THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
At a time when blockchain technology is gaining wide currency across the globe, a US-based expert says that Kerala has immense potential to emerge as a powerhouse of blockchain developers for the industry.
Speaking at the ongoing blockchain summit ‘BlockHash Live 2018’ here, Jennifer Greyson, Founder and CEO, Neureal, noted that blockchain technology is growing faster and it’s vital for India to harness it.
“I have created an initiative called Blockchain Sisterhood, which consists of over 50 female CEOs and founders of blockchain companies. They are looking for blockchain developers from all over the world. Considering my existing relationships in India, especially with KBA, they ask for referrals from me and I find it easy for me to recommend talents from here,” said Greyson.
The three-day summit, organized by Kerala Blockchain Academy (KBA) at Hotel Uday Samudra, Kovalam, will conclude on December 8. The event offers a rare opportunity for the global businesses in blockchain to look into expansion of their operations in Kerala in particular and India in general.
Greyson, who has over 40 books to her credit, said the Blockchain Sisterhood has around 10 per cent representation from the US while other members are from different countries like Canada and Australia.
“There is a shortage of blockchain developers so some of the group members are in Kerala now working closely with the KBA,” she said. The US expert revealed that she would like to start a woman initiative in this field in Kerala in future.
Greyson pointed out that the US is really missing out opportunities in blockchain as they are not ready for transparency albeit they need security. Noting that blockchain technology is growing faster and there are a lot of opportunities, she said that it’s vital for India to harness this.
“We are at the forefront of a technology that has the ability to shape the world. It has the ability to create a scenario in India to be a leader in the field. If we think of the end user we can make use of it, which is capable of giving trust, decentralisation, accountability and transparency to the end user,” she elaborated.
Top blockchain experts and thought leaders from around the world are attending the summit. The meet looks into the possibilities for the companies using blockchain to step up their presence in Kerala.
Bob Tapscott of Blockchain Research Institute, Canada, who is visiting the country for the first time, will speak at a session on Saturday. An initiative of the Government of Kerala, KBA comes under the diverse portfolio of the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management –Kerala (IIITM-K).
KBA offers a massive in-person training programme aiming to create a vast pool of 25,000 blockchain professionals within next three years in Kerala under the Accelerated Blockchain Competency Development (ABCD) programme of K-DISC. Since its inception in 2017, globally-recognised vibrant ecosystem of KBA has been offering certification programmes, R&D activities and consultancy.
