This 26-year-old CEO once ran a crypto gambling site from his bathroom

Last updated:Nov 7, 2024 4:56 PM IST

Shayne Coplan started his journey at Polymarket in a bathroom-like setup. He shared a throwback photo on his X account.

Polymarket gained attention by allowing users to place bets on US election predictions. (Photo credits:

It’s not often you hear about a thriving business that started in a bathroom. But that’s exactly where Shayne Coplan, a 26-year-old entrepreneur based in New York, started his journey with Polymarket. It’s a crypto betting platform that’s now making waves, especially in the heated 2024 US election race. The entrepreneur recently shared a throwback moment when his office was, well, a bathroom.

Shayne Coplan shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) reflecting on his company’s very humble beginnings. “2020, no money, solo founder, headquartered in my makeshift bathroom office. I didn’t know Polymarket would change the world,” Coplan wrote with a photo from four years ago.

The image showed a small bathroom with a laptop on a white laundry basket, a sight that highlights the difficulties associated with starting a business from scratch.

Check out his message here:

Today, Polymarket is a major player in the crypto betting world, providing a platform for users to bet on events including high-stakes political outcomes.

Now, with the 2024 US presidential election season, Polymarket has gained massive attention for letting users bet on election predictions, giving it a front-row seat to the political drama.

The rise of Polymarket has not gone unnoticed by some big names. The platform is reportedly backed by leading investors including Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Over the years, online election betting sites like Polymarket have exploded in popularity, especially during the final weeks of the presidential race. As polls showed a tight race, gamblers flocked to these platforms, especially with the changing odds surrounding Donald Trump.

“Make no mistake: Polymarket single-handedly called the election. The global truth machine is here, powered by the people,” Coplan said proudly in another message.

Before that, he had also announced that it was the poly market that informed Trump’s campaign headquarters of his victory. “I just got word that Trump campaign headquarters literally found out they were winning against Polymarket. Today history has been written. Surreal,” he wrote yesterday in an earlier X-post.

As for the last US election, the 78-year-old Trump won a landslide victory, securing the White House and defeating Kamala Harris.

This election was unlike any other, with political drama, assassination attempts and surprising twists, including Biden’s unexpected withdrawal, leaving room for Harris to enter the race. Trump’s victory not only shocked the nation; it also spotlighted his ties to influential figures like Elon Musk, the richest man in the world today.