Last Friday marked the start of the first-ever Midwest Blockchain Conference. Hosted by Michigan Blockchain and College DAO at the Ross School of Business, the two-day event brought together students from more than 30 universities, representatives from approximately 40 blockchain companies, and more than 50 speakers, forming a guest list of more than 1,000 people. registered.
Attendees came together to discuss, explore and interact with the expanding world of Web3. This term refers to a new generation of the Internet that aims to reduce the control of large companies over user data. In an interview with the Michigan Daily, Cornell Blockchain President Leah Valente explained what Web3 is.
“I think of Web3 as…this umbrella term for a bunch of things,” Valente said. “Blockchain is part of this, crypto is part of this, metaverse is part of this. I would describe it as a new era of the Internet where you own your data.
The conference served as a platform for students and blockchain companies to learn from each other and communicate on blockchain. LSA senior Evan Solomon, co-president of Michigan Blockchain, told The Daily in an interview that he and engineering senior Shashank Kalluri, his fellow co-president, decided to hold the conference to create a point of access allowing students to connect with cryptocurrency companies and VP. versa.
“There is a clear gap in the industry,” Solomon said. “Companies are looking to hire talent, but the talent is not finding the companies. It is important to close this gap. We help students find internships, recent graduates find jobs, but more importantly, we help some of these blockchain clubs connect with companies to be able to find opportunities.
In an interview with The Daily, Reva Jariwala, vice president of Cornell Blockchain, said the conference seemed to take the crypto world out of its virtual habitat and into a physical social setting.
“I think this event brought this space to life for many students,” Jariwala said. “Taking this digital world that we only sometimes see on Twitter or on our computer screens, putting it before our eyes and seeing that other kids care about it – I think that was one of the most powerful.”
The conference included crypto training, interactive developer workshops, a career fair, a crypto research competition sponsored by Franklin Templeton, an Avalanche hackathon, and a variety of side events.
Throughout the two-day conference, students from Blockchain Clubs, financial analysts working with the UM Endowment, and employees from various companies including GFX Labs, Arana Ventures, a16z crypto, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Parcl, have offered educational programs on cryptography. . Representatives from crypto companies including Solana, Sui, Avalanche and Coinbase have held workshops for developers.
Solomon said he thinks crypto often has a negative connotation. He also said he believes the association is rooted in misconceptions, so exposing students to pro-crypto testimonials from prominent companies and organizations is beneficial to its perception.
“There’s a really big stigma,” Solomon said. “People have a very misunderstood view of what the industry really is. »
Angela Brasington, head of the Andromeda ecosystem, said in an interview with The Daily that she believes the crypto field, right now, is intimidating due to the negative news surrounding crypto. She also said she hopes to alleviate the intimidating impression of crypto by highlighting the sector’s potential opportunities to students.
“I wanted to plant the seed of what exists,” Brasington said. “My passion (is) to educate the next generation about this technology because there are so many opportunities. We want to simplify Web3 and blockchain for everyone, for the whole world, to truly enable mass adoption. But we all have this vision.
Andromeda financial controller Graham Christopherson explained how he envisions Web3’s expansion over the next decade in an interview with The Daily.
“For kids who graduate in seven years, blockchain will be the foundational layer of their approach to accounting,” Christopherson said.
Solomon said some students looking for work might be deterred from working at a crypto company because the sector is largely unregulated.
“If they want something safe, they want something stable, they’re not going to join an unregulated industry, right?” said Solomon. “Maybe there are a few people – like me – who say, ‘Hey, I’m going to do it anyway, because I believe in it,’ but the mass population won’t do that, isn’t it? isn’t it? So we need pro-crypto regulation so that people start trusting the industry.
Solomon spoke about his hopes for the conference and how he expects the conference to make students more comfortable with crypto and connect Blockchain clubs nationwide to resources that will help them prosper.
“I think there will be two major impacts,” Solomon said. “Michigan students will begin to trust industry more than ever. …The aim of the event is to help the 40 Blockchain clubs. We will help the 40 clubs to be able to contact companies very easily and find opportunities.
Jariwala told The Daily she thought the conference was special because it not only functioned as a business venture but also served to build a collaborative community.
“The goal was so unique,” Jariwala said. “It wasn’t just about bringing people together in the blockchain space, it was about bringing students together.”
Daily Staff reporter Jacqueline Ambrose can be reached at jaxamb@umich.edu.
