their savings - Investors questioned: “Social mining? Violates blockchain’s anonymity spirit, won’t grow big.” - Small team: the couple plus 1–2 Stanford alumni, sketching models on shared office whiteboards Fan Chengdiao handled: - Product design, user mechanisms, trust circles (trust mining) - Turning anthropological theories into executable rules: preventing monopolies, cheating, ensuring fair distribution Nicholas handled: - Underlying blockchain architecture, consensus algorithms, security - Insisted on no backdoors, no pre-mining, no large team holdings On March 14, 2019 (“Pi Day”), Pi Network launched with a simple mobile app: - Tap once daily for free mining - No data usage, no energy, no hardware needed 4. Explosion: From Zero to Tens of Millions of Users (2019–2021) Post-launch, growth relied solely on word-of-mouth: - No advertising, no marketing expenses - Viral spread from the US to China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America Fan Chengdiao’s social design played a huge role: - Inviting friends, building trust, forming security circles - More users = safer network, more stable mining - Turning “social connections” into “network security,” not pyramid schemes Nicholas withstood pressure: - Rejected short-term profit collaborations - Rejected capital control demands: “We want decentralization, not capital centralization.” By 2021, global users exceeded 30 million across 200+ countries, becoming one of the world’s largest inclusive blockchain communities. 5. Holding Firm: The Tug Between Ideals and Reality (2021–2026) After going viral, controversy and temptations arose: Temptations: - Many exchanges and capitalists approached: “Get listed, cash out, make a quick profit” - The team could instantly become wealthy Their choices: - Refused to list on exchanges, private placements, fundraising, pre-mining - Stuck to: build the ecosystem, prioritize decentralization, develop practical applications before discussing value Fan Chengdiao often says: “We’re not here to issue tokens; we’re here to build an internet value layer that ordinary people can use.” Nicholas emphasizes: “If blockchain is just a casino, it loses its meaning. What we want is technological democracy, digital fairness, everyone’s participation.” Over these years, they focused on: - KYC (identity verification) - Wallets, browsers, DApp ecosystems - Transition from closed mainnet to open network - Decentralized governance and community autonomy 6. Today: A Long-term Vision of Scholar Couple By 2026: - Over 33 million Pi users worldwide - Still not listed on mainstream exchanges - The team remains committed: no exit scams, no hype, no promises of quick riches - Goal unchanged: a truly decentralized public chain owned by ordinary people Their entrepreneurial story boils down to one core idea: Two Stanford PhDs, abandoning the elite shortcut, choosing the hardest path—restoring blockchain to the hands of ordinary people.

$PI 0,2 before may

$PI Here is a concise, coherent, and engaging summary of the entrepreneurial story of Fan Chengdiao & Dr. Nicholas, simplified version. 1. Meeting: Stanford’s “Technology + Humanity” Combo Fan Chengdiao was born in Anshun, Guizhou. He studied at Minzu University of China for his undergraduate degree, then went to Stanford for a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing, focusing on the relationship between people, society, trust, group behavior, and technology. Nicholas is of Greek descent, holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford, specializing in distributed systems, blockchain, and smart contracts. He researched similar smart contracts before Ethereum’s emergence and taught a blockchain course CS359B at Stanford. They met, fell in love, and became a married couple at Stanford. People around them say: - Nicholas: a technical idealist, understands code, systems, and how to make technology stable. - Fan Chengdiao: a human-centered designer, understands users, culture, and how to make technology accessible to ordinary people. Their shared pain point: “Blockchain is too energy-consuming, too elitist, too speculative—ordinary people simply can’t get in.” 2. Original Aspiration: Build a “Blockchain Usable by Ordinary People” (2017–2018) In 2017, Bitcoin surged in popularity, but Nicholas saw: - Mining rigs roaring, huge electricity consumption - Only the wealthy and tech-savvy could participate - Ordinary people being shut out Fan Chengdiao proposed from an anthropological perspective: “Why not replace expensive mining rigs with mobile phones + social trust?” In late-night talks at Stanford cafes, labs, and beyond, they gradually formed an idea: - No mining rigs, mobile phone mining - No energy-intensive computation, use social trust circles for consensus - Not just for trading, but for inclusive, fair, and accessible digital identities for everyone In 2018, they officially decided to start a project named Pi Network (π), symbolizing “Pi: universal, infinite, decentralized.” 3. Starting Out: No Money, No People, Not Promising (2018–2019) Early days were very tough: - No big capital, relying on Stanford’s StartX incubator and their savings - Investors questioned: “Social mining? Violates blockchain’s anonymity spirit, won’t grow big.” - Small team: just the couple plus 1–2 Stanford alumni, sketching models on shared office whiteboards Fan Chengdiao was responsible for: - Product design, user mechanisms, trust circles (trust mining) - Turning anthropological theories into executable rules: prevent monopolies, cheating, ensure fair distribution Nicholas handled: - Underlying blockchain architecture, consensus algorithms, security - Insisted on no backdoors, no pre-mining, no large team holdings On Pi Day, March 14, 2019, Pi Network officially launched with a simple mobile app: - Tap once daily to mine for free - No data traffic, no energy, no hardware needed 4. Explosion: From Zero to Tens of Millions of Users (2019–2021) Post-launch, growth was entirely word-of-mouth: - No ads, no marketing expenses - Spread globally from the US → China → Southeast Asia → Africa → Latin America Fan Chengdiao’s social design played a huge role: - Invite friends, build trust, form security circles - More users = safer network, more stable mining - Turning “social connections” into “network security,” not pyramid schemes Nicholas withstood pressure: - Refused short-term profit collaborations - Rejected capital control demands: “We want decentralization, not capital centralization.” By 2021, the global user base exceeded 30 million, covering over 200 countries, becoming one of the world’s largest inclusive blockchain communities. 5. Holding Firm: The Tug Between Ideals and Reality (2021–2026) After going viral, controversy and temptations arose: Temptations: - Many exchanges and capital seeking partnerships: “Get listed, cash out, take a profit” - The team could instantly become wealthy Their choices: - Firmly refused to list on exchanges, private placements, fundraising, pre-mining - Insisted: focus on building an ecosystem, decentralization, real-world applications before discussing value Fan Chengdiao often says: “We’re not here to issue tokens; we’re here to build an internet value layer that ordinary people can use.” Nicholas emphasizes: “If blockchain is just a casino, it loses its meaning. What we want is technological democracy, digital fairness, everyone’s participation.” Over these years, they focused on: - KYC (identity verification) - Wallets, browsers, DApp ecosystems - Transition from closed mainnet to open network - Governance decentralization, community autonomy 6. Today: A Long-term Vision of Scholar Couple By 2026: - Over 33 million Pi users worldwide - Still not listed on major exchanges - The team sticks to no exit scams, no hype, no promises of quick riches - Goal remains unchanged: a truly decentralized public chain owned by ordinary people Their entrepreneurial story boils down to one core idea: Two Stanford PhDs, abandoning the elite shortcut, choosing the hardest path—restoring blockchain to ordinary people.