Blockchain in 2019: How we got here and where we're going – 2/14

The blockchain industry has undergone massive change, both good and bad, since the inception of Bitcoin in 2009. While there has been a Cambrian explosion of over 2,000 cryptoassets, many of these are, or will be, failed experiments. Despite setbacks, the industry continues to innovate on scalability solutions, use-cases, and user adoption.
Come learn from the world's leading crypto investors how the landscape has developed over the last decade, the state of the industry today, and how it will evolve in 2019 and beyond.

RSVP below.

Brought to you with generous support from the Berkeley Haas Blockchain Initiative and by the FinTech Club and Blockchain@Berkeley.

Agenda:
11:30am: Doors Open
12 – 12:40pm: Intro & Panel
12:40 – 1:00pm: Audience Q&A
1:30pm: Doors Close

Speaker bios:
Jake Brukhman
Managing Director & CEO, CoinFund
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-brukhman-6037867/
Jake is Managing Director & CEO at CoinFund, a blockchain-focused cryptofund founded three years ago as one of the world's very first diversified portfolios of cryptoassets, regarding cryptocurrencies and tokens as a radically new asset class. CoinFund invests and works with companies of all stages in accelerating cryptoeconomic business models. In 2018, CoinFund announced a strategic partnership with Venrock to help evaluate, invest, and accelerate companies in the blockchain space. Jake has worked as an advisor to companies like Kik Interactive and YouNow, the first major VC-backed technology companies to take on blockchain-based business models, as well as decentralization-focused projects like Decentraland, Aragon, and Cent. Previously, Jake was Partner & CTO at Triton Research, a technical product manager and engineer at Amazon.com, and spent five years as a financial technologist at Highbridge Capital Management and as a quantitative researcher at Kohera. Jake has nine years of experience in pure and financial technology, a background in computer science and mathematics, and an avid interest in blockchain and financial technology.

Paul Veradittakit
Partner, Pantera Capital
https://www.linkedin.com/in/veradittakit/
Paul Veradittakit is a Partner at Pantera Capital and focuses on the firm's venture capital and hedge fund investments. Pantera Capital is the earliest and largest institutional investor in digital currencies and blockchain technologies, formerly managing over $1B. Since joining in 2014, Paul has helped to launch the firm's second venture fund and currency funds, executing over 60 investments. Paul also sits on the board of OpenToken, Blockfolio, and BitOasis, is a mentor at The House Fund, Boost VC, and Alchemist, and is an advisor to Orchid, Origin, and Icon. Prior to joining Pantera, Paul worked at Strive Capital as an Associate focusing on investments in the mobile space, including an early stage investment in App Annie. Previously, Paul was at Hatch Consulting and LECG and performed partnerships and growth for Urban Spoils, an early stage startup in the daily deal space. Paul graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dan Elitzer
Investor, IDEO CoLab Ventures
https://www.linkedin.com/in/delitzer/
Dan Elitzer has been leading the crypto, blockchain, and distributed web portfolio at IDEO CoLab since 2015, and is now leading investments within the just-announced IDEO CoLab Ventures. At IDEO CoLab, Dan led blockchain research and prototype development in partnership with both startups and Fortune 500 companies, including Citi, Nasdaq, Fidelity, Exelon, BCBS, and Ford. Dan received his MBA from MIT Sloan, where he co-founded the MIT Bitcoin Club, MIT FinTech Club, and MIT Bitcoin Project (which distributed $100 in bitcoin to each MIT undergraduate in 2014), and organized the initial MIT Bitcoin Expo. Prior to falling down the crypto rabbit hole, Dan worked in social entrepreneurship and microfinance, first as a social enterprise consultant with Community Wealth Partners, then leading international accounting and operations for Grameen Foundation. Dan also holds a BA in Psychology from Pomona College.

Speaker to be confirmed:
Dovey Wan
Founding Partner, Primitive Ventures
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doveywan/
Dovey Wan is a Founding Partner of Primitive Ventures, a long-term focused cryptoasset investment fund she founded with Eric Meltzer. Prior to founding Primitive Ventures, Dovey served as Managing Director for DHVC (formerly Danhua Capital), where she led DHVC's investments in marquee blockchain projects such as Dfinity, Basic Attention Token, OmiseGo, Cosmos/Tendermint, and Kyber Network. Outside of blockchain ventures she also led investments in LimeBike, LoomAi, Chariot, Flexport, and Optimizely. She began her career at eBay, where she spent nearly 4 years progressing through Data Science Engineer, Senior Business Analyst, and Product Manager roles.

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