The Blockchain and Us: Conversations about the brave new world of blockchains, cryptoassets, and the

Luis Cuende speaks about the inspiration for his startup Aragon, raising over $100 million in his ICO, how he plans to create a digital jurisdiction that isn't bound to the borders of a single country, how governments manipulate citizens, how he explains the need for digital worlds, which narratives inspire people to reclaim their freedom, societal challenges in the Western world, why jobs are a thing of the past, why he thinks governments should try universal basic income, how blockchains could restrict the power of governments, why he thinks borders create racism, how decentralization on blockchains could create value, the evils of social media, how decentralized systems can avoid the path of social media, why George Orwell's 1984 is real and what helped this happen, why many people have lost hope, why few digital natives understand the vision of decentralization, and many other things.

Luis is the co-founder of Aragon, a project for disintermediating the creation and maintenance of companies and other organizational structures. He is also the co-founder of Stampery, an advisor to many other blockchain projects, including Decentraland, and a former advisor to the European Commission. Luis won the coding competition Hack Forward at the age of 15, and Forbes selected him as one of the 30 people under 30 in technology in Europe.

Luis Cuende: https://luisivan.net, https://twitter.com/licuende

Aragon: https://aragon.one, https://twitter.com/aragonproject

Decentraland: https://www.decentraland.org, https://twitter.com/decentraland

Book "The Sovereign Individual" by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/82256.The_Sovereign_Individual

Kevin A. Carson's post "Moloch": https://c4ss.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Moloch.pdf

George Orwell's book "1984": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5470.1984

George Orwell's book "Animal Farm": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7613.Animal_Farm

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Mathias Ruch speaks about beginning his career in the dot-com boom, becoming an investor, enabler and facilitator of the blockchain ecosystem in Switzerland, leading the Blockchain Taskforce of the Swiss government, why blockchain technology presents the most important opportunity of his life and for Switzerland, how he screens investments in blockchain companies, entrepreneurial characteristics, why passion eats strategy for breakfast, what he would do differently as an entrepreneur today, Switzerland as a business location for blockchain entrepreneurs, and much more.

Mathias is the Founder and Managing Partner at Lakeside Partners, one of the leading early-stage investment companies in Switzerland's Crypto Valley, and he is the Co-Initiator of the Blockchain Competition and Initiator of Crypto Valley Labs. Mathias has been in the digital startup scene for 20 years as an entrepreneur and angel investor, and before focusing on blockchain technology, he built and exited several successful online and media companies. Mathias is also leading the Blockchain Taskforce, assembled by the Swiss Federal Council. 

Mathias Ruch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathiasruch/, https://twitter.com/mathiasruch 

Lakeside Partners: http://lakeside.partners, https://twitter.com/Lakeside_Prtnrs

Blockchain competition: https://blockchaincompetition.ch 

Crypto Valley Labs: https://cryptovalleylabs.com/ 

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Tone Vays speak about his approach to technical analysis of the bitcoin price, why other cryptoassets can't reach Bitcoin, relevant time frames for analyzing the bitcoin price, which companies in the blockchain space make sense, ICOs (mostly why they don't make sense), Bitcoin as a working example of decentralization, proof of work, real assets on the blockchain, starting his own business, what would happen if Bitcoin went away, getting information about cryptoassets from podcasts and YouTube, comparisons between Wall Street and the crypto Wild West, worst case scenarios for Bitcoin, misunderstandings of Bitcoin, why he loves being an educator, role models, knowing when to quit a job, ethics in the crypto space, and much more.

Tone is an independent content creator focusing on economics & finance at LibertyLifeTrail with his own YouTube channel and podcast. Before that, he has worked on Wall Street for almost ten years starting as a Risk Analyst at Bear Stearns where he had a front row seat watching its collapse in the 2008 crash and he later became a vice president at JP Morgan Chase. Tone is famous for his technical analysis of Bitcoin and his price predictions, and he was recently featured in the Bitcoin Documentary Magic Money.

Tone Vays: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tone-vays-a5243899/, https://twitter.com/ToneVays

Liberty Life Trail: http://www.libertylifetrail.com

Byzantine Generals Problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Generals%27_Problem

Andreas Anatonopoulos: https://antonopoulos.com, https://twitter.com/aantonop

Saifedean Ammous' book The Bitcoin Standard: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36448501-the-bitcoin-standard

Jimmy Song: http://programmingblockchain.com, https://twitter.com/jimmysong

Lei Freeman-Shor's book The Art of Execution: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26512908-the-art-of-execution

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Tom Lyons speaks about the importance of storytelling in the blockchain space, how to develop narratives for good stories about technology, how blockchain startups can go about communicating their projects, the meaning of "thought leadership", how to explain technology to people who have never heard of it, his work in a decentralized organization like ConsenSys, communicating the vision of a company, differentiating use cases and offerings, content articles vs. video, how blockchain technology can change advertising, Switzerland as a blockchain hub, and much more.

Tom is Executive Director of Research and Advisory at ConsenSys Switzerland and Chairman of the Communications Working Group at the Crypto Valley Association in Zug. Before he joined ConsenSys, Tom ran his own communications agency specializing in thought leadership, content and influencer marketing strategy and execution for clients in emerging technologies, FinTech, and financial services with a special focus on blockchain and decentralized technology.

Tom Lyons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyonscommunications  http://www.twitter.com/tom_m_lyons

ConsenSys: https://www.consensys.net, http://www.twitter.com/consensys

Crypto Valley Association: https://www.cryptovalley.swiss, https://twitter.com/thecryptovalley

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This episode is brought to you by Crypto Storage. Crypto Storage offers a proprietary solution to enable Professional storage of Crypto Assets. The storage is secure both physically and digitally on the highest-grade hardware security modules with detailed configuration possibilities for individual - based access control. To learn more visit: www.cryptostorage.ch

Michael Sidler speaks about how blockchain technology and ICOs impact venture capital, how he analyzes investment opportunities in the crypto and blockchain space, characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, why he prefers "movies to snapshots", the importance of a good network, which themes in the blockchain space he finds most interesting, tokenizing portfolio companies and VC funds, how VCs compete with ICOs, new business models that blockchains enable, what's missing in most white papers, what entrepreneurs misunderstand about rolling out their ideas, how the dot.com bubble compares with the ICO frenzy, and much more.

Michael Sidler has co-founded Redalpine Venture Partners in Zurich/Switzerland in 2007 and acts as General Partner for Redalpine Capital I, Redalpine Capital II and Redalpine Capital III. Before Redalpine, Michael was responsible for corporate investments and M&A at Prionics, a Biotech company in Switzerland. From 1998 to 2003, Michael was with The Boston Consulting Group as a Consultant and Project Leader in eBanking, Insurance, Automotive, and other domains. Michael Sidler has a PhD in Life Sciences from University of Zurich. He is a member of several organizations, juries and boards for the support of innovation and startups (Venturekick, Technopark Zurich, Swiss Startup Finance), a coach for the Swiss governmental program Innosuisse, and he leads the VC chapter of the Swiss Private Equity & Corporate Finance Association (SECA).

Michael Sidler: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sidler, http://www.twitter.com/michael_sidler

Redalpine Venture Partners: http://www.redalpine.com, http://www.twitter.com/redalpine

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This episode is brought to you by Descartes Finance. Descartes is the leading Swiss digital wealth manager, providing its products and services to individuals, family offices, charitable organizations, banks, and asset managers. Its investment strategies lead the way. They harness the latest know-how as only a digital investment advisor can. To learn more, please visit www.descartes-finance.com.

Joe Lubin speaks about his vision for a decentralized world and the role Ethereum and ConsenSys play in it, what most people misunderstand about Ethereum, why it is hard to imagine what blockchain technology will do for us in 2025, why silos are coming to an end, how hierarchy and decentralization go together, what the blockchain space needs to become more trustworthy, which skills are relevant in the decentralized future, and what he would be doing if Ethereum and ConsenSys didn't exist. 

Joe is the co-founder of Ethereum and the founder of ConsenSys, which is "a global formation of technologists and entrepreneurs building the infrastructure, applications, and practices that enable a decentralized world." 

Joe Lubin: https://twitter.com/ethereumJoseph, https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-lubin-48406489/

Ethereum: https://ethereum.org, https://twitter.com/ethereum

ConsenSys: https://new.consensys.net/, https://twitter.com/consensys 

Also mentioned in the podcast: https://ujomusic.com/, https://twitter.com/ujomusic 

Shownotes and transcript: https://theblockchainandus.com/joe-lubin

To stay up to date about what blockchain pioneers, innovators and entrepreneurs from all around the world think about the future of this space, just go to www.theblockchainandus.com and sign up for the newsletter.

Thomas Naegele speaks about Liechtenstein's new blockchain act, how the country plans to become a global blockchain and crypto hub competing with Malta, Gibraltar, Singapore, Bermuda and Cayman, the blockchain startup scene in Liechtenstein, how blockchain companies from abroad can start a business there, how people can educate themselves about cryptocurrencies, bringing his experience as a software developer into his law practice, his PhD thesis about token economics, keeping current on the blockchain ecosystem, how governments are coping with developments in the crypto space, skills that are necessary in the future, and why the blockchain act is only the beginning for the future of the financial sector in Liechtenstein.

Thomas is the president of the Crypto Country Association in Liechtenstein, and he is an attorney and legal advisor, running a law firm in with a special focus on Internet, IT Law, civil and corporate law, and blockchain technology. Thomas advises international finance, technology and industrial enterprises, operating in the fields of Blockchain/DLT, telecommunications and the Internet, as well as public institutions. He is also an software developer and a lecturer in IT law at the University of Liechtenstein.

Thomas Naegele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasnaegele 

Thomas' law firm Naegele Law: http://www.naegele.law, http://www.twitter.com/NaegeleLaw

Crypto Country Association Liechtentein: http://www.cryptocountry.li

Many thanks to our advertisers who support this podcast!

This episode is brought to you by Crypto Storage. Crypto Storage offers a proprietary solution to enable Professional storage of Crypto Assets. The storage is secure both physically and digitally on the highest-grade hardware security modules with detailed configuration possibilities for individual - based access control. To learn more visit: www.cryptostorage.ch

Roger Wattenhofer speaks about how Bitcoin and blockchain technology entered academia, what we have learned in the ten years of the existence of blockchain technology, why the blockchain is an old idea, how companies collaborate with universities on blockchain research projects, voting on the blockchain, identity on the blockchain, why "nothing requires a blockchain", the challenge for Bitcoin sidechains, why many academic blockchain projects don't make the jump to the real world, things we're probably underestimating about cryptocurrencies, a thought experiment for bank accounts on a blockchain, how blockchains could improve democracies, and much more.

Roger is a full professor at the Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Department at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland. His research interests are a variety of algorithmic and systems aspects in computer science and information technology, such as distributed systems, positioning systems, wireless networks, mobile systems, and social networks. His work received multiple awards, such as the Prize for Innovation in Distributed Computing, and he has also published the book “Distributed Ledger Technology: The Science of the Blockchain“.

Roger Wattenhofer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-wattenhofer-4466731/

Distributed Computing (DISCO) at ETH Zurich: https://disco.ethz.ch/members/wroger

Book "Distributed Ledger Technology: The Science of the Blockchain": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28919062-the-science-of-the-blockchain

Many thanks to our advertisers who support this podcast!

This episode is brought to you by Crypto Storage. Crypto Storage offers a proprietary solution to enable Professional storage of Crypto Assets. The storage is secure both physically and digitally on the highest-grade hardware security modules with detailed configuration possibilities for individual - based access control. To learn more visit: www.cryptostorage.ch

This episode is brought to you by Descartes Finance. Descartes is the leading Swiss digital wealth manager, providing its products and services to individuals, family offices, charitable organizations, banks, and asset managers. Its investment strategies lead the way. They harness the latest know-how as only a digital investment advisor can. To learn more, please visit www.descartes-finance.com.

Paul Meeusen speaks about bringing blockchain technology to the insurance industry, how a small insurance prototype on Ethereum led to a global initiative that involves the biggest insurance companies in the world, the ins and outs of running a blockchain pilot in a multinational organization and all the challenges that come with it, running the Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative (B3i) like a startup, why he chose not to use an ICO for funding, how the insurance industry deals with new technology, why people are more important than technology for the success of a project, how the blockchain changed his career, and much more.

Paul is the Head of Distributed Ledger Technology at Swiss Re, one of the biggest reinsurance companies in the world, and acting CEO of B3i, the Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative, which is overhauling the way insurance companies exchange data and trade risks. Paul has over 25 years of experience in advising, building and operating multi-disciplinary teams in finance, accounting, operational treasury, audit and risk control, and he designed the first blockchain use case for retrocession insurance on Ethereum in 2016.

Paul Meeusen: http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmeeusen/

B3i: http://www.b3i.tech, http://www.twitter.com/B3i_tech

Many thanks to our advertisers who support this podcast!

Crypto Storage offers a proprietary solution to enable Professional storage of Crypto Assets. The storage is secure both physically and digitally on the highest-grade hardware security modules with detailed configuration possibilities for individual - based access control. To learn more visit: www.cryptostorage.ch

Zhang Ruidong speaks about blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation in China, the difficulty of censorship, how to make the "blockchain without cryptocurrency" mantra work, the situation of blockchain entrepreneurship in mainland China, why the cryptocurrency ban didn't work, which projects Chinese blockchain entrepreneurs work on, differences between Chinese crypto projects and those abroad, how the Chinese and other Asian governments support blockchain projects, blockchain classes at universities, blockchain myths, which projects need blockchains and which don't, how the blockchain changes culture, and socio-technical challenges for countries with blockchain technology. 

Zhang Ruidong is a professor in computer information systems at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in the United States and the founding director of the Blockchain Labs at the Academy of Internet Finance at Zhejiang (dschuedjiang) University, one of the leading universities in China. His research areas include cloud computing architecture and optimization, blockchain technology applications, digital currency policy and regulations, e-commerce and the development and application of the next generation Internet. 

Zhang Ruidong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruidong-zhang-94637411/

Article about the blockchain course at Zhejiang University: http://news.8btc.com/exclusive-zhejiang-university-to-launch-its-first-blockchain-and-digital-currency-course-this-fall

Many thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by Descartes Finance. Descartes is the leading Swiss digital wealth manager, providing its products and services to individuals, family offices, charitable organizations, banks, and asset managers. Its investment strategies lead the way. They harness the latest know-how as only a digital investment advisor can. To learn more, please visit www.descartes-finance.com.