Hi! I’m Gonçalo, I’m 25 years old, and this is my first post here on the blog.
I decided to start this because I wanted an honest space – without clichés, thoughts manipulated by fear of media interpretation, or prepared speeches – where I can share my view as a founder. And maybe inspire or at least entertain you.
I’ve always been the “why?” kid.
Since I was little, I had a thing for taking everything apart. Toys, radios, whatever – something I inherited from my dear grandfather. It wasn’t vandalism – it was a hunger to understand the origin of what was in front of me. I wanted to understand how things worked.
That bug never left me. At 14, I got my first real computer, and that was it… from then on, there was no turning back.
Teenage hacker (the good kind…)
At 17, I started playing around with pentesting and bug bounties. I was that kid who spent nights trying to find flaws and ways to crash the router at home (with consent, don’t call the police just yet 😅).
It went so well that I found myself among the top 1,000 hackers in the world and top 10 in Portugal.
That’s when I realized: “maybe this isn’t just a teenage hobby… maybe I can actually do something with this.”
From the bathroom to the world
At the age of 20, I started scribbling down the first ideas, together with my soon-to-be co-founder, Luis Costa, of what would become ROOTKey. At 21, I officially founded NOTCyberSec (NFTs Of Thinks… ik ik… Don’t Judge me, please) – which later became ROOTKey (much better name, ik).
And here comes the funny part: our first “data center” was literally… in the bathroom of our rented university apartment. Eventually, we had to move it to the kitchen. Whenever something went wrong, we would rush over like firefighters to fix it. Zero glamour, but stories I will never forget.
The reason behind it all
We chose blockchain not because it was trendy, but because it made sense: decentralization, encryption, redundancy.
We wanted to ensure that the information was authentic, complete, and tamper-proof. Today, with so much AI and misinformation circulating, this is more important than ever.
But the truth is that ROOTKey was always a consequence. The real “why” was born back then, in that childlike curiosity and in the early mornings spent learning on my own.
I ‘ve grown as a founder, and I continue to grow
Over time, ROOTKey went from being just two kids in an apartment to a company with real clients, awards, and international ambition.
But me? I continue to learn every day. Being a founder isn’t glamorous; it’s a lot of trial and error. And believe me: I still have days when I think, “What the fucking hell am I doing with my life?” But that’s what keeps me going.
And this blog?
This space is about my perspective and everything I experience as a founder. I want to share good and bad stories, failures and achievements, and perhaps help others who are also trying to build something. If you are curious like me, if you want to create, or simply enjoy following real journeys without bullshit – this blog might be for you.
