ARA Europe Roadshow
With 3 suitcases and an armful of merchandise, the ARA team boarded a flight from New York City to Zurich. This began an adventure that spanned two countries covering miles of mindshare between cryptocurrency and blockchain tech. We started with few contacts, meetings, and expectations but left with a redefined perspective on the speed of the industry in Europe and the quality and respect for the people we met.
The breathtaking charm of Switzerland greets you almost instantly upon arrival in Zurich. Clean cities, green mountains, blue skies, and deep blue picturesque lakes all conspire to welcome a new visitor like a cultural ambassador. Zug, situated 20 minutes south of Zurich, was our ultimate destination. Thanks to Switzerland’s forward-looking adoption of favorable regulations regarding the Cryptocurrency revolution, Zug now hosts over 400 crypto-backed or blockchain-powered projects. With such a strong crypto/blockchain presence, and at times more companies registered than its 30,000 residents, is it any wonder why Ethereum co-founder Mihai Alisie began referring to it as Crypto Valley?
Held at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences by the Crypto Valley Association, The Crypto Valley Conference was the magnet that drew so many to Zug that particular week. The academic focused blockchain conference brought investors, developers, thought leaders, regulators, and entrepreneurs to meet and discuss the currently held and future focused views of how blockchain technology will change the world.
The 16th century monument Huwiler Tower set the stage for ARA’s vision of the coming blockchain revolution; specifically regarding the distribution, federation, and democratization of digital media and content. Alongside two of our partners, Token Foundry’s projects Weeve and Colendi, we illuminated our vision of how a future powered by a simple idea can both empower and free a shackled industry in need of leadership and direction. For ARA, this means empowering creators to own their content and data, and creating a better experience where a consumer also controls their identity and their licenses to content. Under a low hanging sun, sipping French wine, the conversation delved deeper and rung more loudly than traditional pitches. Everyone was genuine and focused on learning about each other as well as what drew each attendee into this still new and largely misunderstood arena.
Our final three days were spent attending rooftop parties, sailing around Lake Zug on yachts lashed and bridged like Zeus’s water skies, and in numerous investor and advisor meetings making it as clear as crystal to us that there was something tangible and special germinating in this little town made large by the prospect of a new and emerging global industry.
The Swiss regulators have been proactive in enacting favorable guidelines and rules for serious crypto and blockchain based projects and have conscientiously positioned their small country as a contender to power the next generation of disruptive technology. They have cooperated swiftly and directly with key law firms, such as MME, to identify and validate projects in need of regulatory support to grant founders clarity and confidence while they strive to build the next generation of innovative products. This support has resulted in the launch of some of the more prestigious players such as Ethereum, Cardano, and ShapeShift. The Brooklyn Project (a Consensys initiative) has also made significant moves in partnership with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US to provide some confidence around token sales guided by a tangible framework.
Our time spent with Token Foundry and their partners proved to only solidify the positive signals from the Swiss crypto community: they are serious about the feasibility and application of this technology. It was clear that they are interested only in viable and promising projects that are going to make a positive impact. They are paying no attention to hype-based or get-rich-quick entrants.
Zug’s city limits were stretched by brilliant and dedicated founders and developers working with unbridled passion on projects across different industries. The density of and excitement around the community development in Switzerland left us convinced that we sit squarely on the precipice of a sea change the likes of which still cannot be quantified.
After too little time spent in Zug, it was time to go. We boarded a plane to Amsterdam where we would present at the Europe Blockchain Expo taking place the following week. On the small plane we ran into some Dutch investors and advisors we’d just met in Zug. These two partners were actively fostering the decentralized community in Amsterdam. They quickly and happily plugged us into the blockchain community in the Netherlands, and immediately invited us to a boat event on the Amsterdam canals.
Our first night in Amsterdam was spent ambling along its majestic canals in a 40 person river boat. Between the Heinekens, and our fellow crypto/blockchain enthusiasts, it was the perfect start to an amazing conference. The blockchain community in Amsterdam feels as though it is still on the rise when compared to countries like Switzerland, but the enthusiasm and anticipation equals that of most European destinations we’ve visited. Amsterdam was larger and livelier than the small town atmosphere in Zug; it seemed as though there were always activities to experience and untapped treasures to enjoy. The World Cup taking place simultaneously served to only add to our excitement.
Blockchain Expo World Series, one of the world’s largest Blockchain conference & exhibition, brought together industry leaders for two days of top-level keynotes, interactive panel discussions and solution-based case studies.
Littlstar’s CTO and ARA’s main AFS architect Joe Werle and Product Engineer Sunny Atwal met us in Amsterdam after the Crypto Valley Conference. Blockchain Expo Europe is a much larger and more commercial event than Crypto Valley, with a focus on blockchain technology in general as opposed to cryptocurrencies specifically. It boasted a large expo space filled with booths creating a maze of projects catering to blockchain enthusiasts and interested companies alike, backed by stages for panels and keynotes.
The first day brought together Joe, along with decentralized companies like Lisk and Bitfury. They captivated the audience with a whirlwind tour of building applications using blockchain, which is a core tenant of the ARA ecosystem. The ARA booth was host to dozens of developers, investors, and dedicated enthusiasts all genuinely excited about the potential for the groundbreaking changes and revolutionary capabilities promised by this new tech.
Day two brought me and Littlstar’s CEO Tony Mugavero together for a discussion around the need for distributed and decentralized content, and how the current content industry is equally in need of disruption, similar to that of the financial industry circa 2009.
The aura of decentralization permeated our time in Amsterdam. The general startup landscape reminded us of Berlin as every neighborhood seemed to have a hip, startup-centric co-working space which of course included WeWork. The sentiment toward a European presence resonated amongst our team; multiple conversations over drinks were had, lending credence to the recent remote and decentralized work movements that have grown in popularity as of late. We were fortunate enough to meet in person with leaders from the City of Amsterdam who are eager to help bring innovative teams and technology into their city.
Overall, we came back from Europe energized and excited about the potential of that community, with another trip needed soon. If you’re a business or developer in Europe interested in what we are working on, please reach out to us hello@arablocks.io. We would love to connect. If you’re interested in learning more about what we are doing in general, check out arablocks.io and join our telegram group.
