7 Questions with Kalin Tsekov, 15toGO’s Blockchain Expert
Kalin is the CEO & Founder of EV blockchain project Navigato. An experienced IoT expert, serial entrepreneur and ICO Advisor of projects like Vibeo & Open Source University. Part of the IOTA Evangelist Network.
Check his LinkedIn profile
- What is your background and why did you join 15toGO?
That’s a really tough question to answer with a simple sentence.
I have over 20 years of experience in software development and I am also a serial entrepreneur. I should mention that I have won three rewards from StartUp Weekend, a 54-hour event that gathers entrepreneurs in the capital of Bulgaria.
I have been deeply involved in the crypto-space since 2014, in fact I am a part of IOTA’s evangelist network IEN. In 2015 we made Navigato and implemented crypto in its infrastructure. Navigato is a solution for B2B clients (such as utility companies) and B2C customers, electric vehicle drivers and people who want to share their stations for free or for remuneration. We have partners in Europe, China (Shanghai), India (Ahmedabad) and Mexico City and right now we are trying to enter the Indian market because they really need this type of transportation over there due to the country’s incredible air pollution. From the beginning of this year, we are also offering eBike rental and sharing services, and our own fast-charging stations for sale.
Navigato is built on top of IOTA, its crypto-wallet is also based on IOTA’s technology. The main reason that we chose this type of distributed ledger technology is that the DAG allows offline transactions and gives a lot of advantages to a system, such as ours — since it can work even in remote places with a poor or non-existent Internet connection. For B2B clients we will use a different blockchain for private P2P transactions.
And in regards to how I found out about 15toGO, I have been involved in other projects with George Zlatkov, one of the co-founders. After introducing me to the platform’s main objectives, he asked me whether I wanted to join 15toGO as well. I did not hesitate, because it’s a very promising project with great prospects.
2. What is your role in the 15toGO team?
I am a blockchain consultant, I am helping with the Whitepaper and I’m somewhat involved in the project’s crypto-economy. My main focus is on the tech though. I have been doing R&D on the wallet that we need to be using, the functionalities we can include, as well as how we can be more efficient. Optimizing the processes within a DApp is extremely crucial if you don’t want to pay excessive fees at the end.
3. What gets you most excited about the project?
Observing it how it grows and develops with an incredible speed! It’s like an infant, taking its first steps. In the not-so-distant future, we should be able to see it sprint. It makes me feel like a proud parent (Laughing).
4. Where do you see the project in the next few years?
I see it among the top projects in the world, being tradeable on the biggest exchanges out there. In my opinion, its enormous user base should drive its market capitalization up. As for myself, I see myself enjoying the fruits of our labor on my own personal yacht, somewhere along Thailand’s coast (Laughing).
5. Which do you think are the main challenges that the project and the team will face?
The marketing part is problematic in my opinion. Peter Lozanov and George Zlatkov have incredible decade-long experience when it comes to marketing, but the one that is being applied in the crypto-space is quite different and they know it.
Also, the team needs to retain the great relationships it has built so far. Just like in marriage, the best tool keeps the good relations, is through constant communication. Any issues that may arise in the process need to be talked through so that they do not get any graver.
6. How would you describe the atmosphere around 15toGO?
It’s a pretty cool one. The team is composed of young and energetic people who know what they are doing. It is an absolute pleasure to see how these different individuals, who have proven themselves in their own fields, collaborate with each other with such a zest. It’s the right type of environment for creating a groundbreaking product such as 15toGO.
7. Tell us one interesting thing about yourself?
I am actually building two unconventional cryptocurrency exchanges right now, one of them should be launched soon. It will be presenting the users with a couple of new tools, which are common for the FX traders. In the beginning, it will be centralized, but down the road, it will become decentralized, as this is the main trend when it comes to exchanges. We are also proud to be partnering Venezuela’s leading crypto-exchange, and with big Chinese partners — so I am also looking forward to seeing these products go live. Who knows, maybe the TGO token could be tradeable on them as well someday!
The 15toGO app is now downloadable both for iOS and Android: https://15togo.page.link/medium
