Crypto inheritance layer that makes self-custody assets recoverable by non-technical families
Status: Exploring (user research + early product definition)
Started: 03/2026
Focus: Crypto / digital assets / inheritance
Why this problem
Crypto ownership has moved beyond early adopters, but inheritance has not caught up.
Millions of people hold assets through private keys, seed phrases, and hardware wallets. If something happens to them, access is often lost – not because the technology fails, but because no one else knows how to navigate it.
This creates a growing gap between owning digital assets and passing them on.
Billions of dollars in crypto are already permanently inaccessible.
User problem
For crypto holders:
- No simple way to ensure assets can be recovered by family
- High cognitive load around keys, wallets, and storage
- Fear of compromising security while trying to share access
For beneficiaries:
- Don’t know where assets are stored
- Don’t understand how wallets work
- Cannot execute recovery even if information exists
This is not a technical failure.
It’s a usability failure at the worst possible moment.
Thesis
Crypto will remain non-custodial by default, but inheritance requires a new layer.
The opportunity is not to build another wallet or custody solution, but to create a clear, structured recovery layer that:
- bridges crypto holders and non-technical beneficiaries
- translates complexity into step-by-step actions
- works under real-world conditions (stress, time pressure, limited knowledge)
Over time, this becomes the default infrastructure for digital asset inheritance, sitting on top of existing wallets and financial systems.
What I’m building
A non-custodial platform that helps users plan and document how their crypto assets can be recovered.
Core elements:
- Structured recovery plans (clear, step-by-step instructions)
- Beneficiary designation and access logic
- Workflows designed for non-technical users
- Emphasis on clarity, not just security
The product does not:
- hold funds
- replace wallets
- act as a custodian
It acts as a usability and coordination layer.
Evidence (early)
- Defined core problem and user segments (holders + beneficiaries)
- Developed initial product hypotheses and workflows
- Ongoing user research with crypto holders
- Mapping key failure points in current recovery processes
How I’m using AI / technology
This is being built as an AI-assisted product from day one, mainly to accelerate exploration and reduce iteration time.
- Synthesizing user research and identifying patterns across interviews
- Generating and iterating product flows and UX quickly
- Prototyping interfaces and testing concepts without full engineering investment
- Exploring ways AI can guide beneficiaries through recovery steps dynamically
The focus is not just automation, but using AI to reduce ambiguity and improve clarity in high-stress scenarios.
What I’m learning
- The core problem is emotional as much as technical
- Security vs usability is the central trade-off
- Most users delay this problem until it’s too late
- Simplicity is significantly harder than adding features
- Trust design matters more than feature depth
Open questions
- What is the right moment in the user journey to introduce inheritance planning?
- How much guidance can be automated vs needs to be explicit and static?
- What level of abstraction is acceptable without reducing security?
- Should this layer be standalone or embedded into wallets?
What would make this move faster
- Conversations with crypto holders using self-custody
- Feedback from non-technical users trying to follow recovery scenarios
- Technical perspectives on secure, non-custodial access design
- Potential collaborators with experience in security or wallet infrastructure
Guillermo Campoamor 