RightAngle: BlockTech Capital Partners

Welcome to ‘RightAngle’ — our new series of interviews with mission-driven blockchain projects sharing their angle on their vision, the industry, and more.

For our second installment of the series, our Marketing and Events Manager, Amber McLennan, interviews Bryan Matthew, General Partner at BlockTech Capital Partners.

If you would like to be interviewed for RightMesh Viewpoint, or if you have a recommendation for us to interview, please send your request to media@rightmesh.io.

Today, I had pleasure of discussing the blockchain space with Bryan Matthew, General Partner at BlockTech Capital Partners and early contributor for the RightMesh project. With a past in the financial industry and as a current blockchain investor, Bryan provided great insight into the questions to ask when identifying strong projects and the potential of the technology as a whole.

Amber: Can you tell me about BlockTech Capital Partners and how you are involved in the Blockchain space?

Bryan: BlockTech Capital Partners is a hedge fund that is blockchain focused. We provide funding to projects and purchase digital assets that are using blockchain in innovative ways. We put a concentration on social responsibility as is reflected in our team and advisors.

Amber: And how did you get involved personally in the blockchain space?

Bryan: I have a background in finance and have been dealing with digital assets since 2012. What got me initially excited about the blockchain space was the use cases for crypto as a financial instrument.

I also just love technology. I was actually the first to bring Flyboarding to the United States. For years, I taught people and travelled the world doing shows and competitions. The capacity for human ingenuity is outstanding, be it flying through the air or creating a indisputable ledger. The potential is amazing.

Amber: That is very neat. I have always wanted to try flyboarding.

As a contributor, what do you believe are the most critical points to look at when evaluating which teams and projects to invest in?

Bryan: Just as RightMesh emphasizes doing things the right way, BlockTech Capital Partners looks at the details to make sure they are financially viable and socially responsible.

Broadly it is the who, what, when and why. We ask the questions:

• Who is on the team, and do they have the network, resources and core competence in the area they are working in to build and run a company?
• What is the problem the project is trying to solve, and on that, is the problem worth solving?
• When are they planning to launch; is their timeline realistic?
• Why are they launching? Are we values aligned with their mission?

Honestly, it can be difficult as there are so many projects in the space and there are only a handful that are truly innovative. Ones that really jump out at you… it is kind of a Goldilocks situation, and you have to do your due diligence to find the one that is just right.

Amber: What do you find most exciting about the blockchain space?

Bryan: The most amazing part of the blockchain space is the aggregation of brilliant minds that recognize the potential of the technology. We have seen some truly outstanding innovations in medicine, telecommunications, finance, and one of the areas I find the most compelling of all — mesh networks.

Amber: Well, on that note, what are some of the projects that excite you the most right now?

Bryan: Honestly, I am very excited about RightMesh. It has been a project I have been watching for a while.

Amber: Well thank you! We really appreciate your support.

You mentioned earlier the that use cases are something that really excite you. What are some of the best use cases you can see for the future?

Bryan: That is a very good and hard question to answer! It’s like asking someone in the early 90s what areas would be revolutionized by the internet! There are so many possibilities!

Blockchain, as you know, is a distributed verifiable ledger, so any use case in any industry that can benefit from transparency and trustless transactions excites me. When you include the acceleration of AI, it makes the potential endless. It is hard to pick out a few.

Amber: That is completely fair! In terms of industry, which vertical do you think will be disrupted the most by blockchain?

Bryan: The financial industry. Blockchain as a financial instrument is going to be revolutionary. The improved efficiencies and the possibilities are just incredible. I think the industry will have to adapt to blockchain technology and really change their outdated practices.

Amber: Do you feel there is a geographic area where blockchain technology will have the greatest impact?

Bryan: Those in high density, low socio-economic areas in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia will stand to benefit the most. That is one reason why I find RightMesh to be such a good use case. Bringing connectivity to those people will be huge. I think it will affect the way people are educated in those areas, the way the medical system works there… it will help the people in emerging markets that need help the most.

Amber: We think so as well. A lot of potential solutions for these markets are wonderful, but they need to be able to be distributed to a connected audience. We hope we can help and also partner with a lot of them to make a larger global impact.

Thanks so much for providing your insights and being a part of ‘RightAngle’ today, Bryan. In closing I would like for you to share what excites you most about the future of blockchain?

Bryan: AI and Blockchain excites me. Blockchain is incredibly important for AI. It provides this verifiable ledger that gives AI a place to pull data from. I think that it is going to be essential in the development of artificial intelligence.

As Bryan and I concluded our call, it made me think about the impact that venture capitalists have on driving innovation within the ecosystem and the difficulty of finding the ‘Goldilocks’ projects.

For more information on BlockTech Capital Partners, please visit their website at www.BlockTechCapitalPartners.com or email Bryan directly at bryanmatthew@blocktechcapitalpartners.com.