Future in Focus: Sapiens Project

Disclaimer: The Lisk Foundation in no way endorses projects that are interviewed for the series.

This week, the Future in Focus series is getting an inside look into how blockchain technology can revolutionize current certification systems. We're featuring Italy-based Sapiens Project, a blockchain-based notary system. With Sapiens Project, people will own and have full control over their certificates and records in a format that enables easy sharing. We had the chance to speak with co-founder Matteo Ferrari to learn a bit more about the project.

Jennifer: Please tell me a little more about the history of Sapiens Project and your relationship to blockchain technology. Why did the founders decide that the world needs Sapiens Project?

Matteo: I'm Matteo, a software engineer passionate about new technologies. I became aware of Bitcoin and blockchain technology in early 2011, but like many others, I was initially skeptical. However, at the end of 2011, I had a revelation about the potential of blockchain technology. Since then, I have appreciated, studied, and spread the word about the technology. I'm mainly a C++ developer, so I've deeply studied the Bitcoin codebase. Today, I use all my free time to study Bitcoin, the blockchain revolution and work on my projects on Lisk.

Sapiens Project is an ambitious idea that dates back to May 2016, when I decided to channel my passion for Bitcoin and blockchain into creating something to solve practical issues that are present today. People deserve to own and have full control over their certificates and records in a format that enables easily sharing. For this use-case, the blockchain can act as a secure and trustless notary system. Sapiens Platform will support schools, universities and companies, to share their resources and services with a decentralized, cost-effective and secure solution. Users can build a career with collecting badges and certificates. These are the core values behind Sapiens Project.

J: What issues does the academic and certification system market currently face?

M: The current certification system relies on paper and a centralized database, making it an insecure and not instantly verifiable system. It's like an auto-certification process where the counterpart needs to trust what they receive - or alternatively, make many phone calls or use a mail-in order to verify the authenticity of the certifications. Consequently, these are issues that everyone with a curriculum vitae will face. This all had me thinking about creating a solution using a blockchain-based protocol - at that moment, Sapiens Project was born.

J: What problems will Sapiens Project solve?

M: Digitized academic credentials enable accessibility, shareability, verifiability and traceability of achievements and professional certifications. Anyone with access to the Internet can build his own academic credentials and/or verify others' careers. Sapiens Platform will provide the tools to issue and verify academic records, professional certifications, achievements, licenses and more. All of these aspects are embedded in a secure shell provided by blockchain technology. Sapiens Platform will also provide a service to create an online marketplace of courses and a Reputation Platform; imagine a LinkedIn-like service where all the certifications are issued and verifiable through Sapiens Platform.

J: Who do you have plans to collaborate and work with to achieve these goals of creating a better world?

M: Sapiens Project will be a community-driven project with rewards for every contribution with Sapiens Tokens (XSP). This will help attract new developers and involve them in the project. Contributions will bring value to the project, and, consequently, value to tokens. It's a self-powered machine. The underlying Sapiens Token (XSP) will fuel the Sapiens platform. Collaborations with universities will be also important. Collaborations could help bring to life real world use cases, attract new developers and educate students about this new revolutionary technology.

J: Where do you envision Sapiens Project will be in five years?

M: I hope that five years from now, Sapiens Project will be a successful project driven by the community, serving as the main entry point for professionals and employers to eliminate the barriers that currently exist in the certification world.

J: How do you anticipate blockchain technology will change the world? What is its potential?

M: Distributed and trustless systems are powerful tools that will allow for a change in the current power equilibrium in every realm. In existence of centralized systems for thousands of years have led to monopolies of high power concentration. We are here to change this - and that is why, for me, this is a real revolution; a revolution driven by an infallible and unstoppable technology.

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