Around The Block Podcast
17 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsBlockstreet's Around The Block is a podcast that explores the world of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. In each episode, Elaine Ramirez (Forbes, Bloomberg) interviews different thought-leaders from around the space. Whether you’re looking to hear from government regulators, developers, or even investors, this podcast has you covered.
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Episodes
Episode #17: Yiseul Cho (Perceptra)
October 26, 2018 00:00 - 15 minutes - 26.1 MBYiseul Cho is one of the most legendary investors and advisors in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. After co-founding Hashed, she has since created Perceptra, a blockchain production lab that works with hand-picked projects to bring their tech to the Asian market. In this interview, Elaine and Yiseul talk about her background and how she parlayed that into a career in blockchain, leaving South Korea years ago in search of blockchain development only to return after the country took a l...
Episode #16: Kyle Samani (Multicoin Capital)
October 18, 2018 00:00 - 23 minutes - 36.7 MBKyle Samani is one of the managing partners at Multicoin Capital, and also one of the most prominent writers / thought leaders in the cryptocurrency space. Elaine was able to catch up with him at San Francisco Blockchain Week, and they spoke about how he discovered cryptocurrency through Ethereum, the importance of writing in his growth as a thought-leader and investor, and Multicoin Capital’s views on the EOS Blockchain. List of Topics Covered in This Episode: 00:00 - Introduction to Kyle S...
Episode #15: Laura Ortega (The Illinois Chamber of Commerce)
October 12, 2018 00:00 - 16 minutes - 27.8 MBLaura Ortega is the Executive Director of the International Business Council at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and her objective is to increase global trading opportunities for Illinois by bringing investments and jobs to the state. In this interview, Laura and Elaine talk about how she's working with the International Business Council to promote blockchain adoption, the efficiency, transparency, and trust that companies can gain by implementing new tech, and the competitive advantages com...
Episode #14: Shamus Toomey (Block Club Chicago on Civil)
October 05, 2018 00:00 - 35 minutes - 52.6 MBShamus Toomey is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Block Club Chicago, a media outlet dedicated to giving reliable, hyperlocal coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. It was one of the first news companies that signed on the Civil Blockchain Network, which is now raising its ICO. In this interview, Shamus and Elaine talk about how he came to create Block Club Chicago, the company's partnership with Civil, and how blockchain can be applied at the grassroots level to promote local journali...
Episode #13: Matthew Roszak (bloq)
September 28, 2018 00:00 - 17 minutes - 29.6 MBMatthew Roszak is one of the co-founders of Bloq - a company that builds solutions, dapps, and protocols for retailers and institutions. In this interview, Matthew and Elaine talk about how the concept of tokenized networks attracted him to the industry, how Chicago is building a local blockchain scene, and the story behind meeting Kim Kardashian and gifting her Bitcoin! List of Topics Covered in This Episode: 00:00 - Introduction to Matthew Roszak 01:28 - Discovering blockchain and backgrou...
Episode #12: Daniel Jeffries (Author, Writer, Futurist)
September 21, 2018 00:00 - 25 minutes - 41.1 MBDaniel Jeffries is a writer, not only of dystopian sci-fi, but also on the decentralized world of blockchain technology. In this interview, Daniel and Elaine talk about how he differentiated himself from other writers in the blockchain space when he started years ago, how distribution at point of creation will be key for the wider adoption of cryptocurrencies, and how the community will one day create a killer app without even realizing it. List of Topics Covered in This Episode: 00:00 - Int...
Episode #11: Jimmy Song (Off Chain, Blockchain Capital)
September 14, 2018 00:00 - 24 minutes - 38 MBJimmy Song is an investor, an entrepreneur, and one of the most prominent voices in the Bitcoin community. In this interview, Jimmy and Elaine talk about why he was first attracted to Bitcoin, his skepticism of some blockchain projects including Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash, and the surprisingly deep reasons for wearing his iconic cowboy hats (amongst other things). List of Topics Covered in This Episode: 00:00 - Introduction to Jimmy Song 01:27 - Discovering Bitcoin and blockchain technology 0...
Episode #10: Matthew Engel (Achain)
September 07, 2018 00:00 - 16 minutes - 27 MBMatthew Engel is the Western Community Manager at Achain, a blockchain platform that aims to build “a boundless blockchain reality.” Achain enables developers of all levels to issue tokens, create smart contracts, and build decentralized applications, all of which serve Achain’s goal of making information exchange and value transactions easier. In this interview, Matthew and Elaine talk about problems with the current state of smart contracts in blockchain technology, the project’s partnershi...
Episode #9: Alex Shin (#Hashed)
August 22, 2018 00:00 - 19 minutes - 30.4 MBAlex Shin is a co-founder of Hashed, a cryptocurrency fund accelerating the global enablement of decentralized projects through impact investing and community building. While he doesn’t share the technical background of his fellow co-founders, he’s made it his mission to promote blockchain adoption in Asia and beyond. In this interview, Alex and Elaine talk about what it was like transitioning from the venture startup world to the blockchain world, the fund’s recent investment in XCHNG (by Ko...
Episode #8: Patrick Dai (QTUM)
August 15, 2018 00:00 - 13 minutes - 21.5 MBPatrick Dai is the founder and CEO of the Qtum Foundation, a blockchain stack for building decentralized mobile and IoT applications. While he first fell in love with cryptocurrency by becoming one of China’s biggest Bitcoin miners, he’s since moved on to other things. In this interview, Patrick and Elaine talk about how Qtum aims to improve upon Bitcoin’s technology, how people are dealing with the Chinese government’s negative stance on cryptocurrency, and why he thinks private blockchains ...
Episode #7: Allen Kho (MediBloc)
August 08, 2018 00:00 - 13 minutes - 21.3 MBAllen Kho is the CEO of MediBloc, a South Korean startup building a decentralized platform for medical records on blockchain technology. As a software engineer-turned-dentist, he’s looking to combine all of his skills on this project. In this interview, Allen and Elaine talk about the origins and motivations for building MediBloc, the company’s recently-launched ERC-20 token, and how he was able to convince hospitals to jump on board the MediBloc bandwagon. List of Topics Covered in This Epi...
Episode #6: Alexander Shulgin (Gruppa Kompaniy Familia)
August 01, 2018 00:00 - 17 minutes - 26.4 MBAlexander Shulgin is a Siberian composer and cryptocurrency capitalist! He founded an investment group called Gruppa Kompaniy Familia, and given his background, he has a truly unique take on the entire blockchain scene. In this interview, Alexander and Elaine talk about how he sees a parallel between composing and investing, cryptocurrency adoption in Asia and in Europe, and how he is doing everything he can to educate the people of Russia about blockchain technology. List of Topics Covered ...
Episode #5: Lance Cheang (NEM)
July 24, 2018 00:00 - 14 minutes - 22.5 MBLance Cheang is a project director for Southeast Asia at NEM, which is a nonprofit foundation and creator of the XEM coin. While he is a serial entrepreneur who currently owns four companies operating in seven countries across Asia, we zeroed in to talk about all things NEM. In this interview, Lance and Elaine get into why he believes in the NEM project, the launch of the foundation’s first blockchain center in Malaysia, and why NEM’s focus on building its brand is now paramount to the proje...
Episode #4: Val Yap (PolicyPal)
July 16, 2018 00:00 - 17 minutes - 27.1 MBVal Yap is founder and CEO of PolicyPal, a blockchain project looking to bridge the gap between consumers and insurance providers by creating accessibility for more people. Being based out of Singapore, she was also selected as a member of the 2017 Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list. In this interview, Val and Elaine talk about the personal experiences that drove Val to create the company, how PolicyPal aims to disrupt the insurance industry worldwide, and what it is like to be a woman in the block...
Episode #3: Roger Ver (Bitcoin.com)
July 09, 2018 00:00 - 18 minutes - 28.1 MBRoger Ver is often referred to as “Bitcoin Jesus,” and that’s for good reason. While he was one of the world’s first investors in cryptocurrency startups (Ripple, Bitpay, and Kraken to name a few), he’s since become CEO of Bitcoin.com and a prominent figure in the Bitcoin Cash community. In this interview, Roger and Elaine talk about how Roger’s prison sentence influenced him to renounce his US citizenship, how cryptocurrency is being adopted and used in emerging markets, and the controversy ...
Episode #1: Jason Hsu (Taiwanese Parliament)
July 07, 2018 00:00 - 18 minutes - 27.1 MBJason Hsu, a member of the Taiwanese Parliament and founder of the Asia Blockchain Alliance, is known in many circles as the first “Crypto Congressman.” While he was once a serial entrepreneur, he has since become a legislator, passing bills like the Financial Technology Experimentation and Innovation Act to promote fintech in Asia. In this interview, Jason and Elaine talk about how Taiwan and China differ on their views of cryptoassets, how blockchain can bring Taiwan to the forefront of tec...
Episode #2: Henry Lee (ICON)
July 07, 2018 00:00 - 18 minutes - 27.9 MBHenry Lee is Head of Global Business at one of the most promising South Korean blockchain projects - ICON. Their objective is to hyper-connect the country using this technology, and the team has already formed major partnerships with companies and agencies like Line Corp, Deloitte, and the Korea Customs Service. In this interview, Henry and Elaine talk about how he got his start in the industry, the purpose of building the blockchain interoperability alliance, and how meeting expectations sho...