Bitcoin, Etheruem, Tokens ...  Oh My! The Crypto Currency Conference Call

In the blog post The Bitcoin Bubble and the Future of Currency (https://medium.com/@felixsalmon/the-bitcoin-bubble-and-the-future-of-currency-2b5ef79482cb), Felix Salmon writes that “…it’s only a matter of time before the bubble bursts”. After all “A few days ago, the value (http://blockchain.info/charts/market-cap?timespan=all&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address=) of all the bitcoins in the world blew past $1 billion for the first time ever”. That post was written on April 3rd, 2013.

A little more than four years later the value of Bitcoin is over $40 billion and the aggregate market cap of the top 10 coins is hovering around $100 billion

In addition to all the excitement about Bitcoin and Ethereum, we’re also witnessing the explosion of Tokens (https://goo.gl/so4joR) and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs (https://goo.gl/gs5TaY)). These tools are potentially disrupting VCs and other business models. Brave (https://goo.gl/8c7NPQ), which is building a new browser to enable blockchain based digital ads that properly values user attention, raised $30 million through an ICO for their Basic Attention Token on May 31st, in less than 30 seconds. Bancor (http://coinmarketcap.com/), a platform built on Ethereum that enables anyone to launch tokens, raised 396,720 ETH in two hours on June 12th, worth $150 million.

The point here is obvious, crypto currencies are having a moment, in terms of valuation creation, media attention, and most importantly, innovation. But the pace of all this change is challenging to keep up with and put in to perspective. While the question of the moment, once again, is “are we in a bubble (https://goo.gl/mSJcn7)”, the far more important questions are what all this means for the future of crypto currencies, blockchains, tokens, ICOs, smart contracts, and all the other technologies being enabled by these platforms. What industries are most ripe for disruption? Who are the early winners and losers? What’s up with the regulators? Is the rest of 2017 going to continue to see this pace of change and innovation? What’s the most important thing happening that no one is talking about?

We’ve assembled a panel of experts who will each talk about the current state of affairs from their perspective to help put this moment in to greater context. The hour long call will leave 15 minutes at the end of for questions.

Click here (https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7429290501153788673) to register for the call at GoToWebinar

Speaker Bios:

Meltem Demirors (https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem) - Director at Digital Currency Group: Digital Currency Group is the world’s leading bitcoin and blockchain investment firm, with investments in over 100 companies across 27 countries, and 4 subsidiaries including Genesis Trading, Grayscale, CoinDesk, and DCG Connect — an enterprise focused blockchain insights firm. At DCG, Meltem leads the development team and DCG Connect and serves as the “connective tissue” between DCG’s subsidiaries, portfolio companies, investors, and corporate partners and is focused on creating new models for partnership and growth. Meltem holds a B.A. from Rice University and and an M.B.A. from M.I.T.

Olaf Carlson-Wee (https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafcw/) - Founder and CEO of PolyChain Capital: Polychain Capital manages the world’s premier blockchain asset hedge fund, investingt in protocols, not companies. Olaf previously worked as Head of Risk & PRoduct Manager at Coinbase, which operates GDAX, a leading digital currency exchange. Olaf graduated from Vassar College.

Gil Luria (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-luria-79347a2/) - Director of Research D.A. Davidson and Wall Street’s Recognized Crypto Currency Thought leader. Gil joined D.A. Davidson in March 2017 as Director of Research. Previously Gil was an analyst and head of technology research at Wedbush Securities for 11 years, primarily focused on e-commerce and financial technology companies. Gil has made frequent appearances at FinTech conferences, along with regular appearances in the media, including CNBC, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and NPR. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hebrew University and has an MBA from Columbia Business School

Eyal Hertzog (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hertzog/) - Bancor - Foundation CouncilVenture-backed technology entrepreneur for over 20 years. Founder of MetaCafe, Israel's fastest growing video sharing site reaching over 50m uniques at its peak. Previously, Eyal founded Contact Networks, one of the first social networks in 1999. Eyal has been an outspoken thought leader on cryptocurrency in Israel and is a talented piano and bass musician.

Click here (https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7429290501153788673) to register for the call at GoToWebinar