Tales from the Crypt

 Onward Labs On Covid-19 And The Future

/ Onward Labs / 4.18.2020 /
We are experiencing a rare moment. One filled with worry and unpredictability. One filled with an upheaval of emotions. Unfortunately, we do not know how this will all end. No one does...

Moats

/ Chris Collins / 4.22.2019 /
Competitive moats are critical to develop for any company seeking to become a big player in its industry. Below is a list of important considerations that can help a startup create distance between itself and competitors...

Intro to Crypto Synthetic Asset Trading

/ Chris Collins / 4.15.2019 /
What if you wanted to trade non-crypto assets, but had limited/no access to do so through traditional brokerages (basically most people on the planet)? Wild developments are taking place...

Crypto & VC Structures

/ Chris Collins / 4.8.2019 /
Last week, Forbes published an article on how a16z is restructuring to better position itself to take advantage of opportunities in today’s markets. It got me thinking about investment structures I’ve seen and how GPs are maneuvering existing regulation in conjunction with the rise of cryptoassets...

Intro to Radix

/ Chris Collins / 4.1.2019 /
Radix is another protocol that is proposing a solution to the scalability challenges that popular blockchains today face. Unlike other smart contract platforms such as Ethereum, EOS, IOTA or Hashgraph, Radix is not a blockchain nor a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)...

Intro to ThunderCore

/ Chris Collins / 3.25.2019 /
If you've been following the blockchain space closely, you are well aware of the scalability limitations that hinder protocols today. However, there are many new projects in the works using innovative ways to solve this going forward. One that has caught my eye is ThunderCore...

DeFi Deep Dive (+ Updated Market Map)

/ Chris Collins / 3.18.2019 /
Last week, I published an market map including some of the most important firms operating in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Since then, I’ve made a few minor adjustments/additions...

The Future of Finance (Blockchain Edition) – Market Map

/ Chris Collins / 3.11.2019 /
Financial services is an industry that gets me fired up – growing up in an immigrant household and frequently traveling to emerging markets growing up, I’ve seen and experience firsthand what a lack of access to financial services can do to one’s opportunity trajectory...

Crowdfunding the Commons

/ Abbey Titcomb / 3.05.2019 /
Last week at ETHDenver, we built a proof-of-concept interface for launching curve bonded crowdfunding campaigns for social impact causes and organizations...

Spotlight on the Lightning Network

/ Chris Collins / 3.04.2019 /
The Lightning Network (LN) represents an exciting mechanism to solve the well-known scalability issue with blockchains. It is a level 2 protocol created by Lightning Labs , which was founded in 2016...

Why Trust is Important

/ Chris Collins / 2.25.2019 /
A couple days ago I came across the video below via the AVC blog. It covers what trust is, what it isn't, and how we can better evaluate and build trust in our daily lives...

Abbey Titcomb at ETH Denver Impact Track

/ Newsweek / 2.22.2019 /
Onward Labs' Head of Strategy Abbey Titcomb at ETH Denver in Colorado winning the Impact Track with her team Pactful...

Open Banking is Coming

/ Chris Collins / 2.20.2019 /
The European Union has been leading the movement to break down data silos with its Payment Services Directive, with the aim of lowering the barriers to entry for financial services providers and increasing competition...

Deep Dive: Bolivia and the Role of Crypto

/ Chris Collins / 1.7.2019 /
Monument to Antonio José de Sucre in Cochabamba As my stay in Bolivia winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on the current state of the country, its future, and how censorship-resistant technology (blockchain) could potentially play a role...

Intro: Bolivia & the Role of Crypto

/ Chris Collins / 12.31.2018 /
Inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana Halfway through my trip here in Bolivia, I've started to get a better sense of what has changed and what hasn't since I was last here four years ago...

2019 ChocoVC Predictions

/ Chris Collins / 12.24.2018 /
Welcome to my first annual installment of the ChocoVC predictions. I've bucketed them into industries and technologies that have been on my mind recently...

Truth is a Revolutionary Act

/ Josh Thompson / 12.20.2018 /
The kids will keep smoking.. Tech and media companies are currently like big tobacco was back in the day. The kids will keep consuming no matter how bad the end result is — just get them hooked and they will stay. Keep using these amazing tech and media platforms that make the world...

Primer - Quantum Computing

/ Chris Collins / 12.10.2018 /
Continuing the Primer Series, I wanted to cover an emerging wave in the computer processing capability that could have significant ramifications across industries. In short, quantum computing will allow machines to perform advanced calculations at a fraction of the time...

Crypto Never Really Dies

/ Chris Collins / 12.03.2018 /
Last Thursday, I gave a presentation at Human Ventures’ weekly internal happy hour, which serves as a time for everyone in the office to come together to hear about a specific topic as well as an opportunity for everyone to catch up...

 Not Just Another Hot Air Company

/ Josh Thompson / 11.27.2018 /
Technology is a freight train - so the way I see it, we have two options: stand in front of it or jump on it. I’ve jumped on. Growing up, I loved to read books about the past.

Primer - Artificial Intelligence (Part 2)

/ Chris Collins / 11.26.2018 /
This is the first post in the Primer Series where I will cover emerging technologies over the next couple months and attempt to explain them in the simplest way possible....

 2018 Unmanned Security Expo Review

/ Michael Jurek / 11.25.2018 /
Michael Jarek recently attended the 2018 Unmanned Security Expo in New York City. Here is his recap. 

Onward Vlog: Cryptocurrencies in a Blizzard

/ Onward Labs / 11.19.2018 /
Onward Labs' Chief Innovation Officer Aram Barnett discusses cryptocurrencies during a blizzard in Manhattan...

Primer - Artificial Intelligence (Part 1)

/ Chris Collins / 11.19.2018 /
This is the first post in the Primer Series where I will cover emerging technologies over the next couple months and attempt to explain them in the simplest way possible....

My Expert Prediction On The Price Of Bitcoin In 2019

/ Aram Barnett / 11.15.2018 /
Before I give my insight, let me establish my credibility as the bitcoin price oracle...

The Onward Vlog: Abbey Titcomb on CNBC Crypto Trader

/ CNBC Crypto Trader / 11.12.2018 /
Onward Labs' Head of Strategy Abbey Titcomb at Devcon IV in Prague, Czech Republic talking to developers and builders. CNBC Crypto Trader says "Ethereum 2.0 is going to $1250. Here is why"...

Why Identity is Important

/ Chris Collins / 11.12.2018 /
What makes you who you are? What factors have shaped your world view? In the spirit of this thought exercise, here are a couple facts about me...

The Onward Vlog: Abbey Titcomb on her recent trip to Devcon4

/ Onward Labs / 11.09.2018 /
Onward Labs' Chief Innovation Officer Aram Barnett surprises Head of Strategy Abbey Titcomb. Insights into Abbey's experience at Devcon IV in Prague, Czech Republic and Web3 Summit in Berlin Germany...

Zero Knowledge Proofs and Implications Going Forward

/ Chris Collins / 11.05.2018 /
This past week, Starkware announced it raised a $30M Series A as it continues its work toward commercializing the nascent yet promising STARK (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) Zero Knowledge...

The Onward Vlog: What is Sharding?

/ Onward Labs / 11.02.2018 /
Onward Labs' Chief Operating Officer Mohit Mehta explains SHARDING -- a type of database pertaining that separates extensive databases into smaller, faster, more easily managed parts called data shards...

The Onward Vlog: Crypto Freaks for the win

/ Onward Labs / 11.01.2018 /
Coming off a victory at trivia night at NYC's The Belfry, Onward Labs' Aram Barnett takes 'blockchain trivia' to the streets. What year did the Bitcoin White Paper come out? When did the actual source code come out? See how you stack up...

The Onward Vlog: 10 Questions with CIO, Chris Collins

Happy Halloween from one our Vanimals

/ Onward Labs / 10.31.2018 /
Vanimals -- launching soon -- are unique digital collectibles that owners can breed and interact with across digital applications and real world environments. Vanimals spread awareness of endangered species and...

Bitcoin Turns 10

/ Onward Labs / 10.30.2018 /
Arpanet – the single closed network in the 1960’s boasts the origins of the internet. However, the first deployed internetwork was deployed in 1977 between Arpanet and SRI’s wireless packet radio network...

Blockchain’s Woeful Lack of Diversity

/ Chris Collins / 10.29.2018 /
When speaking about diversity within the blockchain world, it’s helpful to start with the state of the broader tech ecosystem. If you work in tech or follow...

Web3 Summit: Day 3

/ Abbey Titcomb / 10.26.2018 /
The last day of the Summit I spent the least time on the main stage. I jumped around the hacker space and workshops, from whiteboard to whiteboard, engaging in intimate conversations...

Web3 Summit: Day 2

/ Abbey Titcomb / 10.25.2018 /
I think Web3 Summit is the only summit that could have their credit card machines break, bathrooms stop working, and no free alcohol and still retain probably all of their attendees...

Must-Reads of the Week

/ Onward Labs / 10.25.2018 /
Here are the stories, blogs, podcasts and books that expand, contextualize or offer us new insights into this week's blockchain headlines...

Web3 Summit: Day One

/ Abbey Titcomb / 10.23.2018 /
Outside the center of Berlin, inside a 1950s GDR-broadcast centre called Funkhaus Berlin are hundreds of builders, thinkers, and creators sitting cross-legged on wooden floors, eating plastic...

The ICO is Dead

/ Chris Collins / 10.23.2018 /
Last week, Civil (a decentralized network promoting independent journalism) announced that it had failed to raise its minimum raise of $8 million during its ICO and that it would be issuing a...

Shower Thoughts #1: A Way Out For The Less Fortunate

/ Aram Barnett / 10.19.2018 /
Before we begin... This blog post is the first in a weekly series where I propose an idea using blockchain or tokenization. The point of this series is to start a discussion and inspire people to...

The Decentralization Spectrum

/ Chris Collins / 10.19.2018 /
Decentralization is a term that has been bandied out with reckless abandon, to the point where many are asking, “is [insert your favorite blockchain] decentralized?” as if the answer is binary...

The Value Capture Conundrum

/ Chris Collins / 10.08.2018 /
Decentralized networks coordinated by tokens representing a financial incentive represent a brand new way of creating value. This innovation has pulled many down the proverbial crypto/blockchain rabbit hole (myself included)...

Blockchain Has Bigger Fish To Fry

/ Abbey Titcomb / 10.10.2018 /
The most frustrating response to me excitedly describing a new decentralized app that just launched / we’re designing is: “Well, is anybody actually going to use it or care?” Coming from a product and venture capital background — I understand the root...