Together with the IBM Client Innovation Center in Groningen, VentureLab North is hosting a Blockchain-themed session of its VentureClass series later this month.
The class, which is free, will take place on the 27th of September. Aman Sharma, the featured speaker, is a graduate of the University of Groningen who is currently managing one of IBM’s most ambitious blockchain projects to date: creating a blockchain for a consortium of nine banks in 11 European countries.
The project has been spearheaded and primarily developed in Groningen. During the VentureClass, Sharma will share what he has learned through developing the project and its relevance to clients and the wider tech industry. VentureClass attendees will also have the opportunity to network with other participants following Sharma’s presentation.
Blockchain hub
Groningen is eager to profile itself as a blockchain hub and has hosted the largest physical hackathon in the world for several years running. Blockchain is a booming industry across the globe and is central to the development of cryptocurrencies. As the name implies, the technology relies on a chains of blocks to increase transparency of online transactions by making them more clearly traceable.
Blockchain presents a promising future alternative to traditional banking and currencies (although crpytocurrent mining is an energy intensive process) as well as many other potential applications such as security, education, healthcare and voting.
VentureLab and IBM
VentureLab North, a business accelerator based in Groningen, has organised a number of other VenturecClasses throughout the year: previous 2018 sessions have focused on clean tech aviation, 360 degree cameras, biotech, and woman-led entrepreneurship.
The IBM Client Innovation Center for the Benelux region has been located at the Gedempte Zuiderdiep in Groningen since 2013. The Groningen location employs hundreds of staff, including developers and programmers.
IBM’s Client Innovation Centers provide consultancy for industry and share technical expertise, support and develop solutions for IBM’s global clients. The Groningen CIC also features a Design Studio and DevOps Garage. IBM set up its second Dutch innovation center in Amsterdam and has CICs in nine countries across Europe and six locations in North America.
