What can investors learn from the 4 biggest Bitcoin Hodlers

By investing in Bitcoin, becoming financially independent and saying goodbye to working life early - it is a dream cherished by many BTC hodlers. With annual returns of more than 60 percent since 2020, this is by no means a pipe dream. Compared to stocks, real estate and gold, Bitcoin as a leading cryptocurrency has far outpaced almost all competing investments. Some early Bitcoin investors have advanced to the super-rich as a result. How the biggest whales built billion-dollar fortunes and what lessons private investors can learn from them.

Place 4: Michael Saylor, the Bitcoin Visionary

The most outspoken Bitcoin bull hardly needs an introduction in 2025. With his software company MicroStrategy, now renamed Strategy, Michael Saylor owns 471,107 BTC worth $46.2 billion. That is more than 10 times more than Marathon Digital, the second-largest institutional Bitcoin holder. In the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, the company bought 218,887 BTC for $20.5 billion. For Saylor, this is just the beginning; he wants to build Strategy into a company with a market capitalization of a trillion dollars.

When Strategy announced its Bitcoin strategy in August 2020, Saylor had already personally invested heavily. In a post on X, he revealed, "I personally own 17,732 BTC, purchased for an average of $9,882 each." Today that represents a value of $1.73 billion, and presumably Saylor has purchased even more Bitcoin since then, though he has never made public statements about it. One of his harshest lessons for doubters: "Everyone gets Bitcoin at the price they deserve."

Place 3: Tim Draper, Venture Capitalist with a Preference for Bitcoin

When American entrepreneur and investor Tim Draper bought his first Bitcoin, he was already a prominent venture capitalist. Baidu, Skype, Tesla, Robinhood - he invested in some of the most successful startups of recent decades. However, his first BTC purchase ended disastrously: in 2014, Mt. Gox collapsed, then the most popular crypto exchange, on which Draper also stored his Bitcoin. Of the approximately 850,000 BTC lost, Draper is said to have personally owned 40,000 of them.

For most investors, such a blow would have been reason enough to say goodbye to the crypto world for good. But Draper held fast to his conviction and bought 29,656 BTC the same year, auctioned off by the U.S. government following the seizure of the Silk Road marketplace. He invested $18.7 million, or $632 per BTC. Today, his Bitcoin assets are worth nearly $3 billion - a sevenfold increase from his initial investment.

Place 2: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Bitcoin billionaire twins

The Winklevoss twins became best known for their legal battle with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They claimed that Zuckerberg had stolen parts of their source code for his own platform. The case resulted in a $65 million settlement. Back in 2013, Cameron and Tyler collectively had more than $11 million worth of Bitcoin.

Today, they own an estimated 70,000 BTC, worth about $6.8 billion. Their total assets are probably even higher thanks to other crypto investments and business activities. Still, they remain in the shadow of their longtime rival, as according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index Mark Zuckerberg's assets currently amount to $252 billion. Moreover, it is quite possible that Zuckerberg himself owns a significant number of BTC. One clue: He named his two goats "Bitcoin" and "Max."

Place 1: Satoshi Nakamoto, the Unknown Bitcoin Founder

Little is known about the mysterious founder of Bitcoin. Is Satoshi Nakamoto an individual or a group? No one knows for certain. What is certain is that he or she disappeared without a trace 15 years ago.

According to the latest figures from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, Satoshi owns 1,096,354 BTC, with a current value of about $108 billion. These coins are spread across 22,000 wallet addresses and, except for a few test transactions, have never been moved. If Satoshi is still alive, he or she is, on paper, among the richest people in the world. Should the Bitcoin exchange rate ever reach $400,000 per BTC, Satoshi could even pass Elon Musk as the richest person in the world.

Three Important Lessons for Bitcoin Investors

Every crypto investor has thought at one time or another, "If only I had bought Bitcoin sooner." But there is no point in regretting missed opportunities forever. Although a single Bitcoin is unaffordable for many retail investors today, there is still much to learn from the richest BTC hodlers.

1. Perseverance pays off Michael Saylor ignored Bitcoin for years before finally getting in in 2020. Tim Draper lost a fortune in the collapse of Mt. Gox, and the Winklevoss twins were long portrayed as losers compared to Zuckerberg. Yet they stuck to their convictions. This is an important lesson for retail investors who sold their BTC too early, fell victim to a scam or suffered temporary losses.

2. Time in the market is more important than timing None of the Bitcoin billionaires tried to time the market perfectly. They bought Bitcoin and held on to their investment, rather than going in and out hoping to find the perfect moment.

3. Focus on Bitcoin, not alternatives The richest Bitcoin owners believe BTC has the power to fundamentally change the financial system. None of them got caught up in the illusion that investing in altcoins was a faster path to wealth. Their credo: Bitcoin, Buy and Hold.