⚠️ On March 31st 2019, TTC Foundation launched its own blockchain solution, TTC, and rebranded TTC Protocol as Acorn Protocol. This article was announced before the separation. [Read more]
Meet the Team #3: Brian Cheong, CEO and Founder
Olivia(O): Hi Brian, can you briefly introduce yourself?
Brian(B): Hi, my name is Brian Cheong and I am the CEO and founder of TTC Protocol. I was born in Busan, Korea and got interested in computers at a young age, hence my work in the IT industry. I majored in Finance at Peking University and served as an ICT Consultant in Central Java Local Government in Indonesia. Afterward, I worked as an Analyst at SoftBank Ventures Asia. In 2013, I founded a social networking start-up in China and have been actively expanding the company for more than five years.
O: How did you become interested in Blockchain?
B: I heard about the concept “Bitcoin” in 2009, which was a time when miners could mine 50–60 Bitcoins per hour with a laptop. Back then, I thought it would be difficult for people to invest their trust in the algorithm. So, I naturally stopped taking interest in Bitcoins, and blockchain for that matter. My interest sparked again in 2014 when I heard that SoftBank Ventures invested in a cryptocurrency exchange called Korbit. Even then, I thought the utilization of blockchain was too hard of a concept for the general public to grasp.
And, in 2017, Korea — and the whole world — became extremely hyped up about crypto-investments. Unfortunately, I was in China, thus, quite distant from the whole jamboree. Looking back, I missed quite a few opportunities to study, and if I were not so aloof with the heated scene I could’ve taken advantage of them. Nonetheless, when I witnessed that many people around me had set their foot in the blockchain industry, I knew it was time to really engage and learn. After I understood what blockchain was, and could become, I felt that blockchain was going reenact what happened in the 90s with the internet industry and the mobile industry in the early 2010s.
O: Could you tell us the story behind founding TTC Protocol?
B: I thought that the growth of a blockchain project would be similar to that of a social networking service, in terms of it being crucial to rapidly acquire users to actualize an economy of scale. I also thought that combining blockchain with something we use everyday, social networks, would maximize the effect of blockchain mass adoption. Also, through working in the social networking sector for several years, my experience in actual implementation of an architected token economy became an advantage. Starting a project that fused blockchain and social networking came about quite naturally from that point.
O: I heard that you were the one who asked Chase (refer Chase’s interview) to join TTC Protocol. Were there any particular reasons in doing so?
B: Chase and I met in Nonsan boot camp during our military training, and we kept in touch while I was stationed in Indonesia and him, Senegal. When I left SoftBank Ventures, I was asked to recommend some good folks to work with, in which case I recommended Chase. Above all, the main reason I wanted to work with Chase was that we brought different things to the table, yet are seamlessly on the same page. I thought that our differences would help TTC Protocol prepare for things that I could miss; and at the same time, our shared thoughts about blockchain changing the world would steer TTC Protocol towards the most ideal paths.
O: What was the most memorable thing about 2018?
B: I think 2018 was the year I flew the most. Blockchain projects co-evolve and compete in real-time, 24 hours a day, on a global scale. Thus, I had the opportunity to meet, learn from, and interact with people from all over the world in places all over the globe. Once, I even flew more than 10 times over a one week period. So, probably the global dynamic is what stuck with me the most.
O: What do you most expect out of 2019?
B: Many projects have their mainnet launch scheduled in 2019. As a result, I believe there will be various tokens and coins that will have real-life usage. I think such phenomena will slowly change the way we live. Of course, TTC Protocol will be in the forefront of such changes. In 2019, I believe we will start witnessing people being rewarded with TTC and paying for goods with TTC.
O: What do you want to accomplish most in 2019?
B: I want to expand our community worldwide, and stabilize our current partnerships by properly launching them as TTC Ecosystem DAPPs. I would like to encourage people from all over the world to become our users and make happen real-life utilization of TTC. To do so, we will expand our community and partner up with various services to secure a broad range usage of TTC. Hopefully, these efforts will create a network effect with an unstoppable chain reaction.
O: What role do you want TTC Protocol to play in the Blockchain ecosystem?
B: I would like TTC Protocol to be the pioneer of blockchain mass adoption. In other words, the goal of TTC Protocol is to offer a convenient and intuitive UX for the public to genuinely adopt blockchain and cryptocurrency into their lives. Also, I hope our large user base will attract even more stakeholders of TTC so that we can be more recognized, and thus, provide more opportunities to accomplish even more exciting objectives.
O: How do you want to be remembered in the blockchain industry?
B: Throughout my career, I was lucky to encounter many amazing people who inspired me in many different ways. Now I wish to be someone who can inspire others.
O: What is TTC Protocol to you?
B: I would like to say TTC Protocol is a project that will influence the world and it is an opportunity with the potential to outgrow our imaginations.
