From a basement in North Idaho to a $3B global AI movement

What if one of the biggest innovations in artificial intelligence wasn’t being shaped in Silicon Valley … but from a basement in downtown Coeur d’Alene?

That’s not a hypothetical.

Meet Paul Swaim and Garrett Oetken, two North Idaho locals who went from launching a startup that didn’t work out how they hoped to becoming key leaders of BitTensor, a decentralized AI network now valued at over $3 billion. Their work has been featured on the No. 1 tech and politics podcast in the world, All-In, where investor Chamath Palihapitiya described BitTensor as “the Bitcoin of AI.”

Not bad for two guys who first crossed paths in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

A startup that failed and a spark that didn’t

Garrett is a self-taught builder who stepped away from college. Paul had years of experience in running IT for a college. At first glance, you’d think their paths wouldn’t cross and “shouldn’t.”

But this is Coeur d’Alene, a town where collisions happen if you’re curious enough to look, especially if you are tied into the build_ Coeur d’Alene community.

Years after their first encounter, they were reconnected at an event hosted by the team behind build_ Coeur d’Alene, a community where people come to make friends and build cool ideas. The event wasn’t about titles. It was about doing. And both were hungry to use their big ideas and skills to build something that mattered.

“The community helped bring us back together,” Paul recalls. “That was the spark. It was people showing up in a basement and asking, what if we built something real?”

Their first startup, an AI cybersecurity company, didn’t take off the way they hoped. Most people would stop there. They didn’t.

“It gave us our reps,” Garrett says. “We learned what not to do. But more importantly, we learned what we could do.”

They kept going. Learning, refining, dreaming. That willingness to stay in the arena became their secret weapon. The skills they learned along the way became superpowers for what was next.

The silly question that should be a lesson

Here’s the question every young person (and frankly, everyone) should be asking:

What if the person I need to build the future with is just a few steps away?

Garrett was a curious student dabbling in cybersecurity. Paul was managing NIC’s digital infrastructure. Most would assume a student shouldn’t talk to a staff member about their startup idea and that they would have nothing to offer each other.

But instead of staying in their lanes, they started asking questions.

“We met when I asked the college if I could set up a wireless hacking lab,” Garrett laughs. “Paul was like, ‘No, but I see where you’re going. Let’s talk.’”

Lesson No. 1: Look for partners in odd places.

The person you just saw walking down the street might be the one who helps change the world with you.

BitTensor: A movement of merit, not just a product

What they’ve helped build is now a global ecosystem where merit, not credentials, are rewarded.

“You don’t mine BitTensor like Bitcoin,” Garrett explains. “You mine by accomplishing real tasks, solving real AI problems for companies. It’s a meritocracy.”

On the BitTensor network, thousands of people around the world “mine” by solving tasks like improving cancer detection models or creating 3D datasets. Anyone with talent and drive can compete and get paid.

“It’s not about a resume,” Paul adds. “It’s about results. The validators don’t care who you are. They care whether you delivered.”

Lesson No. 2: Don’t chase a job title. Chase value contribution.

The grind is real, and they love it

Paul and Garrett don’t play startup for the glamor. They’re not sipping matcha on rooftops in SF.

“We’re grinding,” Paul says. “Late-night calls. Running testnets. Writing documentation. Building infrastructure. That’s the fun.”

They do it because they care.

They do it because the mission is bigger than them.

They do it because North Idaho gave them the space to think big and the people to do it with.

Lesson No. 3: Do the work. Fall in love with the process. Embody the grit of Idaho.

Innovation lives here

Build_ Coeur d’Alene and the broader build_ cities movement are quietly rewriting what it means to live in a “small town.” This isn’t flyover country anymore. It’s fly-to country for people who want to build the future.

“I grew up here,” says Garrett. “And I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is when curious people have a place to gather and build.”

Paul didn’t leave town to succeed. Garrett didn’t have to go to Silicon Valley.

They just built what they needed, right here.

Lesson No. 4: Your zip code doesn’t limit your future

The idea wasn’t the point. The journey was.

The best part?

Paul and Garrett aren’t done.

BitTensor is just one chapter in what will likely be a lifetime of contributions.

“I’m not more experienced or smarter than anyone else,” Garrett says. “I just saw something different. And I kept going.”

“We’re never mature enough for the tech we create,” Paul adds. “But we learn. We adapt. We build again.”

Lesson No. 5: The idea doesn’t have to be perfect. Just start. Stay. Build.

So, what’s next for them … and for you?

This isn’t just a tech story. It’s a human story.

A blueprint for how small-town kids, strangers and quiet thinkers in the back of the room can partner up and lead billion-dollar revolutions when given the right culture, collisions and community.

So go ahead. Ask the silly question. Build with someone unexpected. Stay in the game a little longer.

Because the next big thing shaping the world might be forming in a basement right now in Coeur d’Alene.

Want to plug into what’s happening and attend an event in “the basement” head to BuildJournal.club.

You never know who you might meet or what world-changing idea you’ll start next.

To hear a full 90-minute interview with Paul and Garrett, search “American Dream Factory” in your favorite podcast app.