Gift-giving for special life occasions often comes down to cash or vouchers that are quickly spent, with the sentimental element of the gift lost along the way. Split-based startup Coffer wants to change that by combining the world of cryptocurrency with a physical gift in a unique package designed, for starters, for newborns. We spoke with Andrea Čeprnja, co-founder of Coffer, about how it all began, the partnership with Bitcoin Store, and the startup scene in Split.

Tell us briefly about your company, what do you do, and how did it all start?

Our product aims to make it easier to gift value in a way that actually feels like a gift. Specifically, our pilot product focuses on gifting cryptocurrency for the birth of a child. It all started when we became parents ourselves and began receiving gifts for the baby. We received a “first gram of gold” gift, a themed package containing a gram of gold, and from there, the idea of gifting the first “digital gold” was born, that is, gifting Bitcoin.

As CodeMage, a software agency, we’ve been collaborating with Bitcoin Store, a cryptocurrency trading platform, for years, and this product is an extension of that partnership, the secure and regulated storage of the cryptocurrencies included in our gift is provided by Bitcoin Store.

When we give value as a gift, the sentimental element is often missing, when we give money or vouchers for the birth of a child, it very often gets spent on everyday needs in the first days of parenthood, and nothing lasting remains from the gift.

That’s why our gift combines lasting value with a physical gift for the baby in the form of a children’s comforter toy that stays as a keepsake, and is certainly there for playing with from day one.

Can you tell us about the startup ecosystem in Split and the surrounding area?

So far, I’ve had the chance to meet other startups in Split through the RaST Innovate startup academy, and that experience was really excellent, for many reasons, including the fact that I got the opportunity to even hear about other teams and ideas being worked on in Split. I think we definitely have potential as a city for more events and networking opportunities for startups.

What technologies do you use in your work?

What I find perhaps most interesting is the application of AI tools and pushing the boundaries of how much we can achieve with new AI tools while maintaining a satisfactory level of quality. As a startup, we work with very limited resources, so we try to use AI tools to make a lot out of a little, and I believe that has never been more possible than it is today.

Do you have offices, and what do you think about remote work?

Since we’re just starting out, we certainly don’t have offices and we work from anywhere, but given that in many ways Coffer is one of CodeMage’s projects, we’re happy that we can borrow resources such as occasional use of their office space.

I personally prefer remote work, and for the past few years I’ve been working predominantly that way.

Are you planning to expand your team? How many of you are there now?

At Coffer, it’s basically just my husband and me, with occasional involvement of freelancers as needed. I would love for us to be a bigger team one day, but right now we’re at the very beginning.

Why did you join the Split Tech City community?

I think the local community is a super valuable resource in many ways, including for conversations and the exchange of ideas. As CodeMage, we’ve been members for years (as have our partners Bitcoin Store), and I see the STC community as something exclusively positive, so joining was a logical step for me.