‘For Trustworthy Startups Only’: BlockShow Announces New Crypto Conference in Singapore

BlockShow, an international blockchain event powered by Cointelegraph, announced its new conference, BlockShow Asia 2019, which will be held at Marina Bay Sands Expo in Singapore on Nov. 14-15. The conference will focus on the most promising projects that have weathered the challenges of the recent crypto bear market.

As Cryptopolitan reported in February, initial coin offerings (ICOs) are losing investor interest as much as 95 percent than last year. According to Cointelegraph, while the ICO market is currently smaller than it was in 2018, it is still larger than it was at the beginning of 2017. BlockShow says that its conferences have taken steps to purge “bad actors” while serving as a safe haven for those looking to invest.

BlockShow emphasizes that the conferences are an opportunity to learn and share new developments. The list of BlockShow Asia 2019 speakers includes personalities from the financial, legislative and technological sectors — Justin Chow, head of business development, Asia for Cumberland, the crypto asset arm of DRW; Jehan Chu, co-founder and managing partner at Kenetic, and co-founder of Social Alpha Foundation (SAF); Antony Lewis, director of research at R3 and author of "The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains"; Kenrick Drijkoningen, founding partner at LuneX Ventures, former head of growth at Golden Gate Ventures; Nydia Zhang, investor, co-founder and chairman of SAF; Sinhae Lee, investor, founding partner at GBIC and Block72 International Blockchain Consulting; and more — giving attendees the opportunity to engage with industries and governmental bodies that operate on the other end of the technology.

Building resilience

As Cointelegraph reported in January, about $1.7 billion in crypto had been obtained via scams in 2018. BlockShow adds that teams organizing the conferences see the need to provide a place for investors and startups to meet. While finances can be traced on the blockchain, it is not so easy to verify a team’s experience or competence without speaking to them directly.

BlockShow notes the transformation taking place in the sector. Deadcoins lists over 900 projects that have failed — many of them clearly never had any intentions beyond their ICO, and those that remained will have more to prove. While criminals’ attack vectors are constantly evolving, the market has also evolved to accommodate more scrutiny before making an investment.

To counteract misappropriated funds being used by attendees — investors, startups and enthusiasts alike — in 2018, Blockshow partnered with Crystal to provide a credit score that indicates if any wallet funds had, at one time, been involved in a hack or other crime.

Broader picture

BlockShow has always featured a competitive element, giving startups the chance to test their mettle. In 2017 and 2018, its conference included BlockShow Oscar, a competition where selected young blockchain companies showcased their creations. As Cointelegraph reported, retail electricity marketplace Electrify Asia, сryptocurrency network Bancor and decentralized app startup Status have raised over $100 million each after they won their awards.

At Blockshow Asia 2018, EXP20 was also launched, which is a startup competition livestreamed during the conference. Sixteen startups had 10 minutes each to pitch their blockchain-based businesses to investors — which included the industry’s leading experts and a panel of venture capitalists. The best projects won funding, promotions or important connections, helping to bring their business to a global stage.

According to a Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) survey, 41 percent of institutional investors expect to enter the ICO sector in the next five years. This puts pressure on startups to ensure their product is robust enough to hold its weight in the wider technology sector. “With teams often distributed, and companies scattered across the globe, conferences such as BlockShow give the opportunity for these investors to assess the potential of their investment,” the BlockShow team says.