IBM Blockchain Pulse

The IBM Blockchain Pulse has had the privilege of hosting several returning guests this season but few have worked in industries as heavily impacted by COVID-19 as our guests today; Matt Zarracina and Ken Lesnik, the founders of True Tickets. While the live events business has been upended during the pandemic, True Tickets mission has remained totally unchanged. Their work to push clients and customers further into the realm of digital ticketing has never been more relevant. In their last episode together a year and a half ago, Matt and Ken shared how they transitioned from a B2C company to a B2B company. In this episode, in the midst of the COVID-era, they focus on how all the ways in which their own business has adapted and evolved — and, of course, how the larger blockchain business ecosystem has adapted and evolved as well. Don’t miss out on this thoughtful and illuminating conversation! Key Takeaways: [:00] An excerpt from today’s episode. [:44] About today’s episode with Matt Zarracina and Ken Lesnik. [2:08] Matt welcomes Matt and Ken to the podcast. [2:59] How True Tickets has adapted accordingly to live events taking a massive hit due to the global pandemic. They also share about the exact moment in the spring that they realized that they needed to think quickly and adapt. [7:09] What is a ‘test’ and what is a ‘sign’ when it comes to your business? How do Matt and Ken define the difference? [9:18] Ken elaborates on the role that blockchain is playing in helping to create more equitable and fair digital mobile ticketing. [12:34] The biggest change agent for the live ticketing industry during this COVID era that allowed the ‘middlemen’ to recognize True Tickets as a business solution in a different way. [14:18] Why wasn’t there earlier incentivization for making tickets digital? [15:44] How does True Tickets walk venue owners, managers, promoters, etc. through the concept of working with data and predictive digital analytics? [18:08] Would Matt and Ken see a part of True Tickets’ responsibility as playing a key role in translating digital possibility for analog ownership, analog venue management, etc. as we move into this new digital age? [19:45] Matt highlights the differences and similarities they’ve seen in the COVID era between the different territories and markets they’re operating in. [20:45] As they’re closing deals, do they find clients care particularly about the blockchain angle as it pertains to security, trust, and transparency? Or is it just a nice addition? And how does the blockchain story come about in the story of their business solution? [22:05] Matt speaks about the nature of True Tickets’ relationship with IBM Blockchain at present and what excites him most about it looking into 2021. [24:14] Matt speaks about the significance of what happened when Hamilton premiered on Disney+ this summer and what it means for the future of live performances. [27:20] Why haven’t there been many live performances in digital form? Is it only becoming more prevalent due to the pandemic? [29:03] Ken shares his thoughts on how live performances have transformed since the pandemic. [32:00] How they’re planning for the evolution of their business, what they think the ticketing space will look like in the two years, and how they think the relationship they’ve built with IBM Blockchain will impact their business going forward. [34:34] Matt thanks Mat and Ken for joining the podcast once again! [35:32] Matt closes out the podcast. Sources Mentioned: True Tickets [https://true-tickets.com/] IBM Blockchain Pulse Ep. 6: “How Blockchain is Shaking Up the Current Inefficient Ticketing Industry, with True Tickets Co-Founders” [https://www.ibm.com/blogs/blockchain/2019/06/episode-6-how-blockchain-is-shaking-up-the-ticketing-industry/] Matt’s Medium post on Hamilton [https://medium.com/@matthew.zarracina/how-extending-access-to-inspiring-live-experiences-can-transform-our-communities-fbb185d3822c] Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_to_You] Follow-up with Our Guests: Matt Zarracina’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zarracina/] Ken Lesnik’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenlesnik/] Looking for More Episodes? Visit ibm.com/blockchain [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain] — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain [https://twitter.com/ibmblockchain?lang=en] on Twitter!

The IBM Blockchain Pulse has had a lot of extraordinary guests featured on the podcast so far. They’ve featured leaders in government and business, space tech executives and designers, as well as startup founders and seasoned executives alike. But, an artist is yet to make an appearance! In today’s episode, Matt is joined by a multidisciplinary artist, Erin Zhao, who leads the conversation to an area of Blockchain that IBM Blockchain Pulse has yet to delve into. Joining the conversation, as well, is return guest, Nigel Gopie, Director of Artificial Intelligence Applications and Blockchain Marketing at IBM. In this episode, he helps to tell the story of IBM’s collaboration with Erin and how they’ve managed to rethink the art consumption experience in our COVID-19 era. They also speak about the importance of interconnectedness, transparency, and trust, in Erin’s art and blockchain tech itself. Key Takeaways: [:00] An excerpt from today’s episode. [1:01] About today’s episode with Erin Zhao and Nigel Gopie. [2:36] Matt welcomes Erin and Nigel to the podcast. [2:59] What Nigel loves about IBM’s innovative clients and how they’re similar to artists. [4:05] Erin speaks about her experience when she was first approached by IBM to collaborate on an artwork that was connected to the concept of blockchain. She shares what initially excited her about this opportunity and blockchain in general. [5:53] The name of the piece Erin created with IBM is “Interconnectedness.” Erin shares how the theme of interconnectedness has played a major role in her art in the past and why she is fascinated by the concept in relation to blockchain. [8:00] Nigel shares how he and Erin first came to connect on this project and what their earlier conversations about the project looked like. [10:05] Prior to this project, has Erin always been fascinated by this intersection between art and technology? [13:07] Nigel shares his thoughts on what the role of an artist is within the ecosystem of blockchain. [15:00] About IBM’s five-part webinar series: Blockparty. [15:45] Erin describes what her art looks like, the materials she uses, and how it feels for her when she releases her art into the world. [18:24] Nigel describes his favorite piece of Erin’s that drew him to her art. [19:40] Matt reflects on the power of art — especially in this COVID era. [21:06] On Erin’s art website, she writes that she is “...interested in bridging the tangible with the impalpable, in constructing space to encourage curiosity and to create tentative expressions from emotions that we experience but have difficulty putting into words.” She elaborates on what this means and how she creates the space within her art to encourage onlookers’ curiosity. Erin also takes listeners through her latest piece in collaboration with IBM, “Interconnectedness.” [25:25] Nigel shares what he loved about Erin’s description of “Interconnectedness,” and how “Interconnectedness” really illustrates the concept of blockchain accurately. [26:45] Erin elaborates on “Interconnectedness” and more of its fascinating background, layers, meaning, and how it connects to blockchain. [27:45] Where to find Erin Zhao’s beautiful art online and see the piece, “Interconnectedness.” [29:00] Matt gives his thanks to Erin and Nigel for joining this week’s edition of IBM Blockchain Pulse. Sources Mentioned: IBM Blockchain Pulse Ep. 7: “How Blockchain is Making Your Food Safer and Smarter” with Nigel Gopie [https://www.ibm.com/blogs/blockchain/2019/09/episode-7-how-blockchain-is-making-your-food-safer-and-smarter/] Erin Zhao’s Art Website [http://www.erinzhao.com/] Erin Zhao’s Instagram @ErinZhaoArt [https://www.instagram.com/erinzhaoart/?hl=en] IBM.biz/IBMBlockparty [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/resources/blockparty/] — A five-part webinar series bringing the transformative power of blockchain to life through art! Follow-up with Our Guests: Erin Zhao’s Website [http://www.erinzhao.com/] Erin Zhao’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/erinzhaoart/?hl=en] Nigel Gopie’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopie/] Looking for More Episodes? Visit ibm.com/blockchain [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain] — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain [https://twitter.com/ibmblockchain?lang=en] on Twitter!

Is now the time to adopt blockchain technology for supply chain? In this episode, Matt Hooper welcomes back Rachel Wolfson of Cointelegraph to get her journalistic perspective on why supply chains can benefit from adopting blockchain.  Rachel has been writing about the tech industry for nearly 10 years and has been focusing specifically on blockchain and cryptocurrency for the past two. She is the host of the blockchain podcast,The Crypto Chick,a public speaker, and a journalist who contributes to a multitude of publications and interviews some of the most influential people in the enterprise blockchain space today. In their conversation today, Matt and Rachel discuss why right now (during the pandemic) is as good of a time as any for enterprises to adopt blockchain. In fact, it may be the best time to! On IBM Blockchain Pulse, Matt often speaks with business leaders hungry to embrace this innovation that is blockchain; to implement the efficiencies blockchain brings to the supply chain. While we’re experiencing so much change around us due to the current pandemic, it is actually an ideal time to embrace just that much more; to seriously consider a more transparent business future, enabled by this podcast’s namesake technology. Don’t miss out on Matt and Rachel’s conversation all about the future of blockchain and why widely adopting it now is the push we all need for a better future. Key Takeaways: [:00] An excerpt from today’s episode. [:57] About today’s episode with Rachel Wolfson. [2:35] Matt welcomes Rachel to the podcast. [3:52] Has COVID-19 expedited a digital future? [4:50] How has blockchain improved inefficiencies along the supply chain during the pandemic? [7:22] Is blockchain a solution for this current moment in time? Does Rachel predict that we will be seeing widespread adoption during this pandemic? [9:37] Rachel shares some use cases about how blockchain, combined with other technologies, can help improve the tourism and travel industry. [11:11] Does Rachel have any concerns that we may not be able to adopt the innovations that we want to adopt with blockchain? [13:31] What the U.S. is more hesitant on adopting blockchain than other parts of the world. [14:38] Rachel recently wrote an article on how blockchain can be used to track the blood supply chain. She shares what she learned as she was researching this article and explains what it means to “tokenize blood.” [17:27] About IBM.Biz/PulseNews [http://ibm.biz/pulsenews]. [18:27] Putting their post-COVID hats on, Matt and Rachel discuss what the future role of decentralized financial institutions (AKA ‘DeFi’) and their tens of thousands of employees might be. [21:12] Rachel speaks about where the current excitement is around with regards to building a more trust-based future. [25:11] Rachel speaks about the DeFi boom and how it resembles the 2017 ICO boom. [26:49] Discussing the future of blockchain and why Rachel believes it will continue to advance. [29:13] Matt thanks Rachel for joining the podcast! Sources Mentioned: IBM Blockchain Pulse Ep. 12: “Blockchain Journalist Talks Top Trends” [https://www.ibm.com/blogs/blockchain/2019/11/episode-12-blockchain-journalist-talks-top-trends/] IBM.Biz/PulseNews [http://ibm.biz/pulsenews] — Subscribe to the monthly newsletter! Follow-up with Our Guest: Rachel Wolfson’s Website [https://www.rachelwolfson.me/] Rachel Wolfson’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/rachelwolf00?lang=en] The Crypto Chick Podcast with Rachel Wolfson [https://badcryptopodcast.com/thecryptochick/] Rachel Wolfson Articles on Bitcoin Magazine [https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/rachel-wolfson] Rachel Wolfson Articles on Forbes [https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwolfson/#24fb7089181c] Looking for More Episodes? Visit ibm.com/blockchain [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain] — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain [https://twitter.com/ibmblockchain?lang=en] on Twitter!

Kicking off season 4 of the IBM Blockchain Pulse podcast, Matt Hooper is welcoming on his first guest, Harold Hughes! A lot has changed since season 3 of IBM Blockchain Pulse. We are now in a time of tremendous uncertainty, moving into a future that will look vastly different than anything we’ve previously imagined. And in the midst of so much change, hope can sometimes feel scarce — which is why Matt Hooper is thrilled to present today’s conversation with Harold Hughes, founder and CEO of Bandwagon, an analytics and identity management company that uses blockchain to help event venues and entertainers create a more personalized fan experience while eliminating ticket fraud. Harold’s journey as a founder is awe-inspiring (and not just because it led him to the blockchain industry)! It’s inspiring because he has built a thriving business built on real customer need, iterating and evolving over the past 6 years, joining an accelerator only when he thought it could help him scale — and he’s done nearly all of this from his hometown in Greenville, South Carolina! Harold has been thoughtful with each step of his journey and it is one you won’t want to miss out on hearing all about. With our future being shaped in part by leaders like Harold, how can one not be hopeful about the future? Key Takeaways: [:00] An excerpt from today’s episode. [:27] About today’s episode with Harold Hughes. [2:27] Matt Hooper welcomes listeners to the first episode of season 4! [2:54] Matt welcomes Harold to the show. [3:14] Harold shares about what his current day-in-the-life looks like as a CEO working at home during a pandemic. [4:22] Harold shares his journey into the blockchain ecosystem and the origins of Bandwagon. [7:31] The research Harold conducted prior to launching his business in identifying his customer and derisking the idea, the business model, and himself. [9:15] Harold elaborates on how he began to build his team. [10:53] How Harold and his team came together to build the product for their envisioned customer. [12:37] As a first-time founder, where did Harold gain the confidence that he has in trusting in himself and in others that he brought aboard early on? [17:27] What is a fan analytics company to Harold? And how did he know that he had to expand beyond a fan analytics company early on in forming his business? [19:56] When they first started out, what data was available with regards to fan analytics and fan identities? How were they able to collect it? [22:24] Harold about raising external capital in 2016, a few years into running his business after going fulltime. [23:33] What was Harold’s introduction to blockchain? What swayed Harold and his team to integrate blockchain into their business model? [26:07] Were they always trying to solve the issue of fraudulent ticket sales with Bandwagon? Or did they only become aware of it when they moved to blockchain? [27:10] Last year, Bandwagon participated in an accelerator in NYC which brought them further into the IBM family. What was the purpose of that accelerator for a company at their stage? Would he recommend the accelerator experience to others? And how did it further cement them as a blockchain ticketing company/blockchain analytics company? [31:11] How many people are on the Bandwagon team presently? What is it like to lead this team as the CEO and founder? How is it different from how it existed pre-COVID? And how does Harold think it may be different post-COVID? [36:05] What is the future of the live fan experience? Harold shares his thoughts and predictions. [38:43] Matt thanks Harold for joining the podcast! Sources Mentioned: Bandwagon [https://bandwagonfanclub.com] The Columbia | IBM Blockchain LAUNCH Accelerator [https://labtomarket.columbia.edu/columbia-ibm-blockchain-accelerator] Follow-up with Our Guest: Harold Hughes’ LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroldphughes/] Harold Hughes’ Twitter @OneBandwagonFan [https://twitter.com/OneBandwagonFan?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor] Looking for More Episodes? Visit ibm.com/blockchain [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain] — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain [https://twitter.com/ibmblockchain?lang=en] on Twitter!

This episode of IBM Blockchain Pulse marks another first for Matt Hooper! He is welcoming back his first return guest, Maribel Lopez, the founder and Principal Analyst of Lopez Research! Last time Maribel was on the show, she and Matt dove into blockchain and transformation and discussed whether or not blockchain hype had peaked. Today, they’re shifting gears and taking a look at how companies can get started with blockchain. They discuss how companies can move from pilot phase to production, work within or even help set governance standards, and general obstacles many organizations need to overcome as they implement a new technology strategy. Maribel also shares some examples of projects that have successfully moved from the pilot phase to production and what she believes to be the most challenging bits to the “BLT” (Business, Legal, Technical) aspects of blockchain! There’s a lot of key takeaways and valuable insight in this episode with Maribel Lopez, so be sure to stay tuned! Key Takeaways: [:00] An excerpt from today’s episode. [:25] About today’s episode with Maribel Lopez! [1:41] Matt welcomes both listeners and Maribel back on to the podcast! [3:00] Before an organization can even get started with adopting a strategy around an emergent technology, what questions should they be asking themselves? [6:48] After a strategy is in place, how does an organization go about setting governance standards? [9:04] Maribel highlights some of the common stumbling blocks that teams generally face when trying to implement a new technology strategy. [11:55] Matt takes a break from the interview to share an important resource: IBM.com/Blockchain/COVID19 [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/covid19]. [13:13] Maribel continues speaking some common organizational struggles regarding implementing new technology. [14:00] Maribel shares some of her favorite examples of companies that have successfully moved from the pilot phase to production. [17:17] Maribel shares what she believes to be the most challenging bits to the “BLT” (Business, Legal, Technical) aspects of blockchain. [20:58] Matt thanks Maribel for joining the IBM Blockchain Pulse podcast once again! Sources Mentioned: Lopez Research [http://lopezresearch.com/] IBM Blockchain Pulse Ep.17: “Helping Businesses Thrive in a Connected World” [https://www.ibm.com/blogs/blockchain/2020/04/episode-17-helping-businesses-thrive-in-a-connected-world/] IBM.com/Blockchain/COVID19 [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/covid19] IBM Food Trust [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/food-trust] TradeLens [https://www.tradelens.com/] IBM Blockchain Pulse Ep. 7: “How Blockchain is Making Your Food Safer and Smarter” [https://www.ibm.com/blogs/blockchain/2019/09/episode-7-how-blockchain-is-making-your-food-safer-and-smarter/] Follow-up with Our Guest: Maribel Lopez’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellopez/] Looking for More Episodes? Visit ibm.com/blockchain [https://www.ibm.com/blockchain] — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain [https://twitter.com/ibmblockchain?lang=en] on Twitter!