LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8, 2019 — BlockTank LA, a “Shark Tank” style pitch contest that will take place on October 15, 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center as part of CIS, the leading investment focused blockchain conference, has announced six of the judges and four companies that will participate in the contest.
The contest is part of a private and public partnership between the Los Angeles venture capital firm, Goren Holm Ventures (GHV), the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, as well as the Information Technology Agency of the City of Los Angeles.
The winning team will receive a $25,000 pilot project with the City of L.A. to use blockchain to promote new technology in a number of areas, and also a minimum $25,000 investment offer from GHV. The event seeks to concretize Los Angeles as one of the first cities to leverage blockchain as an innovative solution for public benefit.
GHV Founding Partner, Alon Goren, commented on the seniority and experience of the judges, and stated how the partnership with the LA Mayor’s Office was a gateway to bringing an all star cast of judges to the event.
“We love that this partnership between GHV and the Mayor’s Office has opened so many doors. Now, four early-stage companies are shaking hands with upper-level management from companies that might be interested in acquiring them one day. This is the power of the venture capital scene in LA.”
Who are the judges?
Joining Ted Ross, Chief Information Officer of the City of Los Angeles and emcee of the session, are judges that have been hand-selected from some of the world’s most prominent companies and notable organizations, which include:
- Miguel Sangalang, Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation, City of Los Angeles
- Esther Kim, head of IBM Blockchain North America and Strategic Alliances, IBM
- Tim Draper, Legendary Venture Capitalist, Draper Associates
- Bryce Buffaloe, Hybrid and Edge Computing, Google
- Mike Zozaya, Senior Account Executive of State and Local Government, Microsoft
- Steve Falconer, Manager of Architects and Solutions Engineering, Oracle
Who are the companies?
- Unum ID: Unum ID is a blockchain-identity company based out of San Francisco.
- StreetcredID: StreetcredID is a self-sovereign, blockchain identity management platform based out of New York City.
- The Aclyd Group, Inc.: The Aclyd Group is a payment processor, ID Verification tool, and consumer credit rating system based in Tucson, Arizona.
- Votem: A voting platform that is focused on worldwide, secure voting that is based out of Cleveland, Ohio.
The Venue
CIS is the largest blockchain conference on the West Coast and largest investment focused blockchain conference in the world. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center and is the centerpiece of Los Angeles Blockchain Week, which is attended by blockchain entrepreneurs, investors and enthusiasts from across the globe.
About GHV:
Goren Holm Ventures (GHV) was founded in 2018 as a limited partnership between founders Alon Goren and Josef Holm. The firm has evolved into a venture studio that accelerates and incubated blockchain startups, while simultaneously producing the premier blockchain and cryptocurrency events in the Los Angeles area, Security Token Summit and Crypto Invest Summit (CIS). Sponsors for GHV events have included American Airlines, tZero, and eToro, and prior keynote speakers include Steve Wozniak of Apple, Anthony Pompliano of Off the Chain Podcast, and Shruthi Rao of Amazon Web Services. More information can be found right here: https://gorenholm.com
