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In today’s episode, Nikki Del Principe is joined by guests Evan Shapiro and Izaak Meckler. CEO Evan and CTO Izaak are both Co-Founders of O(1) Labs, the team behind Mina.
Mina (formerly Coda Protocol), the world's lightest blockchain powered by participants, deploys recursive zk-SNARKs to ensure the blockchain remains the same size—22 kb—enabling anyone to sync the chain in seconds, ushering in a new era of blockchain accessibility.
We hear how Evan and Izaak became interested in cryptocurrency and the technology behind it in high school and collaborated together on coding projects before bringing O(1) Labs to life. We learn about the transformation of the Coda Protocol to Mina and the importance of community input on the project. Evan and Izaak hope to solve the problems inherent to today’s internet and bring back creative expression through providing developers with the foundation and tooling they need to build Snapps, verifiable SNARK-powered smart contracts. They take us through the technology behind Mina and end the episode by discussing their predictions for the crypto sphere.
Topics covered:
- How Evan and Izaak became involved in cryptocurrency
- Creating O(1) Labs to solve the architectural issues of the crypto space
- The technological and societal impacts of crypto
- The transformation of Coda to Mina
- Formulating Mina's core values
- What it means to be the world’s lightest blockchain-powered by participants
- How Evan and Izaak aim to address the issues of today’s internet with Mina
- Shoutout to the Mina community
- Mina's implementation of Snapps
- The importance of verifiability and transparency
- Predictions for the crypto sphere in 2020 and beyond
Links to Resources:
Mina: https://minaprotocol.com/
Mina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MinaProtocol
Mina on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/RDQc43H
Join Genesis program: https://minaprotocol.com/genesis
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In today’s episode, Nikki Del Principe is joined by Tram Vo. Tram is Founder and COO of MOBI (Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative), a company dedicated to improving and supporting the development of an efficient digital, multi-sided mobility marketplace.
With a varied background in academics and non-profit, Tram came to blockchain in 2015 when she and her husband began to consider the possibilities of tracking and tracing using the nascent technology. In 2018, MOBI was founded and Tram began her mission to build the new economy of movement while utilizing blockchain to create greener cities.
We hear how Tram left her position at the Getty Conservation Institute to create MOBI and the company’s mission to establish standards for the mobility space. We learn how blockchain, along with a convergence of other technologies, can create security for data and the importance of seamless background processes. Tram goes on to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the digitization of cities and how MOBI is contributing to the mitigation of carbon emissions in mobility.
Topics covered:
- How Tram’s varied background led her to the blockchain space
- The importance of tracking and tracing
- Building the new economy of movement and what that means
- Creating standards for a decentralized mobility ecosystem
- How a convergence of technologies, including blockchain and AI, can create more secure systems
- Impacts of COVID-19 on cities now and in the future
- Increasing digitization and smart contracts post-COVID
- How MOBI hopes to help mitigate carbon emissions in mobility
- Explaining the importance of digital ID for an effective mobility system
- What is on the horizon for MOBI
- Tram’s predictions for the future of blockchain and crypto
Links to Resources:
MOBI: https://dlt.mobi
Tram on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tram-vo-6abba310/
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In today’s episode Kelley Weaver is joined by Carol Van Cleef, Founder and CEO of Luminous Group and pioneer in legal issues involving cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Additionally, she is Chair of the Blockchain and Digital Assets practice with Bradley, based in Washington, D.C.
With Luminous Group, Carol offers general blockchain consulting with a speciality in compliance. As a certified AML specialist, Carol’s expertise is invaluable to her clients, which include banks, securities firms, and money services businesses.
We hear how Carol entered the cryptocurrency market and her 20-year experience working with alternative payment systems. She discusses the modernization efforts in the banking industry and the hurdles it faces. Carol goes on to take us through what she believes have been the pivotal regulatory advancements in the crypto space and the biggest setbacks. Wrapping up the episode, Carol tells us what she is excited about in regulatory advancements and the new wave of crypto adopters.
Topics covered:
- How Carol began her career in blockchain
- What excites Carol about cryptocurrency and blockchain
- Modernization of the banking industry and the hurdles it has faced
- The services provided by Luminous Group
- Overcoming negativity towards the industry as an early adopter
- Why criminals are often early adopters on new payment systems
- Pivotal regulatory moments
- How the introduction of the BitLicense in NYC impacted the space
- The tension between regulators and wanted anonymity of crypto users
- Future regulatory changes
- The new wave of crypto adopters
Links to Resources:
Luminous Group: https://luminousgroup.io
Carol at Bradley: https://www.bradley.com/people/v/van-cleef-carol-r
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In today’s episode, Kelley Weaver is joined by Sunayna Tuteja, Head of Digital Assets at TD Ameritrade. Sunayna begins by telling us her background in finance and how she ended up in the cryptocurrency sector.
TD Ameritrade aims to aid clients with adoption of cryptocurrency and lead the industry in technological innovations. We hear how Sunayna joined TD Ameritrade to spearhead their digital transformation while looking at emerging technology to continually add value for customers and the company. We learn how client demand drives adoption of crypto and blockchain technology. Sunayna takes us through the company’s three-pronged approach to services, partnerships, and education and how every aspect is tailored to the TD Ameritrade's core clientele. Sunayna wraps up the episode by discussing custody solutions and what she is excited about for the future of crypto and blockchain technologies.
Topics covered:
- What got Sunayna into crypto
- TD Ameritrade’s background in innovation within the financial sector
- Why commercializing next-gen tech along with current solutions drives growth
- The importance of delivering value to customers and the company
- Creating a dedicated digital asset and DLT practice
- How client demand drove adoption of digital assets at TD Ameritrade
- The impact of May Day on the financial sector
- Utilizing lessons from the May Day rule changes for current adoption strategies
- TD Ameritrade’s three-pronged approach
- The necessity of scalability in any process
- Empowerment and safety of the consumer through education
- Solving the issue of custody through choices
- The future of the cryptocurrency industry
Links to Resources:
TD Ameritrade: https://www.tdameritrade.com/
TD Ameritrade on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDAmeritrade
Sunayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunaynatuteja
Sunayna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunayna
Subscribe to the show: Cryptotokentalk.io
Find us on twitter: https://twitter.com/cryptotokentalk
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Today, guest host Nikki Del Principe is joined by Dave Jevans, CEO of CipherTrace. Dave begins by telling us how he first discovered crypto in 1999 when he got involved in the Cypherpunk movement and how that led him to become a founder of CipherTrace. The goal of CipherTrace is to make cryptocurrencies globally available and safe for everyone, including banks and other financial institutions. CipherTrace provides services to crypto exchanges to ensure that their customers are not using their platforms to launder money or engage in other criminal activities.
CipherTrace recently launched a Central Bank Digital Currency Initiative, and Dave discusses the initiative's prioritization of security, privacy, and compliance. When it comes to mass adoption of digital currencies, Dave emphasizes the need for a contactless solution, such as debit cards, that doesn't require a smart phone with internet connectivity to use. Summarizing the findings from CipherTrace's Spring 2020 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report, Dave conveys that the cryptocurrency space is much more safe now than it was in the past. CipherTrace has been participating in regular meetings with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and Dave provides an overview of the FATF's proposed Travel Rule guidelines that may go into effect for cryptocurrency transactions this June.
Dave predicts that this year we will see more large banks supporting cryptocurrency businesses, which is encouraging for mass adoption. He also believes debit and credit cards that allow users to spend cryptocurrencies are on the rise. Finally, Dave debunks the myth that blockchain analytics involves spying on people when the reality is blockchain analytics helps keep the cryptocurrency ecosystem safe.
Topics covered:
- What got Dave interested in cryptocurrency
- Overview of CipherTrace's services
- CipherTrace's Central Bank Digital Currency Initiative
- Technical hurdles to crypto implementation and mass adoption
- How COVID-19 has influenced adoption rates
- What has happened in 2020 regarding crypto crime so far
- Ensuring industry compliance with regulations
- The necessity of pushing technology to catch up to compliance standards
- Predictions about adoption and the need for wider consumer accessibility
- Making easier onramps into the crypto space to facilitate adoption
- Blockchain analytics and privacy: why you don’t need to worry
Links to Resources:
CipherTrace website: https://ciphertrace.com/
CipherTrace blog: https://ciphertrace.com/blog/
CipherTrace Spring 2020 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report: https://ciphertrace.com/spring-2020-cryptocurrency-anti-money-laundering-report/
TRISA website: https://trisa.io/
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Today we’re joined by three very talented ladies from Hercode: Nicky Campa, Avalon Barrie, and Heidi Pease. The three begin by telling us their backgrounds and what led to their involvement in the blockchain industry, each bringing unique qualities and experiences to the team.
Hercode is an initiative within LA Blockchain Lab that focuses on women and diversity in the blockchain space. Over the past year, Hercode has worked with the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to provide courses to teachers in Afghanistan so that they will be equipped to educate young girls about blockchain technology and coding in Solidity. Another program launched by Hercode focuses on educating high school girls in Los Angeles about blockchain.
As difficult as the coronavirus pandemic has been, it has made the Hercode team realize the importance of online education, which is an area they are now focusing on closely. Nicky, Avalon, and Heidi speak to what can come from educating women worldwide on emerging technologies and their excitement to move forward with their vision. They also believe that the pandemic can allow people to recognize the incredible value of blockchain technology, especially as the need for verification and trust becomes that much more pronounced.
Overall, Hercode believes strongly that where you live or your gender should not limit your access to education, and the team hopes to close the gender gap when it comes to participation in the current technological transformation.
Topics covered:
- What our three guests were doing before discovering crypto
- Heidi's journey founding LA Blockchain Lab
- Giving women all over the world the opportunity to learn about blockchain
- The initiatives that Hercode is driving
- Working with partner schools in the Los Angeles area
- Closing the gender gap in the blockchain industry
- Dealing with the global COVID-19 pandemic
- Thinking more strategically to give a quality education to everyone
- Problems in other countries that are not seen in the United States
- Blockchain use cases envisioned by students in Afghanistan
Links to Resources:
LA Blockchain Lab Website: https://www.lablockchainlab.org/
LA Blockchain Lab on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lablockchainlab
Hercode Website: https://www.lablockchainlab.org/hercode
Hercode on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hercodeglobal
Hercode on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hercodeglobal/
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Nikki Del Principe, Director of Content Strategy at Melrose PR, hosts this special episode of Crypto Token Talk focused on "Communications During Crisis" in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Kelsey McGuire, Co-Head of Experiential Marketing at ConsenSys, and Kelley Weaver, CEO of Melrose PR and usual host of Crypto Token Talk, join this episode as guests.
We begin with Kelley and Kelsey sharing best practices for PR and marketing during periods of crisis. Key points include:
Know Your Audience Share Content that People Crave Be Authentic Don't Over-Generalize Focus on Value-Driven MarketingNext, Kelsey shares how her team has tweaked tactics pertaining to virtual events to add value. She discusses the ETH2 virtual summit and how they are adding gamified components and working with partners to make this online event community-oriented. Kelley shares how Melrose PR had to make strategic adjustments at the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the announcement of Fold's Visa-powered bitcoin rewards card garnered the press coverage it deserved, which ultimately included stories in Bloomberg, Fortune, and Forbes, among a slew of business and crypto outlets.
With so many companies shifting to remote work, Kelley and Kelsey discuss how their leadership styles have changed. This leads to a conversation about the long-term impacts of COVID-19. The guests share final thoughts on how to handle communications during this time of uncertainty, reminding us to reflect in addition to looking to the future and moving forward with your goals.
Topics covered:
-Best practices for PR and marketing during crisis and periods of uncertainty
-PR and marketing success stories during the COVID-19 pandemic
-Kelsey discusses the importance of building community and how her team is adding value to virtual events through gamification
-Kelley shares her experience running communications for Fold's recent Visa-powered bitcoin rewards card announcement
-Predictions for the future, including long-term impacts of the coronavirus crisis
-Adjustments in leadership during this time of uncertainty
-The benefits of remote work
-Long-term shifts in workplace culture
Links to Resources:
ConsenSys: https://consensys.net/
Melrose PR: https://www.melrosepr.com/
Kelley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryptokelley
Kelley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cryptokelley
Kelsey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseykmcguire
Ethereal Virtual Summit: https://www.etherealsummit.com/
Story on Fold's Bitcoin Rewards Card in Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-09/visa-teams-with-startup-fold-for-bitcoin-rewards-on-new-card
Kelley's Recent Webinar on BrightTALK: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/18050/395242?utm_campaign=communication_viewer_followup&utm_medium=email&utm_source=brighttalk-transact&utm_content=webcast
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In today’s episode Melrose PR Director of Content Strategy Nikki Del Principe guest-hosts Emre Tekisalp. Emre is the Head of Business Development at O(1) Labs, the team behind Coda Protocol. Before joining O(1) Labs, Emre was at Coinbase, the largest exchange in the U.S., and found his way into crypto back in 2015 through roles at Ripple and a few other projects.
When you look at blockchains in general, starting with Bitcoin, one of the biggest struggles is how to make these virtual machines more accessible, personal, and powerful. Emre describes this dilemma as the "infamous scaling debate." Coda addresses this problem by deploying zero knowledge proofs to keep the blockchain at a tiny fixed size. At Coda, the data needed to download the blockchain is only about 20 kilobytes, which, when compared to other blockchains that require hundreds of gigabytes, is incredibly small and lightweight. Coda recently introduced a new term, ScaDe ScaDe (Scalability-per-unit-of-Decentralization), that incorporates decentralization into the measure of scalability rather than only focusing on throughput (transactions per second). With its Genesis token program underway, Coda is well on its way to being highly decentralized for its upcoming mainnet launch.
Topics covered:
- The problem Coda Protocol addresses and the solution it offers
- Emre’s view on blockchain’s scalability problem and the introduction of a new term for measuring scalability
- Emre's thoughts on Libra and how it familiarizes people with the concept of digital money
- How blockchains can scale for mobile and why that is so important
- More about Coda’s milestones and the recently launched Genesis token program
- Coda’s ultimate vision for the future
- Emre’s predictions and hopes for the blockchain industry
- The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Coda and crypto in general
- Emre’s recommendations on resources for people to dive deeper into the blockchain spaceLinks to Resources:
Coda Protocol website: https://codaprotocol.com/
Coda Protocol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/codaprotocol
Coda Protocol on Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/Vexf4ED
Apply to the Genesis token program: https://codaprotocol.com/genesis
Solving the Scalability Trilemma Blog Post: https://codaprotocol.com/blog/solving-the-scalability-trilemma
Coinbase video on Cryptocurrency and the Future of Money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeCQkIJNkY
Hash Power Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/is/podcast/hash-power-ep-1-understanding-blockchains/id1154105909?i=1000392721406
"Why Decentralization Matters" via OneZero Medium: https://onezero.medium.com/why-decentralization-matters-5e3f79f7638e
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In today’s episode of Crypto Token Talk our guest is Michelle Chuang, COO of Asensys. She spent 20 years in marketing consumer brands before moving into crypto and blockchain. The lack of data security online is what originally sparked her interest in uses of blockchain technology to improve the digital economy. She discusses why decentralization is key to the security of blockchain systems, but that, historically, these networks have had difficulty achieving high performance while retaining decentralization and security. This problem is called the "blockchain trilemma."
Asensys addresses blockchain's scalability problem head-on by introducing the concept of asynchronous consensus zones to reduce redundancies across the network. She uses the analogy of opening up more check-out lines at the grocery store to explain how it works. The consumer awareness about the need for data privacy is there, and so, in terms of mass adoption, Michelle believes that it's a matter of operationalizing blockchain technology to provide consumers with real solutions.
Topics covered:
- Michelle’s background and what led her to join Asensys
- How Asensys works and why it is unique
- Example use cases for blockchain solutions
- How Asensys solves the Blockchain Trilemma
- Predictions for the future of blockchain technology and mass adoption
- The appetite of implementing technology like Asensys at the enterprise level
- Recommended approaches for learning more about blockchain technology
Links to Resources:
Website: www.asensys.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/asensyschain
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Our guest for today is Alex Mashinsky, Founder and CEO of Celsius Network. He came to the US as an immigrant 30 years ago and became a serial founder in the tech space. A colleague showed Alex Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin Whitepaper in 2009, but it took him until 2013 to understand the brilliance of decentralized networks.
We all need banks, but they charge fees for everything. Celsius Network offers an alternative. The company now has over 600 million dollars from over 77,000 global users and did 5.47 billion dollars in loans in 2019. Celsius Network's success is based on replacing the flawed banking model that charges millions of dollars in fees to its users. Celsius Network also aims to recreate the old community banking feeling and build trust by issuing loans as low as 3.5% per year. One of Celsius Network's tips is constantly asking the question, is this good for our users and helping our community? Alex explains that he wants to provide regular people with the same tools that are at the disposal of the rich.
Over the next five years, Alex is excited to see the crypto community grow. In over 700 years of banking, nothing has changed because we keep using the same system. Blockchain technology sparked the creation of an entirely novel banking system, so Alex predicts this might be the moment of evolution.
Topics covered:
- Why Celsius is a killer app
- The negative effect of banks and overdrafts
- Celsius Network typical customers
- Borrowing against bitcoin
- Alex’s first investment in cryptocurrencies
- What Alex is the most excited about in the next five years
- Recommendations about entering into the crypto asset space
Links to Resources:
Website: www.Celsius.network
Telegram: https://t.me/celsiusnetwork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mashinsky
Email: alex(at)mashinsky(dot)com
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Our guest for today is Tongtong Gong, COO and Co-founder of Amberdata. She moved to the U.S. from Beijing, China when she was 17 years old, and her inability to speak English properly influenced her to choose Computer Science as an area of study because programming languages actually felt less intimidating to her. She started learning about crypto in 2013 and kept diving deeper from there.
Amberdata is a data infrastructure company that provides blockchain network data and market data in a single API, which allows people to build on top of it. During the ICO boom, it seemed like a necessity that could help contribute from a data infrastructure perspective. Amberdata’s customers fall into three categories: developers, traders, and major institutions moving into the digital assets space. In the following five years, Tongtong believes the industry will be growing and, based on financial history, she thinks that it won’t be in a linear, predictable fashion. Rather, it will be a punctuated equilibrium because new players will come in and be critical in the development of digital assets.
Topics covered:
- What Amberdata is and how it came to be
- Examples of Amberdata’s customer types
- Fears of major market manipulation
- Recommended resources for people who have questions about crypto
- Anecdotes that surprised Tongtong from analyzing data sets
- Things that Tongtong has seen go miraculously wrong
- Internal transfers that hide information
- Predictions for the next five years in the crypto industry
-Biggest threats to the cryptocurrency and blockchain space
Links to Resources:
Website: https://amberdata.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amberdataio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amberdata/
Medium: https://medium.com/amberdata
Email: tongtong(at)amberdata(dot)io
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In the Season 2 finale, CEO of Fold Will Reeves is our special guest. Prior to dedicating himself full-time to Fold, he worked in consumer tech and payments in Silicon Valley. He has experienced the challenges and rewards involved with both running his own startups and working for massive companies.
Will credits his first time hearing about bitcoin to a friend he met when he was living in Argentina who explained why it could be useful as a global currency. Will organized a pilot called Lightning Pizza that set out to prove bitcoin’s use as a payment method, and he fills us in on its ongoing impact. Will then describes how Fold is changing behavior through incentives and explains why bitcoin cashback is better than airline miles. Thanks to his work in traditional payments, Will is very knowledgeable with the problems of legacy payment systems and discusses why bitcoin is superior. Regarding user privacy, Will feels that data collection is out of control and speaks to the risk it poses for consumers. He reveals the percentage of Fold users that choose bitcoin as their payment method and articulates why he expects the number to grow even more. Additionally, Will shares his thoughts on what roadblocks stand between cryptocurrency payments and mass adoption.
Topics covered:
- A background of Will and what he was doing before crypto.
- How bitcoin can immediately improve the lives of consumers and merchants.
- The Lightning Pizza project and its results.
- Fold’s target market of crypto enthusiasts and newcomers.
- What sets Fold apart from other crypto cashback programs.
- Promotions that Fold offers for the holiday season and a new feature.
- Payment problems that Will witnessed in his endeavors before crypto.
- The importance of data privacy.
- Big changes to e-commerce and payments on the horizon in 2020.
- Consumer behavior that Will observes from mobile users versus desktop users.
- Where Fold users spend their rewards.
- Hurdles facing Fold and bitcoin on the adoption journey.
Links to Resources:
Fold: https://foldapp.com/
Will on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wlrvs
Fold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fold_app
Lightning Pizza: https://ln.pizza/
Andreas Antonopoulos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWCJCWOxBYSi5DhCieLOLQ
Jameson Lopp: https://www.lopp.net/bitcoin-information.html
What Bitcoin Did: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/
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The Founder of GiveBitcoin, Cory Klippsten, is our guest on today’s podcast. He has had a long career in big technology, having worked for the likes of Microsoft and Google. After leaving Google in 2013, Cory became involved with startups as an investor, advisor, and occasionally an operator.
Cory got involved with Bitcoin in May of 2017 and recalls that the price and social signaling from his professional network were large factors in attracting him. There is a lot of noise in the cryptocurrency space, so Cory gives advice on what newcomers should do to properly inform themselves. When he received his first bitcoin, Cory made a mistake that he aims for GiveBitcoin to solve. He explains that GiveBitcoin is great for new users because it provides education on Bitcoin while keeping it stored safely. The mission of the company is to allow for the giving of bitcoin in a safe and easy way. Cory talks about why the process some people have gone through when receiving bitcoin using other methods has been annoying to them. In the beta phase of GiveBitcoin, Cory was excited to see a large amount of bitcoin being sent and then shares his thoughts on how bitcoin will evolve. He also says that GiveBitcoin’s take is not to be the only resource for the Bitcoin community. Ending this episode, Cory describes his sentiment on Bitcoin in both the short- and long-term.
Topics covered:
- What initially got Cory excited about Bitcoin.
- Finding a mentor to steer you in the right direction.
- The first bitcoin Cory received in January 2014 and what this inspired.
- GiveBitcoin and some of its features, such as time locking.
- Directing users to educational resources from a user perspective.
- Kelley’s experience of gifting her friends and family bitcoin a few years ago.
- The custodian that GiveBitcoin uses to protect funds.
- Limits and fees on the GiveBitcoin platform.
- Cory’s thoughts on bitcoin not being ideal for use as a currency.
- A tease of GiveBitcoin’s new referral program.
- Some resources that Cory likes sending to new bitcoin users.
- Cory’s rationale for being bullish on bitcoin long-term.
- Education before accumulation.
Links to Resources:
GiveBitcoin: https://givebitcoin.io/
GiveBitcoin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/give_bitcoin
Nakamoto Institute: https://nakamotoinstitute.org/
Jameson Lopp’s Bitcoin Information: https://www.lopp.net/bitcoin-information.html
The Bullish Case for Bitcoin: https://medium.com/@vijayboyapati/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-6ecc8bdecc1
Stephan Livera Podcast Episode 71: https://stephanlivera.com/episode/71/
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Kevin Ting, Co-founder of CryptoCanary, joins us in this episode. He is a crypto entrepreneur who has a background in engineering. After graduating, Kevin went to Silicon Valley to join the startup space and got involved on the business side tech before diving into crypto.
After first discovering Bitcoin in 2013, Kevin learned about Ethereum in 2017 and all of its possibilities. These days, Kevin educates new crypto users through the media group, Bitcoin For Beginners. On the YouTube channel, people can learn everything about Bitcoin and blockchain on the tech and financial side. Most recently, Kevin started working on a new project called CryptoCanary, which is akin to Yelp for the crypto world in which users can rate and comment on token projects. A beta version was launched a few months ago and the site is growing every day.
In response to Kelley’s question about the biggest misconceptions in cryptocurrency, Kevin discusses the early days of bitcoin being used on the dark web. Now, the reality is that illicit activities comprise a very small percentage of all the ways crypto is used. Instead, Kevin and others in the space are using crypto in e-commerce. He mentions crypto.com as a way to easily use crypto in day-to-day purchases. Additionally, Kevin and Kelley discuss volatility as attractive in a thrill-seeking way but also as an obstacle to mass adoption. The ethos of decentralization and open-source project development are the aspects of the industry that excite Kevin the most.
Before buying any crypto, Kevin recommends doing plenty of research, including watching YouTube videos and reading articles. Finally, Kevin reminds people to always ask questions and to take all advice with a grain of salt. Bitcoin and Ethereum are top of Kevin’s list when it comes to projects that he is most enthusiastic about, but he also believes gaming has great potential for crypto integrations.
Topics covered:
- What Kevin was doing prior to crypto.
- What CryptoCanary does and why Kevin likens it to Yelp.
- How Bitcoin For Beginners built its impressive audience.
- The difficulty of finding reliable information and why this inspired CryptoCanary.
- Monetization of Bitcoin For Beginners and CryptoCanary.
- The most common misconceptions of cryptocurrency.
- Concerns about volatility in the crypto market.
- What excites Kevin about blockchain, both now and in the future.
- Extra layers of friction that don’t make for a good user experience.
- First steps for new users who want to get involved in crypto.
- Resources that Kevin recommends for learning about this space.
- Developments in blockchain gaming.
Links to Resources:
CryptoCanary: https://cryptocanary.app/
To get in touch with Kevin, visit CryptoCanary’s Telegram: https://t.me/cryptocanaryapp/
Bitcoin For Beginners Website: https://www.bitcoinforbeginners.io/
Bitcoin For Beginners on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/bitcoinforbeginners/
Bitcoin For Beginners Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cryptoforbeginners/
Bitcoin For Beginners Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/realbtcforbeginners
Andreas Antonopoulos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWCJCWOxBYSi5DhCieLOLQ
Buy, Sell, and Pay with Crypto: https://crypto.com/en/
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In this episode, Kelley Weaver chats with Dennis Lewis, author of Behold the Cryptopreneurs: How to thrive in the new blockchain economy without feeling slimy. Dennis got into the space a few years ago when a friend called him up who needed help marketing an initial coin offering (ICO).
Dennis has seen many projects fail, prompting him to identify areas in which crypto companies should improve. He expresses changes that need to be made so that cryptocurrency doesn’t end up as a speculative backyard to the financial industry. Dennis is excited about blockchain technology in general but reveals one use case in particular that he sees as a huge opportunity. A distributed ICO is one way that can prevent a problem that Dennis identified, and he explains how it can help. We hear about Dennis’ belief that every entrepreneur, even those not directly involved in this space, should educate themselves on crypto, beginning by accepting it as a form of payment. He also gives his thoughts on the touchy subject of developers titling themselves as CEOs. Finally, he stresses the importance of putting in an effort to understand this revolutionary technology.
Topics covered:
- How Dennis made his way into this industry.
- Fundamental reasons that Dennis saw leading to the failure of projects.
- Helping the industry begin solving real problems facing real people.
- Providing projects with the funds that they need.
- Dennis’ definition of a cryptopreneur, as outlined in his book.
- The value in deciding whether to share our data or not.
- The ability of distributed ICOs to raise funds over time.
- Advice for entrepreneurs in and out of the blockchain industry.
- Trends in fundraising today and what the future holds.
- Skills to design a blockchain versus skills to run a business.
- Bridging the skills gap by focusing on the problem that blockchain solves.
Links to Resources:
Crypto Trader News: https://cryptotradernews.com/
Dennis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dennishlewis
Dennis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennishlewis
Download the first 4 chapters of Behold the Cryptopreneurs: https://cryptopreneurs.club/
Behold the Cryptopreneurs: How to thrive in the new blockchain economy without feeling slimy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/107806363X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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Today’s episode was recorded on-site at the Crypto Mondays LA meetup co-hosted with crypto consulting, business solutions, and investing firm BitPros. At this event, Crypto Token Talk Host Kelley Weaver and other attendees set out to break the record for most women to ever attend a crypto meetup. An all-star panel drew a packed room of both women and men, leading the group to shatter the existing record. Kelley fills listeners in on the context of the event before launching into a panel featuring illustrious female guests in the crypto sphere:
Guests include:
- Najah Roberts, Founder and CEO of Crypto Blockchain Plug, one of the first brick and mortar cryptocurrency over-the-counter help desks and education centers. They are focused on bringing affecting change and fostering mass adoption in every area of the crypto space.
- Crystal Rose, CEO and Co-founder of Sense.Chat, a decentralized messenger that allows for a crypto-friendly messaging experience that doesn’t spy on you.
- Barbara Bickham, Founder and CTO of Trailyn Ventures, a blockchain advisory company. She also works with the Women’s Innovation Fund Accelerator which helps advance women in blockchain.
- Zayi Reyes, Partnerships & Marketing Lead at Unstoppable Domains, which offers easy-to-remember addresses and domains for sending cryptocurrencies. Zayi is also a board member of The Rabbit Hole Network.
- Kseniya Lifanova, Co-Founder, Partner, and Smart Contract Developer at Upstate Interactive LLC, a tech consultancy which began offering smart contracts as part of its services.
Topics covered:
- How each guest first got involved in the cryptocurrency/blockchain sphere.
- Najah’s educating of young people.
- Crystal’s thoughts on the importance of privacy.
- How Barbara’s work helps foster and grow the blockchain industry.
- Why Zayi thinks good marketing is often underestimated in the crypto space.
- How we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the dot com boom in Kseniya’s opinion.
- Breaking the record for most women to ever attend a crypto meetup.
- Hopes for blockchain as we head into 2020.
Links to Resources:
Crypto Blockchain Plug: https://www.cryptopluginglewood.com/
Sense.Chat: https://www.sense.chat/
Barbara Bickham: https://www.barbarabickham.com/
Unstoppable Domains: https://unstoppabledomains.com/
Upstate Interactive: https://upstateinteractive.io/
BitPros: https://www.mybitpro.com/
CryptoMondays L.A.: https://www.meetup.com/Crypto-Mondays-L-A/
The Rabbit Hole Network: https://www.rabbithole.network/
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Dan Conway is our guest in this episode. He is the author of Confessions of a Crypto Millionaire: My Unlikely Escape from Corporate America. Dan discovered Ethereum when he was working as an executive with a large company at a time when his job was unstable.
When first reading about Ethereum, Dan believed that it had the power to take on big corporations someday. He shares his views on what Ethereum will become but admits that it is not ready for scaling yet. In the future, Dan believes there will be projects that can plug into a distributed project like in the original concept of DAOs. Dan and his wife gained around $100,000 thanks to various fortunate events, all of which they invested in Ethereum. His wife never wanted to talk about money but understood how much better their life became thanks to this investment. Dan instills that a good amount of research should be done before making a crypto investment and talks about the dishonesty of some projects.
Topics covered:
- Dan’s life before getting into cryptocurrency.
- Use cases that Dan saw for Ethereum when he first invested and now.
- The financial pressure that Dan’s family was under during the recession.
- Dan’s giant investment into Ethereum.
- Being confident and certain about investing in cryptocurrency.
- What Dan’s life looked like after Ethereum began rising in value.
- Dan getting fired from his job and how it affected his life.
- Critics of Dan and his story.
- Recommended activities before investing in cryptocurrency.
- Sell pressure on Ethereum because of previous ICOs.
- Pitches that Dan has received from crypto companies.
Links to Resources:
Confessions of a Crypto Millionaire: https://amzn.to/2OshJ43
Dan Conway: https://danconwaywriter.com/
Dan Conway on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanConway650
Should You Invest in Crypto Now?!: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2019/09/09/should-you-invest-in-crypto-now/#10ee6d0bca0f
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Two guests from the AnthemGold and Hercules projects join us for this episode. Cynthia Blanchard is the Co-Founder and President of these companies, while Julie Mei is the Chief Technology Officer.
Cynthia’s husband, Anthem Blanchard, was adopted into a family with a deep history involving gold. She shares the story of how her father-in-law, James U. Blanchard III, led the charge in lifting laws restricting ownership of gold in the United States. AnthemGold aims to build on Blanchard’s vision with its gold-backed asset token that enables easy transactions using gold, one of history’s most widely trusted and universal mediums of exchange.
Julie explains the technology behind Hercules, a blockchain-based supply chain solution, and its use to track the purchase, movement, and ownership of gold bars represented by AnthemGold tokens. Cynthia believes that as Hercules demonstrates its utility as an enterprise supply chain solution, various industries will wake up to the value of blockchain technology as a data verification and tracking tool. Julie says that the big changes in crypto are coming from the small players and that the current aim for AnthemGold and Hercules is to stay small enough to easily meet the needs of clients. Cynthia and Julie share their predictions of where bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general are headed in the coming years.
Topics covered:
- The vastly different ways that Cynthia and Julie discovered crypto.
- Cynthia’s ties to Anthem Blanchard and companies, AnthemGold and Hercules.
- An explanation of AnthemGold and how it stores gold reserves.
- How the Hercules software applies to AnthemGold.
- An example of blockchain use in a supply chain.
- Industries and applications that will really benefit from blockchain.
- Cost benefits of Hercules compared to Ethereum.
- Scaling dilemmas in the cryptocurrency space.
- Resources that Cynthia and Julie use to stay up-to-date on news and developments.
- The future of cryptocurrency.
Links to Resources:
AnthemGold: https://anthemgold.com/
Hercules: https://herc.one/
Julie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sudobangbang
Anthem Blanchard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anthemhayek
Hercules on Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/E_FZdg4HNKlqnxKXEEeYxw
AnthemGold on Telegram: https://t.me/anthemgold
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Today’s guest is Michael Seitz, Marketing Manager at Dash Core Group. He lives in San Diego and first learned of cryptocurrency in 2012. Dash is a payment-focused cryptocurrency whose team introduced the idea of master nodes to the crypto landscape. Master nodes work by having major stakeholders park their Dash on a second server and earn Dash for providing the essential network service of verifying transactions.
Michael began researching crypto seriously in 2014, and actually made his first purchase with the help of the Second Life game. He explains the path he took to eventually end up working with Dash and provides reasons why Dash is superior to other cryptocurrencies. Unique among cryptos, any amount of Dash can be sent to anyone, anywhere in the world, in just one second and for about a penny in fees. Dash’s low fees and speedy transaction times creates a sharp contrast with bitcoin, whose fees increase in-line with the price of the currency. Research suggests Dash would scale well as a global payments network.
The biggest market for Dash thus far has been Venezuela and surrounding countries because of the hyperinflation experienced there. We also hear about how partner businesses, such as Crypto Mobile, have been instrumental in Dash adoption in Latin America. We return to the topic of why Dash is referred to as the “granddaddy of governance,” and Michael does a deep-dive into the distinction between Dash Core Group and the Dash cryptocurrency. Impressively, Dash is one of the most decentralized cryptocurrencies with on average between 4800 and 5000 master nodes operating at any given time. To the question of how to learn more about crypto projects, Michael underlines the importance of doing your own research and reading white papers.
Topics covered:
- How Michael first discovered cryptocurrency.
- The crypto miner that Michael built using a milk crate.
- An explanation of master nodes.
- Aspects that make Dash superior to other cryptocurrencies.
- Where Dash can be bought, and which wallets can be used to store it.
- Markets that Dash has gained traction in and why.
- Cell phones that come with the Dash wallet pre-installed.
- Dash’s approach to helping vendors accept their cryptocurrency.
- The adoption of Dash compared to other cryptocurrencies.
- Governance in the Dash network.
- Deep-dive into Dash Core Group and how it works.
- Learning about cryptocurrency projects.
Links to Resources:
Dash Website: https://www.dash.org/
Dash Blog: https://blog.dash.org/
Buy Dash on: https://uphold.com/
To Learn More About the Dash Core v0.14.0.3 Release: https://blog.dash.org/overview-of-mainnet-stress-test-and-dash-core-v0-14-0-3-release-db6b978da42c
Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sdseitz
Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdseitz
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Sam Radocchia is back for her second appearance on the podcast in today’s episode. She is part of the Chronicled team, a company which builds blockchain protocols for supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry.
Because of the misinformation that exists in the blockchain space, Sam wrote the book Bitcoin Pizza to educate newcomers about it. She says that writing this book was one of the hardest things she has ever done. We hear about an interesting method that Sam used to write some parts of her book. While Bitcoin is ever-changing, Sam discusses how she attempted to write Bitcoin Pizza as a timeless piece that focused on culture. This means that there are several Bitcoin cultural references in the book, and Sam shares a few with us. With privacy concerns on the internet growing, a conversation begins about how blockchain can help with big data. Aside from her book, Sam knows a lot of good blockchain informational resources which she shares. Bitcoin Pizza presents insight on the different segments of people involved in the space, so Sam provides a brief overview of some. Sam then discusses the benefits of meeting up with like-minded cryptocurrency users.
Topics covered:
- Sam’s background and how Chronicled has grown.
- Reasons why Sam wrote Bitcoin Pizza.
- The difficult process of writing the book after blogging for so many years.
- Intimidation that some people feel when entering the cryptocurrency space.
- The different feelings of publishing something on the internet versus publishing a book.
- Headings used in the book and some sneak peeks.
- The story behind the name Bitcoin Pizza.
- Reliving the internet’s past with Bitcoin.
- Dangers of automation and false data.
- Resources that Sam recommends learning about cryptocurrency from.
- A live directory that Sam is working on.
- The Twitter culture surrounding blockchain.
- How Sam’s attitude of storing cryptocurrency has evolved.
Links to Resources:
Buy Sam’s Book, Bitcoin Pizza, on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YnJ3GL
Sam’s first appearance: https://cryptotokentalk.io/podcast/episode-120-sam-radocchia-talks-non-finance-blockchain-use-cases/
Chronicled: https://www.chronicled.com/
Bitcoin Pizza: https://samantharadocchia.com/bitcoin-pizza-book
The Collective Future: http://collectivefuture.io/
Sam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/samradofficial
The Bitcoin Standard: https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central/dp/1119473861
Debt: The First 5,000 Years: https://www.amazon.com/Debt-First-5-000-Years/dp/1612191290
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