NY Gov Blockchain April Meetup

We are lucky to have a diverse and fantastic line-up of speakers sharing case studies and insights across federal, state, local, and international applications of blockchain for the public good.

Networking starts at 6:15p and the program begins promptly at 6:45p to leave ample time for Q&A and conversation after the talks.

THANK YOU to Grand Central Tech for hosting and to BRD: Banking Reinvented and Decentralized for the food/drink (https://breadapp.com/).

*The State of the Blockchain Union*

We are pleased to anchor our program this month with a presentation from Gerard Daché, President of the Government Blockchain Association, who is in town from DC and will share perspectives on a variety of use cases and sectors. Gerard will deliver a presentation describing how governments at all levels are responding to emerging technologies including Blockchain. This includes both local, state and national levels of governments. This presentation will focus on government business processes and not focus on cryptocurrencies. However, as it relates to government regulation and oversight, it will be addressed. Come and learn about the potential and actual use of this disruptive technology.

*Government Work at The Hyperledger Foundation*

Karen Ottoni, Ecosystem Manager of Hyperledger, will introduce Hyperledger's government working group, and let everyone know how they can join and participate.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-l-ottoni-a9428411/

*Call for Innovative Case Studies & Projects*

Karen Bhatia is Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, leading Creative and Applied Tech strategies to promote economic development, entrepreneurship and good jobs for all New Yorkers throughout the city. Karen is also an attorney, entrepreneur and startup advisor, helping NYC tech industries innovate and remain competitive in this global economy.

At the NYCEDC (NYC Economic Development Corporation), we are researching blockchain projects and businesses in NYC (and beyond) that have unique business models or provide businesses/services for underserved New Yorkers. We are interested in ways in which blockchain can be a tool for economic development for those who are underemployed or in poorer neighborhoods, and are exploring models from emerging markets as a parallel (ex: BitPesa). Please let us know of other blockchain projects based here in NYC that are helping businesses scale or are developing new business models for the underserved.

*Blockchain in Municipalities*

Andrew Nicklin, the Director of Data Practices @JohnsHopkins will share insights from his experience across the private, public, and academic sectors. He has worked with 100+ governments across the U.S. to leverage their data as a strategic asset in decision-making and has 20 years of technology leadership in NYC and NYS government.

https://twitter.com/@technickle
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnicklin/

*Blockchain at UNICEF Innovation*

Sunita will be speaking about UNICEF’s Venture Fund and their approach to exploring the use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies for UNICEF.

Sunita Grote manages the UNICEF Innovation (Venture) Fund and is Deputy for Ventures within UNICEF’s Office of Innovation. The Office of Innovation explores how emerging technology can tackle the world’s big problems and accelerate results for the most marginalized children across the organization’s global programmes. The Innovation Fund invests in early-stage start-ups that are developing open source frontier technology solutions, including blockchain, to develop globally scalable technology platforms. Previously, Sunita spent 10 years working in the global HIV and health response based mostly in the UK and in South Asia, managing financial and technical support for community leaders and organizations around the world. She has a background in innovative financing and an MBA from INSEAD.gy.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunita-grote-61250812/