INTERNATIONAL – New York does not give up the technology of digital registers that makes Bitcoin and other tokens functioning even after the collapse of the cryptocurrency market last year.
The New York City economic development company has announced that its Blockchain Center in Manhattan will open a part of a partnership with the venture capital companies Future Perfect Ventures and the Global Blockchain Business Council, a & # 39; commercial organization. The city could also start testing the use of blockchain technology in the fall.
The center is opening up at a difficult time for the industry. After digital coin prices have plummeted at least 90 percent last year, many technology start-ups have been forced to dismiss staff or even shut down due to the depletion of funding.
Some companies have also blocked testing and implementation of the technology, making it easier for the parties to share data reliably. The technology is already in use at companies like Walmart.
"We are playing the long game," said Ana Arino, head of the EDC strategy, in a telephone interview. "It's a nascent technology, so it's unavoidable uncertainty about this evolution from year to year, even if we do not know what the future holds, we want to make sure we have a place at the table to shape it".
The 4,000-square-foot center, located at 54 W. 21st St. in the Flatiron District in the center of the city's Silicon Alley, will offer everything from programming lessons to lunch conferences for software developers to the general public.
The tenants of the 12-storey building include the data aggregator Quovo Inc., the startup investor Palm Drive Capital LLC and the beauty services company Glamsquad.
While the city is providing a one-time $ 100,000 initial investment, operators will seek to raise funds through membership fees and through corporate partners, which already include Microsoft Corp. and International Business Machines, according to Jalak Jobanputra, a managing partner of Future Perfect Ventures.
"This is a neutral point, there is no platform or company that has an excessive influence on programming," Jobanputra said in a telephone interview. "What we want entrepreneurs to have is a choice". Plans to establish the center were announced in May.
Last year, New York's blockchain start-ups received over $ 500 million in venture capital funding, up 500% from 2017, according to EDC. Many of the world's largest blockchain employers – including IBM, R3 and Coinbase – are rapidly growing in the city.
Last year, New Yorkers had seen over 2,200 blockchain locations, up 80 percent from the previous year, the agency said.
The center is not the first community space linked to the blockchain in the city. Bitcoin Center NYC, which is self-financed, has been around since 2013, is open every day and hosts monthly events, according to founder Nick Spanos.
Bloomberg
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