Visionaries Join Kingsland to Give Blockchain a Boost
We’re excited to introduce the superstar team at Kingsland University!
Executive Team
John Souza (Founder, Kingsland University/ Founder, Kingsland University — School of Blockchain)
Success has followed Souza through his extensive work in the financial sector, where he served in key executive roles with JP Morgan Chase and Bank America Capital Management Group. Souza made history both as the youngest Vice President in Citibank history at the age of 23 and by leading the most successful mutual fund launch Wall Street had ever seen, raising over 3 billion dollars in just 18 months. Souza founded Kingsland University, formerly known as Social Media Marketing University, an institution recognized by Forbes as Best Startup (2014) and one of America’s Most Promising Companies (2012). Kingsland provides top companies, universities, governments, and not-for-profits with award-winning global education in emerging and disruptive technologies.
Jason King (Founder, Unsung.org / Co-Founder, Kingsland University — School of Blockchain)
King brings a rich history of blockchain leadership to Kingsland University — School of Blockchain. King is also the founder of Unsung, a platform that connects those suffering from hunger to producers with extra food and individuals who want to help. Its goal is to create a country-wide sharing economy that alleviates hunger. King has been involved in cryptocurrency since 2010 and has a passion for using blockchain technology to aid humanitarian causes around the world. He is also the co-founder of Sean’s Outpost and Satoshi Forest, efforts to aid homeless in Escambia County, Florida.
Moe Levin (Founder, Keynote FZE / Co-Founder, Kingsland University — School of Blockchain)
Levin is the CEO of Keynote, a global technology conference company which has been responsible for over $250MM of investments into cryptocurrency and blockchain startups. He founded Bitcoin conferences in North America and Amsterdam, and extends his global efforts in the blockchain sector by producing World Blockchain Forums in Chicago (2014), Los Angeles (2015), and Dubai (2016 & 2017) — events aimed at “radically [redesigning] the institutions and services we take for granted.” Levin works closely with banks and regulators through his seats on several government councils in the UAE, France, Netherlands, and Belgium that encourage the use of cryptocurrency. His services as an advisor include cooperation with blockchain companies for ICOs such as FuzeX, WAX, BlockV, Blackmoon Crypto and others.
Robert Kim (Kingsland University — School of Blockchain)
Mr. Kim has extensive experience driving business growth in the digital media and technology space, and leading operational/execution excellence. Mr. Kim is responsible for global business development activities, including Kingsland’s executive, developer, and consumer education strategies. Mr. Kim was managing director, APAC, for Proxor. Proxor is the industry leader in the rating and certification of software developers, through its Authentic Examinationsᵀᴹ. Authentic Examinationsᵀᴹ is the only method that accurately measures the testees’ ability to program realistic problems in a professional environment. Prior to his position with Proxor, he was chief operating officer for the Stakeholder Company, a single-platform solution to deliver accessible, integrated, real-time intelligence in order to manage issues, stakeholders, positions, influence and interests. Mr. Kim holds a BS in mechanical engineering from UCLA, and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Curriculum Advisors
Steve Dakh (Ethereum, Kryptokit)
Mr. Dakh is a world-renowned expert in blockchain technology, as well as a philanthropist and angel investor. Mr. Dakh is a pioneer in the blockchain/crypto-tech space. He’s behind some of the most significant advances blockchain has seen, including Kryptokit (the #1 downloaded bitcoin app on the Google store of all time), Rushwallet and Ethereum. He’s a co-founder of Unsung, an initiative to end homeless hunger and is an advisor to many of the sector’s most inspirational projects, including C4 (CryptoCurrency Certification Consortium) which aims to establish cryptocurrency standards that balance openness & privacy, security & usability, and trust & decentralization.
Craig Sellars (Tether, Omni, vAtomic)
Mr. Sellars is a widely respected blockchain visionary, leading the development of some of the industry’s most cutting-edge applications. Mr. Sellars is the chief technologist of the Omni Foundation and acts in a variety of roles including co-founder, facilitator, director, and advisor for several blockchain projects and companies including Omni, Tether, vAtomic, Bitfinex, Unsung, Fuzo, Factom, Synereo, Tau Chain and the MaidSafe Foundation. He has a BS degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Gabriel Kurman (RSK Labs)
Mr. Kurman is an expert in corporate funding, with a special interest in leveraging blockchain to create more accessible and inclusive financial systems. Mr. Kurman is the co-founder of RSK Labs, the first Turing-compliant, open-source smart contract platform using the Bitcoin network. He is also the CEO for KOIBANX, a fintech company focused on the development of smart contracts and blockchain services solutions. Additionally, he is an executive member of several Latin America and Argentina Bitcoin NGOs. Mr. Kurman holds a BS in economics from the University of Buenos Aires, and an MBA in Capital Markets.
Alex Lightman (Millennium Energy Corporation)
Mr. Lightman has extensive experience in applying new technologies to revitalize and transform traditional industries. Mr. Lightman is the CEO of Millennium Energy Corporation, a globally diversified holding company with corporate divisions in property development, oil & gas concessions, and a clean energy division. He is also the founder of Token Communities Plc., a Gibraltar corporation that invests in tokens. He is the author of several books, including the first book on 4G and the first book on the costs and benefits of ending the US trade embargo with Cuba, as well as the author of over 150 articles in major publications. He is the recipient of several awards, including the first Economist magazine Reader’s Award (2010), and was named as one of 10 “CEOs of the Future” by the Chief Executive magazine. Mr. Lightman has a BS in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Riccardo Spagni (Monero)
Known also as fluffypony, Spagna is a lead developer and core team member for Monero, a leading cryptocurrency on the CryptoNote protocol with a focus on censorship-resistant transactions achieved through emphasis on privacy, security, and decentralization. Spagna expertise in technical systems will support the ongoing development of Kingsland’s curriculum programs. He lives in South Africa with his wife and four dogs.
Paul Puey (Edge, Airbits)
Puey is a co-founder and CEO of Edge, where he was the original architect of the Edge Security platform. A pioneer of content management systems and a graphic systems engineer, Paul also served as a lead engineer to Nvidia, designing software architecture that allowed for code recycling across multiple ASIC generations and across multiple operating systems. Paul’s experience owning several non-technical small businesses in California underscored his understanding of how integral cohesive business and community relationships are in the genesis of technology. He has applied this mindset to bridging the gap between Bitcoin’s complexities and the technology’s need for ease of use if it is to be widely embraced. To further his goal of bringing Bitcoin and blockchain into the mainstream, Paul often facilitates presentations to educate the public about Bitcoin’s potential.
Enterprise & Business Initiatives
Steve Beauregard (Bloq, GoCoin)
Beauregard has long been a leading strategist in disruptive technology. Beauregard has served as a speaker, panelist, moderator, and lecturer at more than 40 engagements, sharing his insight at conferences with focuses including gaming, social media, and finance, as well making television and radio appearances with major news organizations. Beauregard believes in blockchain as the next obvious evolution of commerce, akin to the transition to predominantly debit- and credit-based exchanges. He also recognizes and defends the potential of blockchain’s peer-to-peer system to expand financial inclusivity to the 1.1 billion people worldwide who lack sufficient identification to open bank accounts. Co-founder and former CEO of GoCoin, Beauregard has overseen over $4 million in merchant transactions along four blockchains. He continues to advise the company’s management and now serves as Chief Revenue Officer for Bloq, Inc., crafting long-term strategy and devising opportunities in the growing blockchain ecosystem.
Jonathan Teo (Binary, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram)
Jonathan is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Binary Capital, an early stage venture capital firm with over $300 million under management, focused on investing in consumer-facing platforms and services in efforts to achieve a more authentically connected, inclusive world. Named on Forbes Magazine’s Midas Brink List in 2016, Jonathan boasts previous capital experience at General Catalyst where he was managing director, and as a Principal at Benchmark, where he sourced and led investments in Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Chloe and Isabel. Jonathan was also an engineer at Google, where he oversaw the company’s global infrastructure expansion and R&D efforts.
Shawn Owen (Salt Lending)
Owen is a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and has a strong background in the restaurant and hospitality industry, and is an early advocate of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. He is CEO for Salt Lending Holdings, Inc. Salt Lending operates a blockchain-based platform that facilitates the issuance of loans and connects borrowers with capital. The company encompasses several business divisions, which include a loan servicing platform, an online marketplace and an asset management unit. Prior to that, he was COO for Southern Concepts Restaurant Group, owner/manager of several full-service Southern Hospitality restaurants in the Colorado market. He has a passion for systems development, business operations, product delivery, and client service.
Advisory Board
Brock Pierce (Bitcoin Capital, Bitcoin Foundation, Tether, GoCoin)
An early supporter of both Bitcoin and Ethereum, Pierce has demonstrated his faith in the revolutionary nature of blockchain since its inception and throughout its metamorphosis. Credited for merging the digital currency and video game markets, Pierce founded IGE in 2006 as the pioneer digital currency for online games, as well as founding ZAM, a media property company for gamers, and IMI Exchange, the world’s foremost digital currency marketplace for games. His work as co-founder and Head of Strategy for Block.one, a free market systems design and open-source software publishing company, is his most recent entrepreneurial venture. Pierce’s list of founding credits continues to include numerous companies such as Tether, D10e, GoCoin, Blade Payments, Five Delta (sold NASDAQ: SRAX), Xfire 2.0, Playsino, Evertune, GamesTV, and DEN. Along with those firms, Pierce is the co-founder of Block Capital, the first sector-focused venture fund that invests solely in Blockchain technology companies. Brock Pierce also serves as chairman of the board for the Bitcoin Foundation, and is a faculty member at the Singularity University.
Loretta Joseph (ADDCA, SSX)
Joseph brings with her the wisdom of 25 years in finance and adjacent sectors. Joseph’s experiences in finance and technology sprawl the globe, including work Asia and India with RBS (India), Macquarie Group (India), Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and Elara Capital (India), where she has held upper-level director, management, and board positions. Recognized by Fintech Australia as a Fintech Leader of 2017, Joseph has been celebrated for her alignment with emerging markets and has led the charge toward responsible blockchain adoption through her communications with governments and industry professionals worldwide. Joseph is Director of Business Development for the Sydney Stock Exchange. In addition, she is the chair of the advisory board of Australian Digital Currency and Commerce Association (ADDCA) in addition to her advisory roles for several companies in tech and its subsects. Loretta Joseph is an advisor for Blume Ventures (India). She also serves as an adjunct fellow at UWS (Australia) and holds a seat on the advisory board of the UWS Business School.
Chance Barnett (CoinCircle, Crowdfunder)
Barnett is a recognized expert in technology startups and innovative funding mechanisms. He is the founder of CoinCircle, a company that designs, engineers, markets and sells token sale campaigns for established companies with market-leading products. He is also the founder of CrowdFunder, the leader in equity crowdfunding for sourcing and funding high-growth ventures with a network of over 130,000 entrepreneurs and investors. He has a BA in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Gabriel Abed (Emercoin Group, Polymath)
With a background in software development and a degree in network security from the University of Ontario, Institute of Technology, Abed brings with him an empathy for developers and a focus on student outcomes. Abed’s entrepreneurial outlook has led to his founding several companies including software development company BitEdge, and the blockchain-enabled financial technology company Bitt, which he has served as CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board. He is also the founder of Digital Asset Fund, a capital management company focused on high-growth digital assets amidst the rise of cryptocurrencies.
Lee Fox (PeerSpring)
Fox has launched three companies at the intersections of philanthropy, technology, and education. Honored with a Cordes Fellowship, Fox is a sought-out speaker nationally. Lee presently serves as CEO of EdTech company, PeerSpring, and oversees the Fox Family Foundation. She also serves as the Co-Chair of Project ECHO, Chair of Leonardo School and is an advisor and investor to a number of emerging tech companies focused on blockchain innovation. Fox is particularly interested in mobilizing youth as positive forces of change. Her work has been recognized by institutions and media outlets such as the United Nations Research Institute in “Youth Media & Participation”; USA Today, JWT Worldwide, Mashable, PSKF’s “The Future of Gaming” report; and in a New York best-selling book, Millennial Momentum: How A New Generation is Remaking America, among others.
Crystal Rose (Sensay)
Rose is co-founder and CEO of Sensay, an artificial intelligence and communication platform that utilizes existing social media messaging apps to connect users with the experts they need, serving as “the best friend you’ve never met. A friend that you can reach out to at any time, with anything, and have a one-on-one, meaningful conversation.” In addition to raising $21 million in capital in its three years of existence, Sensay recently completed a successful ICO for its counterpart token, SENSE. Rose is also the founder of ONVI Media, a digital marketing agency and Hyype, a social media software platform. She holds a position on the Board of the ICO Governance Foundation, seeking to establish ICO standards, as well as pioneering the inception of several other blockchain initiatives, including LA’s Open Data Initiative, Hack for LA (formerly Code for LA), and the California Blockchain Alliance.
Pilar Stella (Stellina Capital)
Stella is a world-recognized expert in raising capital, managing large-scale initiatives, and in creating connections across public-private-nonprofit sectors. She is currently co-founder and managing partner of Stellina Capital. Previously, she co-founded Alchemus Capital, an investment fund focused on Innovation, Integrity and Inclusion. She was also founder of one of the first online giving platforms and plug-in between brands and consumers to make giving easy, transparent and sustainable. Stella is also Special Council Member of DPOUSA, a financial media company with decades of financial market experience merged with current technology. She successfully co-founded a cross-sector think tank in Colorado and has been published in Forbes.com, HuffPost, and Women 2.0. She has her Masters in International/Global Policy from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Yacine Terai (Startup Token)
Terai brings over a decade and a half of experience in global technology startups, as well as a strong background in innovative blockchain investments. He is the CEO of StartupToken, an accelerator for blockchain startups, and CEO of Tokens Capital, a crowdfunding and blockchain investment firm. He is also the Blockchain VC, ICO Startup Consultant for Coinsilium, the world’s first blockchain investment company to hold an IPO on a stock market. Terai holds degrees in mechanical physics from Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, in business management & administration from Ecole Supérieure de Management en Alternance in Paris, and in management from HEC Paris.
Lauren Selig (Shake & Bake Productions, VALIS)
Selig has a 20-year track record of global impact in the entertainment, real-estate and start-up communities, as both an entrepreneur and an executive. Ms. Selig is the managing director for IMAX’s virtual reality fund, and the founder of Tangled Little Dragon, a cryptocurrency advisory and investment firm. She is also co-founder and producer at Shake and Bake Productions, and founder at VALIS, a next-generation global studio using creative technological collaboration. Selig is an active member of numerous boards including X Prize, Planetary Resources, and the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. She has a BS degree in International Affairs from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a joint JD/MBA degree from Northwestern and University of Washington.
Nikola Stojanow (aeternity)
Stojanow is a long-time blockchain advocate, supporting the growth of cryptocurrency and blockchain throughout Europe. He is the CBDO for æternity, a scalable blockchain platform that enables high bandwidth transacting, purely-functional smart contracts, and decentralized oracles. He has lent his insight to Lockchain.co and AdEx Network in advisor capacities, as well as serving as an ambassador for SoftUni, a software education company based in Bulgaria. Stojanow previously headed business management for Veyo Care and STADA, where he led expansion and optimization of both companies.
Devadutta Ghat (VideoCoin, Facebook)
Ghat brings extensive experience in distributed systems and blockchain-based platforms. He’s the CTO of Live Planet, Inc., where he’s spearheading the project and built the world’s first end-to-end live virtual reality (VR) video platform. Ghat is currently leading technical implementation of The VideoCoin Network, a blockchain-based decentralized video encoding, storage, and distribution platform at Live Planet. The holder of six video-related patents, Ghat has an M.B.A from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Dawn Newton (Netki)
Newton brings substantial experience in strategic direction and business plan development for startups to Kingsland. One of L.A. Biz’s Women of Influence, Newton is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Netki, a company that provides secure digital identity for blockchain compliance to get investors engaged efficiently and developers working resourcefully. Her leadership in the blockchain sector extends to philanthropy with her Board Director position for BitGive — the first Bitcoin 501(c)(3) nonprofit — connecting blockchain with its humanitarian potential. Newton also serves as Board Director for the Threshold Foundation, a network that connects innovative nonprofits with funds upwards of $1 million annually in pursuit of a “more just, joyful and sustainable world.”
Legal Team
Michael J. Quinn (Vedder Price, SEC)
A graduate of Loyola Law School, Quinn is a government investigations and securities litigation attorney. Quinn is an associate in the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group. He advises corporations and individuals involved in commercial litigation and complex business disputes. His diverse background includes the representation of clients in a variety of industries, including hospitality, entertainment, real estate, transportation, and consumer products. Michael is a passionate researcher and legal strategist who enjoys providing unique solutions to complex business issues in order to manage risk and provide competitive advantage to his clients.
Roger Royse (Royse Law)
Royse is a tax and business attorney with in-depth expertise and expansive influence in AgTech, BlockChain and, Healthtech. He is an Adjunct Corporate Tax Professor at Golden Gate University of Law. He is a recognized authority in tax and business law, with more than 30 years of experience. His has testified at US Congressional Hearings, for issues related to agriculture technology, data regulation, tax and business. Royse is a keen supporter and advocate for cutting edge technology and innovation in Silicon Valley, particularly agriculture technology, health tech and Fintech. He is the Founder of Royse Law Firm, PC, a growing business and tax firm with domestic offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County and a foreign presence in Beijing and Shanghai.
