Innovation through collaboration - Chicago Blockchain Project
The first of a kind, community driven Decentralized Autonomous Organization and a place to go to for education, project development support and just meeting awesome people!
Introduction:
I don't know when and how exactly it all started since I came in to the space a bit late, but the vision Joseph Hernandez a.k.a. Disruption Joe had, must have been more than just an idea. It is a dream! The one that always seems the furthest in today's ever competitive entrepreneur world - to build and grow things by working together in a leaderless movement! And we as the ones who followed it, get to live that dream already.
The founder: Joseph Hernandez - Disruption Joe
Joe went to De Paul University in Chicago, IL as a part of 2008 class with Management Information Systems as his major. He currently runs the Chicago Blockchain Meetup with more than 1300 active members and he is also content creator for Blockchain.wtf . He started his crypto journey in the early days of 2017 and from that point on until today, he had been 100% concentrated, and since August even 100% employed only with Bitcoin, blockchain and cryptocurrencies in general.
The Project:
Chicago Blockchain Project was founded in Q4 of 2017 as an alternative to the way people tend to do business today. The ideology behind it was that instead of each and every one of us doing our own thing behind closed doors, we could join forces and create much greater impact in much shorter period of time. But the concept grew far beyond that. Joe saw a huge gap between the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies and reliability of information and knowledge of the ones getting exposed to it. So CBP is now not only meant to connect professionals with others alike, but also the new people, like I was back in the summer, with basic fundamentals of the technology so that no matter the background, there is most certainly a way for you to make some contribution to the network, and the network will reward the effort. That's right, this is not just another project, but the first DAO that rewards people inside not just the organization, but also much wider network by using smart contract technology to ensure fairness.
The mission:
"United we stand, divided we fall" - a quote frequently used, but not followed by many. Well, Chicago Blockchain Project aims to live and strive towards this exact goal. And by doing so, lay down the foundation to hopefully make a structure as high and strong to cement Chicago as the blockchain capital of the world! Building a Bitcoin Silicon Valley is a very nice mission indeed, but that needs to be done brick by brick with many helpful hands. So we first need to let people know about us, educate them, connect and integrate in the network and with all the work done, keep fingers crossed for good luck. But weather CBP succeeds or not, it will solve the biggest of issues in current business environment - mutual trust while working in a collaborative spirit with everyone and no one in charge while creating a strong social impact on local community! This type and level of organizing people are unprecedented and therefore demand actions never done before with the help of many volunteers, cryptocurrency and business professionals as well as investors. Current progress and future plans: Chicago Blockchain project has a very ambitious goal but its members look to achieve it by making small, but still significant steps. One of those was the organization of the first Chicago Winter Gala event back in the beginning of December as the first of many opportunity for networking, update to the current progress of network projects and hearing about some new ones and their future plans.
Some of the speakers featured in the event were Taylor Gerring of Blockchain WTF, Alexandra Prodromos of Bloq and Chicago Blockchain Center, Joe Renz of IOTA Foundation and many more lightning talk speakers presenting their local projects. This year, there should be at least 4 of the similar venues as well as some that will have a more local and social character that should be done alongside with Urban Array as another member of Chicago Hodl Network. The first weekly meetings held in December were used for creating a roadmap, establishing the best approach for educating and on-boarding new members and use cases for smart contract deployment, and with huge confidence as one of attendees, I can say that good things are along the way.
Make sure to stay tuned to the website and social media outlets in order to take part in future actions and events.
Ways to fund/contribute to the project:
Now, if you have liked the idea behind Chicago Blockchain Project represents you're probably wondering how can you help. There are many ways of doing so, and it is certainly a good time since the project is in its very early days. If you are based in Chicago, the best way to introduce yourself is through the Telegram channel.
If you are an investor, you should know that CBP is a non-profit, leaderless organization, so all funds will be distributed among the network participants based on the priorities and roadmap. Feel free to use the contact form to reach out to Joe if you feel you share the same goals.
If you have a project for which you might need some help in development, marketing, strategy, design or just a feedback and set of beta testers, than visiting the meetups is the right way to go. They are also listed on the official CBP website, and available on the Telegram. For any more personal type of conversations, CBP also has a Slack channel.
But what if you're a college dropout, student, bus driver, a plumber, a stock exchange broker, a single stay at home mom or dad? Well, as long as you share the vision, and have willingness to participate, feel free to join, to help, meet and greet, or whatever else you feel like doing. The network which includes CBP is similar to Bitcoin - it's all about contribution and innovation without permission!
My conclusion:
The mission for which the Chicago Blockchain Project was made for is by far the most noble and biggest cause I have been involved in at the same time. I joined because i tend to believe in the people rather than ideas. And Joe is one of a kind type of guy. I can't be too objective since I have been working with him for some time, but what else can you say about someone who went from barely any crypto knowledge just a year ago, to create a meetup group which is becoming one of the largest in the US after just 8 months of existence, while non stop working on educating newbies, connecting developers and projects and building a network. The level of his devotion of making greater social impact with ever growing community, and the ways he looks to do it, give me confidence that success will surely come. He has started the movement, and even if it looks small now, he just needs someone to follow. And I for one, will!
https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement
Quote from Joe's personal page:
Find what you love. Know your values. Create your dream. Speak with intent. Help your neighbors. Learn everyday. Change your habits. Believe in a better tomorrow. Act today.
Useful links:
Chicago Blockchain project Meetup