Hermann Vivier is the co-founder of The Surfer Kids (est. 2010) and founder of Bitcoin Ekasi (est. 2021). Hermann first became interested in Bitcoin in late 2013 as a result of the banking crisis and subsequent bank bailouts in Cyprus. In May 2015 he and his wife adopted Bitcoin as a form of payment. They operate a South African tourism business, catering for the Eastern European and Russian markets, and the first Russian-Ukrainian conflict meant that Bitcoin was (in certain cases) the only form of payment available to receive money from their clients. Following the global covid lockdowns and the resulting slump in their tourism business they started looking for ways to become more active in the Bitcoin space. Hermann started writing for Bitcoin Magazine in January 2021 and a series of events followed that led to the creation of Bitcoin Ekasi in August 2021. Inspired by Bitcoin Beach, the founding mission of Bitcoin Ekasi is simple:

Transition The Surfer Kids away from using fiat, and towards using Bitcoin donations.
Pay The Surfer Kids Coaches’ salaries in Bitcoin.
On-board local merchants in the township to accept Bitcoin as payment.
Provide the community with relevant Bitcoin education.