Pittsburgh Bitcoin meetup adapts to cooling market

On the first Wednesday of every month, a Pittsburgh cryptocurrency social club packs into Roland’s Seafood Grill in the Strip District and does exactly what you’d expect — discuss Bitcoin. 

In its 12 years of existence, though, the group has had to adapt as the conversation has changed. 

Between a post-pandemic slump in local meetups and cooling interest in crypto, they’ve refocused on what the core group really wants anyway — a chance to talk tech with like-minded folks.

“[At the group’s origins] there wasn’t as much adoption. People didn’t know what [Bitcoin] was,” longtime meetup attendee Jeff Bennett told Technical.ly. “It was like education.”

That drive for education slowly started to fade as membership fluctuated, morphing the meetup into a social gathering focused on cryptocurrency. 

Today, the group stands at a steady 10 to 15 attendees per meeting, according to various members, with conversations ranging from coin price — which was at a low during the July 2026 meeting — to government regulations on crypto and homemade mining machines. 

The group in the back of Roland’s is far from Pittsburgh’s only Bitcoin collective, instead seen more as the social arm of a larger ecosystem. 

There are politically focused groups like Liberty Lodge, school groups for the college demographic, a West Virginia group and others focused on bringing together the community for discussion and education. 

The Bitcoin meetup group differentiates itself because of its focus on conversation and shared interests, offering a less structured approach at a time when many have told Technical.ly that connection is exactly what they’re looking for. 

No president, no agenda

Bennett initially got involved in the Bitcoin meetup through a coworker and has stayed through the ebbs and flows of crypto’s relevancy. 

He was there in the 2017 bubble when the group had over 50 members and he was there in the 2018 bear market, when the group dropped down to four guys discussing science fiction books instead of blockchain.

A throughline in the group across its evolution — besides an interest in cryptocurrency — is government decentralization and libertarian beliefs, according to Bennett. 

Even the group structure itself follows a self-determined leadership structure. There isn’t a group president and the original founders, including the maker of HBO’s “The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin,” Nicholas Mross, no longer guide the group, according to Bennett. Instead, members meet at the same spot every month and discuss what’s most pertinent to them in lieu of an agenda. 

The idea of self-sovereignty and control over one’s funds without outside regulation is core to the crypto community at large and helped to fuel its founding. Moving away from larger systems of regulation, whether that be from the government or cryptocurrency mining structures themselves, is woven into regular conversation at the meetup. 

“It’s like we’re sort of creating a parallel economic system that’s not based on politics. It doesn’t need people. It’s not subject to the same kind of corruption that traditional finance is,” Bennett said.

That’s not to say that crypto has been a perfect alternative. There are many cases of widespread misuse, from investment fraud to high-profile money laundering schemes. The asset class has also become a political issue, sparking regulatory debates and its own share of political scandals.

Growth through newcomers and casual conversation

Shekinah Apedo, a member since 2024 and cryptocurrency educator, said meetup communication lives in a protected Signal chat. 

New members often find the group through an idle meetup page, which members like Bennett haven’t actually used in years. Meeting agendas aren’t a thing and attendance varies by month and market status. 

“We never know who’s gonna show up. That’s part of the fun of it too, and it’s always good to meet new people,” Bennett said.

While the meetup does get the occasional new member that sticks around, Apedo is looking to grow the group in a more intentional manner. 

She’s a member of the grassroots voting organization Stand with Crypto as the West Virginia representative and wants to channel her passion for educating others on crypto into member expansion. 

“This isn’t as small as you think it is. It does exist, and so the hope is that more people would be interested in it,” Apedo said. 

Apedo said that she is already connected with the Computer Science Club at the University of Pittsburgh to teach workshops in the fall and hopefully recruit some new members. 

“I have a big passion for teaching university students because it changed my life. If you’re in computer science, computer engineering, cybersecurity or finance, you should know about this sector, because Wall Street is knee-deep, millions of dollars into it,” Apedo said.

While the Pittsburgh Bitcoin meetup is willing to answer any questions and welcomes newcomers — the July meeting hosted a couple on vacation from Scotland who discovered the meetup online and got curious — the group’s main focus is communal passion and occasionally commenting on the state of whatever games are on at the bar.

“We’re here to answer whatever questions people have,” Bennett said, “and promote self-custody or decentralization.”