Student’s Forgotten ‘Fun’ Bitcoin Bet From 2009 Delivered A Windfall And A Home In A Posh Neighborhood
Posted On February 7, 2026
What if your $24 bet exploded into $850,000 in only four years? Well, that’s exactly what early Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) adopter Kristoffer Koch pulled off.
A $24 Bet That Changed Everything
The year is 2009. Koch, a Norwegian student, was writing his master’s thesis on encryption when he stumbled upon Bitcoin, an unknown online currency at the time.
Kosh said he tossed $24, about 150 Norwegian kroner, on it for “fun,” according to NRK News, a Norwegian news organization. But then his master’s degree and job hunt kept him too busy, and he forgot about the investment.