November looks to be busy month for our community. We’ve got two ‘back by popular demand’ events for you. Later in the month you can tap into M&A expertise at our Mergers and Acquisitions workshop. (More on that in a couple of weeks).
But first, our fireside chat earlier this year on cryptocurrencies and blockchain (the underpinning technology) drew heavy interest so we’ve added a great blockchain event for you on November 13th in partnership with BlockchainNW to talk about ICOs, cryptocurrencies, the blockchain platform and more.
A number of us agree that blockchain is The Next Big Thing, but what’s happening with it on the Seattle scene? Let’s take a quick look.
The House of Mouse, otherwise known as the Walt Disney Company, was one of the first to explore how blockchain technology could be used to manage internal assets – in this case, tokens, park passes and more. In 2014, the company’s Seattle office began to develop Dragonchain on the blockchain protocol to create a secure, internal asset management system.
While Disney eventually dropped the project, Dragonchain went on to evolve into a stand-alone company. Today, it’s building a turn-key offering that enables companies to create a distributed, secure ledger for protecting business assets.
In a totally different space, Seattle startup EVERY is looking to revolutionize retail with the world’s first blockchain-powered market. The idea is to connect brands directly with consumers, deconstructing the traditional retail ecosystem. The company is currently curating brands to be included on the platform and inviting participants to purchase pre-sale tokens.
Blockchain technology is also spawning offshoot companies such as New Alchemy, a consultancy that provides expertise in initial coin offerings, token mechanics and more. For example, it validated Deluge Network, a platform that enables the transfer of digital currencies from one blockchain to another. The company also sponsors educational opportunities and provides smart contract development expertise, among other services.
Seattle even has a venture capital firm that invests solely in blockchain-focused companies. Reflective Ventures recently aligned with RChain Co-op to create a new fund for blockchain apps and startups, with an eye toward putting Seattle on the map as a hub in the blockchain train. Reflective Ventures has already invested in four startups: EVERY (see earlier comment), Resonate, Xpansive and Dekrypt Capital.
And there’s even more to explore in Seattle’s blockchain community!
