What It’s Really Like to Build a Blockchain Startup
Founders in Focus Episode #5
Here we are with Episode #5 of our Founders in Focus series. A show that gives you unprecedented access to the most influential startup founders in the world of blockchain. We’re on a mission to educate and inform founders and investors on the current affairs of the blockchain industry, providing an accurate and up to date perspective on the competitive business environment, global investment landscape, and the leaders who are changing the game.
In this episode, we’re featuring Aurélien Menant, Founder & CEO of Gatecoin. Gatecoin has been a leader in the space for some time now. They were the first exchange platform to list Ether (long before Ethereum took off as a platform) and they aim to be at the forefront of innovation in the space. They have overcome some big challenges that come with operating in this space (a hack, an unsupportive and conservative banking ecosystem, and more).
This is an interview that I am really excited to share with you. Because behind the glorified, headline grabbing ICOs, it’s interviews like this that give you the truth of what it’s like to operate in this space. Uncertainty, risk, innovation, and sometimes, reward. So tune in as we discuss:
- Aurélien’s motivations for leaving a “safe & secure” investment banking role to start a cryptocurrency exchange
- The key challenges him and his team faced early on and what resources they used to build their blockchain-powered company
- The process Gatecoin went through to build a blockchain team
- How to deal with a hack and the preventative measures you can take to protect yourself and your business
- The regulatory landscape in Hong Kong and what the regulators can do to better support the ecosystem
- And practical advice for blockchain startup founders who are just starting out
Founded in 2013 by investment bankers, Gatecoin is a bitcoin and ethereum token exchange designed for both professional traders and retail investors. Through our intuitive trading platform, we enable individuals and institutions around the world to trade and invest in a wide variety of cryptocurrencies and blockchain assets.
Gatecoin has been an early supporter of bitcoin inspired technologies, as the first exchange in the world to list ethereum’s token, ether (ETH) in August 2015. We were subsequently the first exchange to list ERC20 standard tokens associated with decentralized applications (dapps) built on top of ethereum and the first to provide direct participation in token generation events (TGEs) or initial coin offerings (ICOs). We continue to support the most promising blockchain based projects, acting as a global gateway to decentralized applications.
As cryptocurrencies and blockchain tokens challenge and transform forex and capital markets, Gatecoin is the marketplace bridging the two domains. We are the NASDAQ for the blockchain era.
Aurélien is Founder and CEO of Gatecoin, a bitcoin and ethereum token exchange based in Hong Kong. He began his career as an investment banker, working on M&A and financial deals for major global CIBs in Europe and Hong Kong, including BNP Paribas, JP Morgan, Société Générale and Crédit Agricole.
Aurélien quit the banking world in 2013 to start Gatecoin, following his discovery and new-found passion for bitcoin and blockchain technology. He is a well-known member of the global blockchain community and is frequently invited to speak at industry events such as The Future of Finance Summit (Singapore), the Global Conference on Money Laundering and Digital Currencies (Qatar) and Euromoney’s Capital Markets Blockchain Conference (Hong Kong). Aurélien is also a guest-lecturer on blockchain and cryptocurrency at universities in Hong Kong and provides regular commentary to financial media including the Bloomberg News, Reuters, and CNBC.
Aurélien Menant:
LinkedIn
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Want to feature on the show? Reach out to me at julien@intrepid.ventures and tell me why you should be on the show.
