Event series · Co-organizer2026
AI Startup Rodeo
Co-organizer of AI Startup Rodeo across two editions, bringing AI and Bitcoin builders together for talks, demos, and startup programming during SXSW week and Austin Tech Week.
BUSINESS WRITING & RESEARCH ● AUSTIN, TEXAS
Stories about the people building what comes next.
I’m Car González, a writer and startup operator. As co-founder and CEO of PlebLab, I work alongside early-stage founders as they turn ideas into products and revenue. At Thriller, I cover the startups, open-source projects, and market shifts shaping Bitcoin, AI, and early-stage technology.
01 / THE WORK
A reporter’s eye.
An operator’s vantage.
My work moves between the story and the work of building the company behind it.
I’ve spent years listening to founders explain what they’re building, then helping them take on the hard parts of bringing it into the world.
As co-founder and CEO of PlebLab, I work with early-stage founders on the path from idea to product, users, partnerships, and first checks. As a journalist and writer, I’ve covered the people, products, and open-source communities shaping that ecosystem.
That combination gives me a practical lens for business writing: the founder’s bet, the customer problem, the market context, and the details that turn a promising idea into a working business.
2021—NOW
Co-founder & CEOPlebLab · Austin, Texas
2020—NOW
WriterThriller
2017—2020
JournalistThriller Crypto
2021—2025
Community builder & co-founderAustin Bitcoin Club · Austin Bitcoin Design Club · Bitcoin Builders Club · Stacker News Live
EARLIER
Media, systems & the artsMusic production · web design · network engineering
02 / WRITING SAMPLES
Reporting from the builder’s side.
Five written samples from Thriller and the PlebLab Substack: product reviews, startup metrics, customer retention, and the emerging markets for open-source AI and payments.
01
Founder guidance · Metrics & investor communication
PlebLab Investor Update: The Magic of Compound Growth
A practical guide to startup growth, retention, revenue, and burn, with an investor-update template founders can put to work.
02
Newsletter · AI, payments & startup infrastructure
When AI Meets Money, Everything Changes
A newsletter connecting AI agents, machine-to-machine payments, and the founders building the infrastructure for software to transact.
03
Product review · Wallet design & privacy
First Look at Mutiny Wallet
A review of a browser-based Bitcoin wallet, examining its user experience, privacy choices, Lightning infrastructure, and early reliability tradeoffs.
04
Product review · Customer acquisition & retention
First Look at Oshi Loyalty Rewards
A look at Bitcoin-based loyalty rewards, referrals, and merchant integrations, informed by using the product at PlebLab.
05
Startup analysis · Open-source AI & marketplace models
First Look at OpenAgents
A look at an open-source AI startup’s marketplace, subscription pricing, and Bitcoin payments to contributors, with context on open and closed AI ecosystems.
Browse the Thriller archive ↗
Read the PlebLab Substack ↗
03 / PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Building rooms for builders.
Alongside the writing, I help create the places where founders and open-source developers meet, test ideas, and move projects forward.
Open-source events · PlebLab2023—24
PlebLab hackathons
Organized hackathons where developers and makers build around open-source Bitcoin and Lightning projects, including SATSx and the ZBD x PlebLab TABConf events.
04 / COVERAGE
Where I look for the story.
The details that matter often show up where a founder’s ambition meets the constraints of a real market.
Founders & company-building
Products, customers & distribution
Open source, Bitcoin & Lightning
Local startup ecosystems
05 / GET IN TOUCH
Let’s talk about the people and ideas moving business forward.
For writing, research, or a conversation about early-stage companies, reach out through LinkedIn or find me at PlebLab in Austin.