Meet Agora’s Team | Q&A with Leonardo Gammar, CEO
This article is the first of a series dedicated to the people working at Agora who are committed to expanding secure and transparent elections globally. Get to know the individuals driving Agora’s success through our tailored Q&As.
What inspired you to start Agora?
Transparent elections is a topic I have spent many years thinking about now. A lot of my inspiration stems from growing up with parents who worked to confront the different sociopolitical and geopolitical problems of our world. Both of my parents particularly fought to improve the situation in Africa. As an African Union ambassador to the United Nations, my mother focused on negotiating more equitable bilateral trade agreements on behalf of African countries. My father, a Tunisian military attaché, was committed to using diplomacy rather than force to maintain political stability in Maghreb. Throughout their careers, my parents kept the will to remain neutral in order to facilitate a dialog and to stay proactive in initiating positive change. I can truly say that I am living up to the values of my childhood by working to improve democracy globally. Another key influence for me was growing up in Switzerland, a country with a centuries-old democratic tradition.
What first sparked your interest in blockchain?
The financial crisis from 2008 and the launch of the Bitcoin was when I first heard of alternative financial systems, and it is one of the reasons why I first became interested in blockchain. The philosophical implications of not having a centralized authority printing money, and the fact that people could make peer-to-peer transactions without unjustified fees or having to ask for permission. It opened new horizons for my own research in the fields of economics, mathematics, and later the application of blockchain in voting.
Tell us how Agora came to life.
Once I understood the security and transparency blockchain technology can provide, applying it to improve our elections was a natural idea that came to my mind. I’m not the first to realize this. With this inspiration, I wanted to develop a digital voting system which would protect each voter’s individual voice while remaining transparent and secure throughout the voting process. To get it started, I collaborated with one of the best technology universities in the world: the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and its blockchain lab, to confront the security vulnerabilities of current e-voting systems and build the basis of a fully verifiable digital voting system which is now the foundation of our company, Agora.
What is it that makes you so passionate about Agora’s mission?
When I started Agora, I sought to create a system that protected voters’ rights. I believe democracy needs to be protected continuously by each new generation, and I believe Agora is contributing to that effort. Questionable election results can also contribute to violence, and I sincerely believe well-run elections can save lives. In this context, more transparent and secure electoral procedures can directly impact citizens’ well-being by contributing to a more peaceful political life.
Another aspect of why I believe in Agora’s mission is economic. Governments cumulatively spend billions of dollars on elections, and decentralized technology has the power to offer substantial cost savings to governments and their taxpayers. Foreign investment also finds its way to countries with a strong political environment. I want to enable governments to open new investment opportunities, allowing them greater access to capital markets.
Where do you envision Agora in the future?
I am convinced we will soon witness the first paperless, secure and 100% verifiable elections being run on Agora’s technology. While voting machines show extensive security vulnerabilities our current technological advancements provide us with the perfect timing to address this growing problem. In addition, I also see our foundation playing a supportive role to our partners as an advocate of civil and human rights, providing expertise on the role blockchain technology can play in these areas.
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