American Bitcoin exchange CEO found dead in her Singapore home after suspected suicide at age 28
- Autumn Radtke, 28, is believed to have taken her own life and was discovered inside her Singapore home on February 28
- Previously worked for Apple in Silicon Valley before joining the burgeoning digital currency startup
PUBLISHED: 15:23 GMT, 5 March 2014 | UPDATED: 16:39 GMT, 5 March 2014
The American CEO of an exchange for the troubled bitcoin digital currency has been found dead after a suspected suicide at her home in Singapore.
Autumn Radtke, 28, was discovered inside her apartment on February 28 and local media and officials in the South East Asian city state are waiting for toxicology test results to determine the exact cause of death.
Douglas Adams, the non-executive chairman of First Meta confirmed that his colleague Radtke had passed away in a statement which said the company was 'shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and CEO Autumn Radtke.'
The death of Radtke is the latest piece of bad news to hit the crisis-ridden bitcoin currency following the collapse of the Japanese-based Mt Gox exchange last week after $400m went missing and the closure of the Flexcoin bank in Canada after computer hackers robbed $600,000.
Tragic: Autumn Radtke, a 28-year-old American CEO of bitcoin exchange firm First Meta, was found dead in her Singapore apartment on Feb. 28
According to First Meta’s website, Radke had lived in Singapore since January 2012.
'The First Meta team is shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and CEO Autumn Radtke. Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends and loved ones. Autumn was an inspiration to all of us and she will be sorely missed.'
Before that she worked in business development for Los Angeles-based mobile platform company Geodelic Systems and Internet gaming community Xfire, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The exact reason that may have caused Radtke to commit suicide is not known, as is whether the Police have concluded that the cause of death is suicide is also unofficial.
First Meta offers an exchange where users can buy and sell virtual currencies such as the troubled bitcoin.
Forbes magazine reported in 2012 that the company received $466,000 in funding from Sunnyvale, California-based business accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center and Singapore's National Research Foundation.
Entrepreneurs: British billionaire Richard Branson with bitcoin exchange First Meta CEO Autumn Radtke
On February 10, Radtke posted a link to an essay entitled 'The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship' and commented obliquely that 'Everything has it's price'.
In comments posted on the day her death was announced, her friend Krystal Choo, who founded the online travel firm ZipTrip, said that 'This exact post has been killing me. I should have known in a way she was reaching out. I failed her.'
Radtke's friend, model Katie Stone posted a heartfelt tribute to her friend who passed away onto Facebook.
Calling her 'my first friend in LA', Stone said that Radtke took her 'under her wing' as she recalled spending time with the bitcoin entrepreneur in Singaporel.
'I remember sitting on that tree stump with you in that park in Singapore a few months back, one of the nightly walks we would take when sleep was hard to come by and staring at that giant willow tree that was probably a thousand years old...just sitting in silence and taking it in,' wrote Stone in her emotional Facebook post.
'At home in nature. Appreciative of what we take for granted. You were just smarter that way than anybody else. You were a sister to me and I am at a loss.'
Tragic: Autumn Radtke's official cause of death has not been confirmed to be suicide - although police souces have said that this is strongly suspected
Sadness: First Meta CEO Autumn Radtke (left) with her friend Liz Stone (right) who wrote an emotional tribute to her friend who was found dead in her Singapore apartment on February 28
Despite basing herself in South East Asia, the region has not taken well to bitcoin or digital currency exchanges.
On the day that Radtke was discovered in her Singapore apartment, Vietnam's communist government said trading in bitcoin and other electronic currencies is illegal, and warned its citizens not to use or invest in them.
A central bank statement late Thursday didn't spell out penalties for those who disobeyed the instruction, but it said that virtual currencies are linked to money laundering and other illegal activities.
The collapse of a major bitcoin exchange in Tokyo this week has drawn renewed attention to the currency.
Late last year, China banned its banks and payment systems from handling bitcoin. Thailand earlier put a blanket ban on its use.
Currencies like bitcoin are unnerving financial regulators in Asia and elsewhere because they are outside of their control. Established banks don't like them because people can send the money around the world with any fees.
- If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255
- For confidential support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
