# Hunter Beast

> Hunter Beast, also known as 'cryptoquick,' is a Bitcoin and Rust developer. He is recognized for his work on quantum-resistant solutions for Bitcoin, authoring ...

- Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/hunter-beast
- Categories: People in crypto
- Tags: DeFi, Developer, Founder, Infrastructure
- Created: 2026-02-19T12:25:10.301Z
- Last updated: 2026-02-19T11:25:08.000Z
- Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki)

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**Hunter Beast**, known professionally by the alias "cryptoquick," is a software developer specializing in the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) protocol and the Rust programming language. He is a prominent contributor to the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) ecosystem, recognized primarily as the author of [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP-360), which aims to introduce quantum-resistant addresses to the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) network. [\[1\]](#cite-id-XDEezVBKLWCWaQZ0) [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)​

## Career

Hunter Beast's professional journey in the digital currency space is marked by a distinct and public transition from a generalist in [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) to a specialist focused exclusively on [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin). His online alias, "cryptoquick," predates the existence of [cryptocurrencies](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency). He adopted the name in 2005 for use in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels on the FreeNode network. In 2009, he registered the domain name `cryptoquick.com`, still before he had heard of [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin). Beast has noted the irony of the name in retrospect, suggesting that "bitcoinslow" might have been more appropriate given [Bitcoin's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) deliberate development pace, but he continues to use the original alias to maintain a consistent identity and prevent impersonators from targeting his followers. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv) [\[1\]](#cite-id-XDEezVBKLWCWaQZ0)​

Beast's serious engagement with the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) industry began around 2018, when his interests were centered on the broader [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) space. During this period, he contributed to the development of the [Filecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/filecoin) protocol, a decentralized storage network. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv) [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)​

A pivotal moment in his career occurred in February 2021 after he read "*The Bitcoin Standard*" by Saifedean Ammous. Beast described the experience as leading to an "obsession" with [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin), which fundamentally shifted his professional focus. Following this, he adopted the viewpoint often described as [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) maximalism, coming to believe that [Bitcoin's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) layered architecture obviates the need for other [Layer 1](https://iq.wiki/wiki/layer-1) [blockchains](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain). After this shift, he specialized in developing with Rust for [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and its associated second-layer technologies. For a two-year period, he worked with the company DIBA on the BitMask wallet, a project focused on implementing RGB, a [smart contract](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) system for [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and the [Lightning Network](https://iq.wiki/wiki/lightning-network). As of early 2026, he is the founder and developer of a venture named Surmount Systems. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv) [\[1\]](#cite-id-XDEezVBKLWCWaQZ0)​

## Major Works and Contributions

Beast's work is concentrated on enhancing the functionality, scalability, and long-term security of the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) protocol. His contributions include a significant [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) Improvement Proposal, the creation of development libraries, and various open-source projects. [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)​

### Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP-360)

Beast is the primary author of BIP-360, a proposal designed to make the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) network resistant to potential threats from quantum computers. The development of functional quantum computers poses a long-term risk to many forms of modern public-key cryptography, including the ECDSA algorithm currently used by [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) to secure funds. [\[1\]](#cite-id-XDEezVBKLWCWaQZ0)​

BIP-360 proposes a quantum-resistant soft fork for [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin). A soft fork is a backward-compatible upgrade to the network's rules, allowing upgraded nodes to interoperate with non-upgraded nodes. The proposal introduces a new address format designated as P2QRH, which stands for "Pay-to-Quantum-Resistant-Hash." This new format would utilize cryptographic schemes believed to be secure against attacks from both classical and quantum computers. Beast, along with collaborators, publicly announced a draft of the proposal on June 8, 2024. After a six-month period of public discussion and refinement, the proposal was officially assigned the number BIP-360 on December 18, 2024, formally entering it into the peer review process for [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) protocol upgrades. [\[1\]](#cite-id-XDEezVBKLWCWaQZ0)​

In support of this proposal, Beast developed `libbitcoinpqc`, a C library that implements post-quantum cryptography for [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) based on the specifications within BIP-360. His ongoing involvement in the BIP process was demonstrated by activities such as his review of a pull request for BIP-110 in the official [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) BIPS GitHub repository on February 4, 2026. [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)​

### Other Projects and Contributions

Beyond his work on quantum resistance, Beast has created and contributed to numerous projects in the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and Rust ecosystems. [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)​

* **Surmount Systems:** Beast's current primary venture, which he founded. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv)
* **Carbonado:** A project described as an "apocalypse-resistant data storage format" written in Rust. It is part of the `bitmask-stack` organization, related to his previous work on the BitMask wallet. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv) [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)
* **Layered Bitcoin:** A project and website created by Beast to focus on exploring and explaining [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin)'s layered architecture, including technologies like the [Lightning Network](https://iq.wiki/wiki/lightning-network) and RGB. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv)
* **`rust-bitcoin`:** He is an active contributor to the `rust-bitcoin` library, a widely used and foundational suite of tools for building Bitcoin-related applications in the Rust programming language. [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)
* **Seed-Encoder:** A tool he created to encode BIP-39 mnemonic seed phrases into a format suitable for creating durable physical backups on steel plates, such as those made by Punchplate. [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)
* **Orange Metal, Orange Coin:** Beast is the author of a newsletter on Substack with this title, where he writes about [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and the Rust programming language. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv)
* **Nostr-related Websites:** He maintains `btcfur.com` and `nostrfurs.com`, websites related to the Nostr protocol and NIP-05 identifiers. [\[3\]](#cite-id-Wld449gI2KhnHOXv)

His open-source contributions have been recognized by their inclusion in the GitHub Arctic Code Vault, an archival facility designed to preserve important software for future generations. [\[2\]](#cite-id-yLQSDbTq2ouXDM3Q)​