Starting Blocks: Using Blockchain in Sports

Note: If you came here via the "Boston Blockchain Meetup" group, please please also join our group and register for this meetup. It'll help us plan the right number of seats -- and to order enough food and drinks for everyone who comes! Thanks!

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Everyone is talking about blockchain, but if we're being honest, it's hard to understand how it works, what it's good for and who's actually using it. There are many ways that blockchain technology can be leveraged in sports-tech, this panel will discuss how you can apply this exciting technology in sports. Hosted in partnership with Blockchain Boston Meetup, Starting Blocks will feature co-founders Ray Austin and Patrick Dees from the Fan-Controlled Football League.

Joining the panel is Gayatri Sarkar, an investor and GP at Sportvest -- a Sport VC fund on blockchain. She sits on the board of multiple blockchain and non-blockchain startups.

Moderating the meetup is Arne Hessenbruch, lecturer at MIT and partner at Muninsight.

About the Fan-Controlled Football League

https://www.fcfl.io/

The FCFL lets fans draft players, select coaches and call real-time plays using blockchain to provide decision-making transparency to the process. The FCFL also uses its ERC20-compatible FAN Token as the mechanism for accruing voting power; they were the first ICO on Indiegogo where they surpassed their $5 million soft cap in ten days.

About Ray Austin (Panelist)

Ray Austin has been a staple of the sports and entertainment world for the last 15 years. After a successful five-year career in the NFL where he played for the Jets and Bears, Ray has transitioned to a career as an entrepreneur, actor, and model. Ray has been featured in over 100 commercials with such big name clients as Coors, Ford, Listerine, and McDonald’s. He has also been in more than two dozen print campaigns, including K-mart, Coca-Cola and Bank of America.

Ray has a deep appreciation for the respect and discipline that he has gained in the sports community. He worked hard during his five-year tenure as an NFL player, which helped to prepare him for his next venture in sports performance.

Ray currently serves as Co-Founder of FANchise and Commissioner of the Fan-Controlled Football League (FCFL).

About Patrick Dees (Panelist)

Patrick Dees is a serial entrepreneur and dynamic executive who has been involved with myriad successful startups over his career.

Patrick co-founded Talk About Wireless in 2002, served as GM Indirect Channels of Flipswap Inc in 2008, co-founded and served as CEO of the Emerge Group in 2013, and served as General Manager and partner of the Las Vegas Outlaws in 2015, helping guide the team to a playoff berth in its inaugural season.

For FANchise, Patrick is a co-founder and serves as the company’s Chief Gaming Officer, helping to bring the company’s vision for FAN Token and the Fan Controlled Football League to life!

About Gayatri Sarkar (Panelist)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayatri-sarkar-3a995119/

Gayatri Sarkar is an investor and GP at SportVEST, a Sport VC fund on blockchain. She sits on the board of multiple blockchain and non-blockchain startups and has 12 years of experience in big data strategy management consulting. She has two startups and has worked with HPE, IBM, Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

About Arne Hessenbruch (Moderator)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnehessenbruch/

Arne is a lecturer at MIT, teaching innovation. A partner at Muninsight, he connects Danish companies to Boston’s innovation ecosystem. He is an avid consumer of online soccer and chess.