Few still doubt the potential for disruption of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. By 2030, blockchain is expected to create 40 million new jobs worldwide, a $1.76 trillion economic opportunity. Venture capital funding for blockchain startups reached a record $25.2 billion in 2021, up 713% year-over-year. And the first signs of trust in the long term potential of crypto are also here, with the larger volume of investments now contributed by institutions instead of individuals, and Europe reaching the first agreement on the regulation of crypto markets.
Yet unlocking the full potential for value of blockchain still eludes us. It shouldn’t be a big surprise – it took some time to unlock the potential of the internet to create opportunities for growth.
This time around we are pondering about Web 3.0 and the underlying blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. We are stirred by the prospect of a decentralized, democratic, and transparent future, yet on guard for signs that the whole premise is untenable. Trust takes time, communication, and transparency.
Many blockchain and crypto users today have started out as skeptics. For those who are in for the long run, it was getting a 360 degrees view at this emerging technology that made them jump on the bandwagon.
In Romania, Stakeborg embraced an educational role in order to build trust, adoption, and scalability in the blockchain and crypto realm. The startup was founded in 2020 by one of the leading local crypto experts and investors in the space, Razvan Munteanu, together with Vlad Mercori, an entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in digital and content marketing, and 6 years of experience in cryptocurrency.
On July 20th, Stakeborg will be organizing the fourth edition of season 2 of Stakeborg Talks, their flagship series of in-person events on blockchain and cryptocurrency topics. The guests of this edition include Sebastian Burduja, the Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization in Romania; Ilie Puscas, the Country Manager for Romania at Binance, the leading blockchain and digital asset exchange, and Paul Olteanu, master trainer and coach, and the founder of Mind Architect, the number one self-development podcast in Romania. The event is taking place at Apollo 111, in Bucharest, starting at 18:00.
Stakeborg – on a mission to build an educational hub for blockchain in Romania
Since 2020, Stakeborg has spun off several projects, including Stakeborg Academy, building courses on blockchain fundamentals for various audiences, and Stakeborg DAO, the first decentralized autonomous organization in Romania.
Stakeborg DAO was born as a new way to organize the growing crypto community in Romania. For the individual investor looking to tap into the economic opportunities brought about by blockchain and crypto, the DAO proposes a place where they can find the know-how and tools to do so. Additionally, members are holders of the $STANDARD token, a ticket to participating in the governance of the platform and in staking (Ed.note earning rewards by putting their digital asset to work).
To get the conversation started, Stakeborg launched two podcasts, where Vlad Mercori interviews entrepreneurs, business leaders, politicians, and artists, exploring synergies between their industries and the next technological era. Stakeborg DAO taps into the know-how of international experts, while Stakeborg Talks is dedicated to the Romanian market.
How can we grow a business in Web 3.0? How can artists, content creators, media companies, consumer brands, financial institutions, or non-profits tap into the potential of blockchain technologies? Can we tokenize entire economies? At a local level, how are Romanian business leaders perceiving the blockchain space? Can Romania be a crypto-friendly state? These are just a handful of the questions that Stakeborg Talks is addressing.
Thanks to the in-person format, interviews are followed by networking sessions where the audience has the chance to interact with the guests and partners. Later on, each interview is uploaded as a podcast episode on the company’s YouTube channel.
The first line-up of Stakeborg Talks saw a roll-up of 12 guests from all corners of the economy, from Beniamin Mincu, the founder of Romanian blockchain unicorn Elrond, to Dragos Stanca, digital media expert and founder of UPGRADE 100, Avi Cicirean, the founder of Brand Minds, Felix Crisan, co-founder and CTO of blockchain-based crowdfunding platform Ronin, and tech influencer George Buhnici.