In the framework of the B-Hub for Europe project, Spherik is launching an invitation for an open discussion about the reality of blockchain in Romania. The event is set to happen on February 25th, starting at 2:00 PM, at Impact Hub Universitate (8-10 Tudor Arghezi Street, Bucharest).

The hype surrounding the blockchain technology is slowly fading away, leaving room for a more down to earth approach and some actual useful use-cases. This, in turn, has opened a new conversation about regulations and legal frameworks. 

In recent years, the European Commission has been active in setting up Proof of Concepts, Pilot Projects and EU initiatives to explore, test and understand legal, regulatory, policy, research and funding needs related to blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies. Some European Union countries have made tremendous steps in this direction, as well. Romania is still lagging behind though, even if we do have quite a vibrant blockchain community.

Where are we now and what should be the next steps? The after-hype reality of Blockchain in Romania event is an invitation to figure it out together, alongside some of the most well known Romanian blockchain industry experts.

Agenda:

After the Introduction speech by Maria Diaconu (Oxford Blockchain Foundation), Augustin Jianu (Dime.ly) will share some insights about Blockchain in Romania: Hype vs. Reality. Following that is the panel about Crypto Assets & Legal Framework, with Diana Ștețiu, Stefan Neagu (Persona), Sergiu Vasilescu ( Furtuna si Asociatii) , moderated by Oana Coșman (start-up.ro). 

Cristina Juc (Head of Partnerships & EU projects @ Spherik) will have an overview of B-Hub for Europe, just before the coffee break.

Product tracking using Supply Chain, a TailPath use case from Sebastian Cochinescu (TailPath) will mark the start of the second part of the event. Right after that, Sebastian will be joined on stage by Mukul Pal (Alphablock) and Alin Daniel Iftemi (Modex), in a panel that tackles Current obstacles for the growth of Blockchain startups, moderated by Raluca Abrihan (startupcafe.ro).

About the speakers:

Maria Diaconu – Tech entrepreneur, advisor, angel investor, start-up mentor & former programmer focused on building long-term innovative teams within the global organizations, including Mozaic Works & MozaicLabs. With more than 20 years of experience in various industries, Maria focuses on fast growth and continues to be hands-on and interested in: Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy, Innovation, Business Agility, Lean Start-up, Smart Strategy, Business Design and High Performing Teams. 

Augustin Jianu – A Romanian entrepreneur with an extensive background in software development, cybersecurity and policymaking. He has previously served as minister of communications and information society in the Government of Romania.

Diana Ștețiu – An experienced lawyer, having a demonstrated history of working in the legal services industry and blockchain domain, Diana possesses significant experience in advising banks, private equity funds, asset management companies and payment institutions. She was involved in various fintech projects and has particular interests in open source projects and distributed ledger technologies, assisting entrepreneurs in various legal aspects relating to blockchain based solutions, including security tokens offerings.

Stefan Neagu – With extensive experience in the financial sector managing major projects on digital banking, Stefan discovered blockchain technology in 2013. Since then, he started two blockchain projects (Ark Ecosystem and Persona) and currently provides consultancy services on business transformation, innovation and blockchain.

Sergiu Vasilescu – A graduate of Paris I Pantheon  Sorbonne, as well as of The University of Bucharest -Faculty of Law and an Associate within Furtună și Asociații law firm. Member of the «digital born» generation and educated in an entrepreneurial spirit, Sergiu provides legal assistance and advises clients with IT&C projects in areas such as fintech, e-commerce, crypto-payments, digital media, blockchain and data protection.

Sebastian Cochinescu – A tech entrepreneur with extended experience in the media industry and the CEO and founder of Tailpath.com (SupplyBlockchain, Inc.), Sebastian has more than 20 years of business executive-level experience working with Apple, Hubert Burda Media and Avandor. In 2018 he was awarded with the Honor Emblem of the Romanian Army High Command. At this moment, he is a Ph.D. candidate in Blockchain Studies and an Associate Professor at the University of Bucharest, graduating the Executive Blockchain Academy at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2017.

Mukul Pal – With over 20 years of experience in capital markets and investment research, Mukul Pal is a Top ranked author on SSRN, has 3 published patents and has received the MIT Fintech award in 2016. He has previously consulted Raiffeisen, Société Générale, Thomson Reuters, and the Bombay Stock Exchange. Among others, he has been a speaker at Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Waterloo, Ted, Startup Grind and is a featured columnist for global publications like Business Week.

Alin Daniel Iftemi – With a deep connection with everything related to technology and IT since early childhood, Alin decided to pursue a path which would bring him closer to his one true passion, programming.A full stack developer, he is the main driving force behind Modex, responsible with developing the company’s strategy for using technological resources, while actively searching how to implement new technologies to gain a competitive advantage. As an avid tech enthusiast, Alin is fascinated by domains such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. With over 20 years of experience in tech, Alin positions himself as one of the main actors who are pushing for widespread adoption of blockchain technology.

Attendance is FREE upon registration.

About B-Hub for Europe:

B-HUB for Europe is an EU-funded project under the H2020 Startup Europe initiative aimed at discovering high-potential innovations in the blockchain technology domain, shaping suited and effective proof of concepts and business models, providing acceleration services and specialized support to startups to overcome current market barriers and assist the go-to-market process, unlocking new market channels with potential customers in the private and public sector, scaling up innovative businesses by creating strong links, synergies and collaboration patterns across five startups ecosystems in Italy, France, Germany, Lithuania, and Romania. 

The project will stimulate blockchain applications in various sectors from health to food, energy, finance, and fashion to transform high-performing distributed chains to the final beneficiaries with the highest efficient impact. The project started in January 2020 and will close after 24 months.

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