From Virunga to Global Impact: How Gouspillou is Reshaping Bitcoin Mining in Africa

Over the past eight years, Sébastien Gouspillou has carved an unconventional path through the international Bitcoin mining industry, establishing himself as a pioneering figure who sees mining not merely as profit-seeking but as a catalyst for social and economic transformation. Gouspillou’s journey from a French businessman with no technical background to the co-founder of BigBlock Datacenter represents a compelling case study in how unconventional thinking and persistence can reshape entire regions.

From Corporate Life to Crypto Pioneer: Gouspillou’s Turning Point

Before becoming known for operating Bitcoin mining facilities across Africa and beyond, Gouspillou held a series of conventional corporate positions. His background included roles at a real estate development firm, a forestry company in Asia, and even managing dry cleaning machine imports for enterprises like Euro Disney. “I’m not a scientist or an engineer,” Gouspillou himself has noted in interviews about his early career. “I’m a businessman, and my training is in marketing and sales. It was hard for me to understand Bitcoin at first.”

Gouspillou’s entry into cryptocurrency came in 2010 through his childhood friend and eventual co-founder Jean-François Augusti, who was mining Bitcoin during its earliest days. Initially dismissive of Augusti’s efforts, Gouspillou thought his friend was wasting time on a worthless pursuit. However, by 2015, Gouspillou’s perspective shifted dramatically. After spending most of that year researching Bitcoin and its underlying technology, he approached Augusti with a fresh vision: establishing a joint mining operation.

By June 2017, Gouspillou and Augusti had not only formalized BigBlock Datacenter but also relocated their amateur operation from a rented industrial space to a former Alcatel telecommunications factory in Orvault, near Nantes. With outside investor funding secured, the two entrepreneurs were ready to expand globally.

Building BigBlock: Navigating Geopolitical Challenges and Market Dynamics

BigBlock Datacenter’s early expansion revealed both the opportunities and severe obstacles inherent in international mining operations. The company’s second facility, established in Odessa, Ukraine, exemplified the geopolitical risks Gouspillou would face repeatedly. Operating 200 S9 ASIC miners in containers, Gouspillou and Augusti encountered not only technical learning curves but also institutional hostility. “It was very difficult to work in Ukraine at that time, because people in Europe and in the banks used to say, ‘Are you crazy? It’s a terrorist state,’” Gouspillou recalled.

The actual threats proved more severe than reputational concerns. Corrupt government officials, including the Secret Service (SBU), raided the facility and forced Gouspillou to pay an extortion fee of eight Bitcoin to resume operations. By the time they reconnected their machines, electricity costs had doubled, making continued operations economically unviable. The company relocated to Kazakhstan in 2018.

In Kazakhstan, Gouspillou and Augusti initially operated alongside Valery Vavilov and the Bitfury team on the same lake. However, organized crime syndicates targeted the operation. Mafia members seized machines and sequestered Gouspillou overnight, demanding payment to return the equipment. Combined with Bitcoin’s 2018 price crash, these losses proved devastating—Gouspillou lost 20 kilograms of body weight within a single year. The financial and emotional toll prompted his wife to question his commitment to mining, urging him to return to a conventional career. Despite being in his late 40s, Gouspillou refused to abandon the venture, sustained by his conviction that Bitcoin’s value would eventually recover.

A small operation subsequently established in Siberia, Russia remained modest and has continued to diminish in subsequent years. Yet Gouspillou’s faith proved justified. By 2019, Bitcoin’s price recovery enabled BigBlock to repay investors for machines lost to criminal activity. The company deployed capital to purchase a new fleet of ASICs while equipment prices remained depressed, positioning BigBlock for significant profitability during the 2020 bull run that followed.

Gouspillou’s Vision: Mining as a Force for African Electrification

The pivotal moment in Gouspillou’s career arrived in 2020 when he met Prince Emmanuel de Merode of Belgium, a conservationist and anthropologist dedicated to protecting Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and establishing peace in the region. Prince de Merode proposed an unprecedented partnership: establish a Bitcoin mining operation that would generate revenue for conservation while providing electricity access to surrounding communities.

“In 2020, he asked me to create a mining farm in Virunga. It was the best moment in the life of the company,” Gouspillou reflected. “Before Virunga, we were mining. With Virunga, we implemented mining that was socially useful.”

The Virunga operation began with two containers housing 700 S9 ASIC miners powered by hydroelectric energy from a facility on the Luviro River near Ivingu. The arrangement proved mutually beneficial: BigBlock covered electricity costs and managed operations for both its own container and one owned by Virunga National Park, while mining profits flowed back to conservation efforts. Today, the facility has expanded to 10 containers—seven owned by BigBlock Datacenter and three by the park.

Despite ongoing conflict in the region, which has intensified rather than diminished since operations began, the Virunga mining facility has achieved notable success. Recognizing opportunities to leverage mining’s waste heat, Gouspillou’s team established fruit and cocoa drying operations that transformed thermal byproducts into economic value. While the primary mining facility employs 15 full-time staff, the drying operations have generated 50-60 part-time positions for community members who previously lacked viable employment alternatives.

Gouspillou’s expansion into the Republic of the Congo demonstrated the scalability of this model. In Liouesso, a town historically plagued by industrial scarcity due to inadequate electrification, BigBlock constructed a 12-megawatt mining facility in a region served by a 20-megawatt power plant that utilized only 2-3 megawatts for local consumption. “When you give money to the producer of electricity, you change the life of a region,” Gouspillou explained. “The electricity provider can now pull lines to bring power to small villages because they have capital.”

This pattern mirrors the approach employed by Gridless, another Bitcoin mining company operating in Kenya, Botswana, and Malawi, which similarly purchases excess hydroelectric power while enabling rural electrification. Across Africa, underutilized hydroelectric infrastructure represents tremendous potential. A major dam in Cameroon, constructed by EDF (France’s national power company), generates 80% more electricity than current distribution infrastructure can dispense. Gouspillou’s mentorship of Nemo Semret, Ethiopia’s first Bitcoin miner who now oversees the country’s state-sponsored large-scale mining operations, exemplifies how the model can scale dramatically—Ethiopia now operates with 600 megawatts of mining capacity.

Facing Adversity: The Human Cost of Operations in Conflict Zones

Gouspillou’s humanitarian vision has confronted brutal realities. The Virunga operation has endured catastrophic losses, both natural and violent. A devastating flood claimed the life of a young team member named Moise, who was swept away in a torrent descending from the mountains. The deluge damaged numerous S19 ASIC miners and embedded mining containers in the earth.

More tragically, six weeks later, a team traveling to a remote jungle airstrip to transport staff home was ambushed by Mai-Mai rebels, resulting in five deaths. Among the casualties was Jones, a young technician and farm manager who had worked with Gouspillou’s team for four years, rising from entry-level positions to leadership. “He started at the lowest level and in three years became the boss of the farm. We were very close to him,” Gouspillou said mournfully.

Prince de Merode’s conservation rangers protecting the park have suffered even heavier casualties—over 30 deaths since the mining facility began operations, with 200 total ranger losses during de Merode’s tenure as park director. The region hosts approximately 300 different armed groups, and violence has intensified annually despite initial hopes for improved security. “When we started in 2020, Emmanuel told us it had gotten calmer compared to previous years. However, since then, it’s gotten worse every year,” Gouspillou noted.

Beyond Mining: How Gouspillou’s Operations Transform Local Communities

Despite extraordinary hardships, Gouspillou remains committed to substantive community investment. BigBlock Datacenter’s DRC operation initially provided transportation for children attending a school five kilometers from the mining camp, first lending vehicles and subsequently providing a dedicated bus. The company installed electrical infrastructure in classroom buildings and financed school renovations—investments Gouspillou characterized as “very cheap investments that make a big difference for teachers and students.”

The Liouesso facility in the Republic of the Congo employs 15 full-time technicians and 10 service personnel including cooks, maintenance staff, and drivers. Planned fruit-drying operations launching in 2025 will potentially create employment for over 100 additional community members, substantially expanding economic opportunity.

Gouspillou has cultivated particularly strong relationships with local team members who have developed extraordinary technical capabilities. Ernest Kyeya and Patrick Tsongo, initially hired at age 23, now oversee farm management and equipment repair operations. Their skills—including ASIC repair and troubleshooting—have become invaluable because equipment replacement through international warranty channels faces theft risks during transit. Both have accumulated Bitcoin through annual bonuses; rather than immediately converting to currency, they recently purchased land with appreciated holdings, symbolizing their transformation into committed Bitcoiners.

When Kyeya and Tsongo traveled to Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo for the new mining facility launch, they encountered the ocean for the first time in their lives—a poignant reminder of how Gouspillou’s operations have expanded horizons for rural African workers.

Gouspillou’s Global Expansion: Building Sustainable Mining Infrastructure

BigBlock Datacenter currently operates across five African nations while maintaining facilities in Paraguay, Finland, Oman, and a reduced operation in Siberia. In Oman, Gouspillou played a catalytic role in government policy, personally convincing authorities to permit Bitcoin mining. From the initial two containers, the country has since attracted major miners operating facilities capable of processing up to 300 megawatts.

The company relocated its headquarters to El Salvador six months ago, incorporating as BigBlock El Salvador. This strategic repositioning reflects Gouspillou’s confidence in the political environment and Bitcoin’s institutional acceptance in the jurisdiction.

Despite expanding globally, Gouspillou prioritizes African growth, particularly in the Republic of the Congo, where he sees the greatest potential for sustainable impact. His journey—from dismissing Bitcoin in 2010, to founding BigBlock in his late 40s, to establishing mining operations that simultaneously generate profit, drive electrification, and create employment—testifies to the value of unconventional thinking and sustained commitment to purpose-driven business. As Gouspillou recently reflected: “Maybe I was a little bit too old, but we had time to build something solid. Now, it’s only pleasure with this business.”