Future Labs Focus | Blockchain: The Post-Hype Future

Monday

,

October

15

at

5:30pm

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What actually happened? And what's next?

Those are some of the questions that blockchain builders and crypto investors are currently trying to answer. After the boom of December 2017 and the influx of money poured into coin offerings, it's clear that we are now in a distinct blockchain lull. There’s not as much press (not as much positive press, anyway.) Builders have bounced. Investors have burned... But does this signal the end of blockchain?

Some say yes, but others (think Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz, Joseph Lubin of ConsenSys) argue that this is just the beginning. That we are in the very earliest stages of blockchain development, its use cases, and capabilities of the technology. That we’re now going to see the birth of true blockchain adoption and innovation.

Join us at the latest edition of our popular Focus series, where we’ve put together a panel of experts to map how blockchain development — stripped of its hype — translates into actual progress. We’ll explore the future of blockchain technology, its practical applications, and the opportunities still left to be built.

Looking for specific answers? Tweet questions to @NYUFutureLabs #FocusChain, and we’ll add them to the agenda.

See you there!

Speakers

Dr. Peter Carr

Department Chair, Finance & Risk Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Dr. Peter Carr is a professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, a faculty engineer-in-residence at Future Labs, and a trustee for the National Museum of Mathematics and WorldQuant University. He has over 85 publications in academic journals and serves as an associate editor for 8 journals related to mathematical finance. From 2011 to 2014, Peter was included in Institutional Investor's Tech 50, an annual listing of the most influential people in financial technology.

Venkatesh Seetharam

Partner, Capital One Growth Ventures

Venkatesh Seetharam has over 15 years of experience in software development and architecture, and has been working on Apache Hadoop for nearly a decade. Previously, he worked at Hortonworks Inc., where he led a major data governance initiative and oversaw the creation of Apache Falcon, a data management solution for Hadoop. Before that, Venkatesh led a team to design and implement the Hadoop data management platform at Yahoo!.

Natalie Fratto

Vice President, Early Stage Practice, Silicon Valley Bank

Natalie Fratto is based in Toronto and New York to better support the growth of both Canada and US markets. Before SVB, Natalie went through Y-Combinator, leading operations for on-demand services company Vive, and worked as a strategist for IBM Watson.

Mutisya Ndunda

Cofounder & CEO, Alpha Vertex

Mutisya Ndunda has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. Apart from defining strategy and vision at AI analytics company Alpha Vertex, he plays an active role in the development of its machine learning technologies.

Previously, Mutisya was head of strategy and business development for Bloomberg’s Enterprise Solutions, and SIG’s head of North America business development.

Tim Delisle

Cofounder & CEO, Datalogue

Tim Delisle is cofounder and CEO of Datalogue, an AI-powered data infrastructure for the enterprise. He holds a BS in cell biology and anatomy from McGill University, an MSc in computer and information science from Cornell Tech, and an MSc in applied information sciences from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

Ingrid Abel

Community Manager, Capital One Growth Ventures

Ingrid Abel has been part of the Capital One Growth Ventures team since 2016. Currently serving as the Community Outreach Manager for the East Coast, she recently relocated to New York from San Francisco, where she started out in an administrative support role for the C1GV partners. Ingrid is focused on building and strengthening the Capital One Ventures network of entrepreneurs, investors, and technology customers by organizing networking events and thought leadership meetings.

Mina Salib

Program Director, NYU Tandon Future Labs

Mina Salib has worked with the Future Labs since 2015. Through curated resources, tailored introductions, and strategic guidance, he has supported over 100 startups, helping them navigate challenges such as fundraising, business development, business model optimization, hiring, and more. Prior to joining Future Labs, Mina founded media company Usspire.

Speakers

Ricardo Olivieri

Blockchain Solutions Architect, IBM Blockchain Garage

Ricardo is a Senior Software Engineer and Blockchain Solutions Architect at the IBM Blockchain Cloud Garage in NYC. His areas of expertise include gathering and analyzing business requirements, architecting, designing, and developing software applications. Ricardo has extensive experience in the complete software development cycle and related processes, especially in Agile methodologies.

Marie Leaf

Product Lead, Kadena

Leading product at Kadena, Marie bridges the divide between private and public blockchain. She leads a team in helping organizations achieve and solve transformational real-world problems — to build things they can’t even imagine yet, with a secure and scalable blockchain. Earlier, she led emerging enterprise tech at Infusion (Avanade), and reported to Cognizant’s Chief Blockchain Architect.

Shawn Cheng

Partner, ConsenSys Labs

Shawn is Partner at ConsenSys Labs, the leading venture production studio building decentralized applications, and developer and end-user tools, plus providing end-to-end services focusing primarily on the Ethereum blockchain and other decentralized technologies. Prior to ConsenSys, Shawn served as Principal at Vayner/RSE.

Nicholas Chirls

Founder and Partner, Notation Capital

Prior to cofounding Notation with Alex Lines, Nicholas worked on seed investments as an Executive Officer at Betaworks Studio, LLC, investment arm. Prior to that, Nicholas was at HappyFunCorp, and briefly traded commercial jet engines at Lehman Brothers.

Adam Carver

CEO, Battlestar Capital

With over a decade of experience in venture capital, startup operating, business development, and investor relations, Adam strives to build communities and uncover resources that move companies and society forward. His current company, Battlestar Capital, provides critical infrastructure to the crypto industry by providing premier mining-as-a-service and custody capabilities to institutional and individual owners of Proof of Stake blockchains. He is also the Managing Partner and Cofounder of The Fund.

Craig Wilson

General Manager, NYU Tandon Digital Future Lab

Craig has been a founder, an investor, and now runs the Digital Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He was one of the founders of Locus Analytics, an economic database company, and has spent time at both Collaborative Fund and Founder Collective.

Schedule

6:00 – 6:30 PM

Registration + refreshments

6:30 – 6:35 PM

Welcome + introductions

Craig Wilson, NYU Future Labs

6:35 - 6:50 PM

Keynote

Ricardo Olivieri, IBM Blockchain Garage

6:50 -7:40

Panel: The Future of Blockchain, Post-Hype Cycle

Marie Leaf, Kadena

Shawn Cheng, ConsenSys Labs

Nicholas Chirls, Notation Capital
Adam Carver, Battlestar Capital

Moderated by Craig Wilson, Digital Future Labs

7:40 – 7:45 PM

Wrap up / Conclusion

7:45 – 8:15 PM

Connecting

About NYU Tandon Future Labs

The Future Labs are a network of innovation spaces and programs that grow early-stage startups of tomorrow through curated support services, mentorship, and resources. Launched in 2009 by NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the Future Labs live at the intersection of New York’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and a leading academic institution. For more information, visit futurelabs.nyc.

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