With nearly a decade spent considering value and value distribution — many of the people I’m connected to in the sharing and collaborative economy have found a nexus in blockchain. I’ve also met many others from all different industries on the new economy wave — so a list seemed in order.
First things first.
According to Cambridge Dictionary the new economy is “activities based on knowledge and information, rather than traditional industries such as manufacturing.”
I’d like to take it a step further in the context of this post…
The new economy is the convergence of the hyper growth centric economy and the sharing economy movement leading to horizontal value distribution and the trajectory of greater social equity, aided by technology.
The people on this list are community centric, focus on new types of organizations, value sharing, shared ownership, regenerative currencies, environmental incentives, and better human relationships through reframing our economic systems and promoting interdependence.
I would like to give special attention and exposure to this group because these people are driving a new narrative and spreading a new consciousness around how we do business.
These new economy leaders are as are radical as they are activated — and I’d like their stories to be broadcasted as wide as possible.
To that end, I bring you the top 32 blockchain leaders (in no particular order), revolutionizing how we do business now and in the future.
1. Primavera De Filippi, DAOstack
Primavera De Filippi, the co-author of Blockchain and the Law, an advisor for DAOStack, a faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman-Klein Center, and a permanent researcher at Paris’ National Center of Scientific Research.
Latest work: Blockchain and the Code of Law
2. Andrew Hyde, Origin
Andrew Hyde was the founder of four startups, including Startup Weekend, and has built global communities across dozens of countries. He was employee number 1 at TechStars. Celiac. Coffee shop owner. Tall. Travel. Wordy.
Latest work: This Book is About Travel: A Modern Manual — 15 Countries With 15 Things
3. Anu Bhardwaj, Women Investing, Sheqwallet
Founder of Women INVESTING in Women DIGITAL, the world’s largest digital media platform focused on Women & Investing with a special focus on Blockchain. Launched in December 2014, Women Investing in Women Digital includes over 1,000,000+ FB followers and is linked to QRYPTO QUEENS; The State of Women Radio & TV Network, and the WIIW Global Summit & Women in Private Equity Roundtable Series, which took place in New York City, Stockholm, Johannesburg, San Diego, Scottsdale, Muscat, Singapore, Phoenix, Vienna, Los Angeles & Ankara.
4. Liron Arzi, Utopi.io
Liron Arzi has over 20 years experience in film, television, music, multimedia, business development, corporate sponsorship and consulting. He’s worked with Warner Brothers in Asia and with MGM to finance and distribute major films. Currently, he’s the founder of Utopi a blockchain technology company that changes the face of philanthropy through indie livestreaming.
Latest work: GUEST: Liron Artzi, CEO at Utopi.io
LinkedIn Twitter:N/A
5. Kjerstin Erickson, Abundance Labs
KJ is the CEO & Co-Founder of Public Market — a fair and transparent online marketplace built on the Ethereum blockchain. A graduate of Stanford University and Oxford Business School, KJ is trained in economics and game theory and is passionate about building consumer-facing web products and marketplaces backed by alternative currencies.
Latest work: Liberating eCommerce: Public Market & the New Commercial Commons
6. Ben Bartlett, City of Berkeley
Candidate for CA Assembly District 15. Berkeley City Council Member. Environmental lawyer uniting industry and government to address climate change, create housing for the homeless, alleviate poverty with green jobs and expand opportunity for everyone.
Latest work: Why do cities what their own cryptocurrencies?
7. Chelsea Rustrum, Blockchain for Good, Blox 7
Chelsea wrote a book on sharing titled It’s a Shareable Life. This led her to question value — what is it and how might we distribute it better? And could we exchange completely without money? As a community builder, speaker, and author, she took her ideas on the road — fusing equity crowdfunding, cooperative business models, and blockchain together to make sense of how to integrate sharing into the fabric of the economy itself. Today, she runs an organization that supports social good within the blockchain community, including a Blockchain Code of Ethics and co-founded a new economy storytelling agency for marketing and advising of token raises, Blox 7.
Latest work: Why I’m advising ShareRing — A Portable Token for the Future of the Sharing Economy
8. David Passiak, Blox 7
David Passiak is a keynote speaker, innovator, futurist, and author of three books — Empower, Disruption Revolution, and Red Bull to Buddha. A former religion scholar who did Ph.D. studies at Princeton on “Great Awakenings,” his work focuses on building movements, co-creation, crowd-based innovation, and emerging business models that will reshape the global economy. Today he runs Blox 7, a new economy storytelling agency for ICOs and continues to do thought leadership co-creation and the new economy.
Latest work: Empower: How to Co-Create the Future
9. Alex Voto, Consensys
Alessandro Voto is a West Coast Regional Director for Consensys, a Brooklyn-based blockchain technology venture studio, and a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Future, a Bay Area non-profit futures think tank. He also deeply cares about the future ethics and framing of blockchain technology and does educational talks and workshops to teach people how to think about blockchain in a cooperative business sense.
Latest work: https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/931323377008046080
10. Faris Oweis, Digital Town
Faris is a storyteller, strategist, and a natural connector of ideas, concepts, and people who has taken a diverse path geographically and professionally. After working in the corporate-cubicle world for many years, and watching a life-changing TED Talk, Faris found himself in an unfamiliar place and this was one of the biggest gifts he could ever receive. He’s been a leader in the smart cities movement for years and currently joined Digital Town to put smart cities on the blockchain. He’s also one of the most articulate speakers when it comes to explaining the intersection between the business case for social change and the fundamental necessity of moving toward a more cooperative society.
Latest work: New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Partners With DigitalTown for Smart Tourism
11. Vicki Rox, Love Coin
Explorer of what it means to be a man today. Asker of questions to strangers. Curator of a global men’s dinner salon series. Adventurer into the unknown. Writer of thoughts. Speaker of insights. Appreciator of creative genius within all humans.
Latest work: Vicki Rox on Vimeo
12. Kendrick Nguyen, Republic
Hustling 24/7 at Republic with a committed team to make startup investing — both crypto and equity — more accessible to main street. the founding adviser of CoinList, an ICO platform, and of NOW, a venture capital platform led by Shiza Shahid, who co-founded the Malala Fund with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai. My prior business experience focused on fundraising, ops, product strategy and investment — most recently at AngelList.
Latest work: Equity Crowdfunding Brings Greater Equity To Funding
13. Daisy Ozim, Blockchain for Social Justice
Dee is centered in developing systems and practices rooted in sustainability and equity. Ive had the honor of working on health programs and policy from the international to local level, have developed a successful social enterprise, working to promote equity in the Blockchain ecosystem and supporting the correct application of venture capital.
Latest work: Force Behind Resilient Wellness!
14. Anastasia Miron, Consultant
Anastasia is Moldovan-born, Italy-raised, United States-seasoned social entrepreneur, innovation evangelist and consultant. Known for my contagious energy and can-do attitude, I’m passionate about challenging the status quo by empowering underprivileged people and communities. As Co-Founder of GlobeIn and TEKEDU, I worked to improve technological access and literacy to increase opportunity in today’s increasingly digital marketplaces. As Founder of Child Proof Yourself, my current interest lies in leveraging VR and AR to address human centered problems like parenting and provide new approaches to prevent stress and anxiety in children, through immersive experiences that create awareness and triggers empathy.
Latest work: TEKWILL VISIONARY CLUB
LinkedIn | Twitter:
15. Neal Gorenflo, Shareable
Neal Gorenflo is the co-founder and Executive Director of Shareable, an award-winning nonprofit news outlet and global action network that reports on the latest innovations resource sharing, solidarity economy, sharing cities, and the blockchain. He’s a speaker, author, and consultant on Shareable’s coverage areas. He’s the editor of multiple books including Shareable’s latest, “Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons.” As a recognized sharing movement pioneer, he advises leaders around the world on how to meet their goals through sharing. This has included work with Seoul Metropolitan Government, the city of San Francisco, and the Sharing Economy Association of Japan. Not surprisingly, Neal is an avid sharer whose year of sharing life experiment was covered by FastCompany, Sunset, and 7x7 magazines. As a social entrepreneur, Neal’s timely call to action is simple and systemic: let’s share!
Latest work: Activating Urban Commons
16. Scott Morris, Qoin, Ithacash
Scott Morris is the Founder and CEO of Ithacash. Also, a Thinks in Solutions & Systems; Community Currency Expert; Impact Entrepreneur;
Latest work: How “Complementary Currencies” Support Vibrant Local Economies
17. Raman Frey, Dispatch Labs
Raman is founder of Good People Dinners, a San Francisco based community that fosters trust and friendship through food, drink and conversation. Over one hundred-fifty gatherings, dinners, overnights and retreats, have occurred at private homes and other venues in the Bay Area and Nevada, with professional chefs and speakers on a wide range of topics.
Latest work: Hyper-Capitalism or a World Without Need
18. David Sneider, Deconet
David is the CEO of Deco.network and its goal is to engage with digital knowledge economy faster, cheaper and easier by enabling creators to capture more of the value they create.
Latest work: Decentralized marketplaces and how your business can capitalize on the Future of Work 2.0
19. Taynaah Reis, Moeda
Miss Reis is a self-taught Software Engineering who began her programming activities at just 12 years old. Miss Reis is the Founder and CEO of Moeda, that is using blockchain technology to revolutionize microfinance. Moeda is a marketplace that allows peer-to-peer payments, microfinancing of digital loans and crowdfunding through fiat-pegged digital tokens, all based on blockchain technology.
Latest work: Moeda to Announce Selected Seed Projects and Ambassador Program
20. Amanda Ravenhill, Buckmister Fuller Institute
Ravenhill is an active member of the international community focused on addressing imminent global challenges. She previously held the role of Executive Director of Project Drawdown, a comprehensive plan to reverse global warming. She also serves as advisor to the Center for Carbon Removal and is a member of the steering committee for the Nexus Global Climate Change Working Group. She also sits on the board of Regen.network, a dedicated ecological ledger and smart contracting framework that opens up new natural capital asset classes to reward ecological regeneration and carbon drawdown into agriculture systems, forests, and oceans.
Latest work: Amanda Ravenhill (C10) Interview
21. Caterina Rindi, Consultant
Caterina’s expertise include bitcoin and blockchains education, program and project implementation, community engagement, operations, management and administration, developing partnerships and networking, social media, problem-solving, technology integration, training and mentoring. Strong commitment to underserved communities, and sustainability.
Latest work: LAB Radio Episode 7
22. Tony Lai, Legal.io
Tony Lai is a lawyer, entrepreneur and evangelist for governance and systems that support access, openness, innovation, engagement and sharing. Tony is the Co-Founder and CEO of Legal.io, a legal technology company providing referral management and legal empowerment systems and solutions for trusted legal organizations, including law firms, bar associations and legal aid networks.
Latest work: Flat-Fee Legal Services: an introduction
23. Art Brock, Holochain
Arthur targets currencies which shape the social dynamics of emerging post-industrial economy. To that end, he created more than a hundred designs for multi-currency systems, and my software company has built and deployed dozens of those systems. My current focus is launching Holochain, an alternative to blockchain for running fully P2P distributed applications.
Latest work: Curiosity Talk: Currency Expert Arthur Brock Founder of Holochain & Ceptr
24. Dennis Kucinich, Congressman
This year marks Dennis 40th year of involvement in civic life. He have served as a member of the Cleveland City Council, as Clerk of the Cleveland Municipal Courts and as Mayor of the City of Cleveland. I have been an Ohio State Senator and am now in my 6th term as a Member of the United States Congress. Having served at local, state and federal levels, in legislative, executive and ‘quasi’ judicial branches I have one of the broadest backgrounds of anyone in government today.
Latest work: Kucinich 2020
25. Miko Matsumura, Evercoin
Miko Matsumura founded crypto exchange Evercoin, and is a General Partner with Gumi Cryptos Capital. He is also a venture partner with BitBull Capital and an advisor to Arrington XRP Capital. He is an investor in the Pantera Capital ICO Fund (a $100M ICO-only fund). He is personally invested in FileCoin, Brave, CIVIC, Propy, Mainframe and Lyft. As chief Evangelist for the Java Language and Platform he participated in the first wave of the Internet, and is now fully engaged in the crypto-fueled Internet of value.
Latest work: Cryptocurrency and blockchain investor gives suggestions to global governments regulating new technologies.
26. Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof, Bitnation Pangea
Susanne is an international entrepreneur working primarily in frontier environments, my ambition is to leverage radical technologies and resilient peer-to-peer networks — to create a borderless and voluntary post nation state governance alternative.
Latest work: The Beginning of Bitnation
- Steven Nerayoff, Alchemist
Steven Nerayoff, Esq. LL.M. is a prolific serial entrepreneur, attorney and inventor of 20 international patents, having founded seven companies in Silicon Valley and New York City. Steven is a blockchain pioneer with his involvement in top projects including: Ethereum, Lisk, Bancor, tZERO, ZenCash, ZCash, Ripio, Aion and Storm. Steven is also the Chairman of the publicly listed company Global Blockchain Technologies (OTCMKTS:BLKCF) (TSXV:BLOC).
Latest work: Cryptocurrency value could triple in 2018
28. Brittany Kaiser, DATA
Brittany is an international law, diplomacy and data-driven campaigning professional with significant global experience. My work involves developing successful strategies for politicians, governments, and corporations to achieve their goals using cutting edge technology. Currently focused on legislative reform for digital assets such as personal data and tokens on the blockchain.
Latest work: Former Cambridge Analytica employee says “there were more” apps that collected user data
29. Jamie Klinger, Joatu
Jamie Klinger is the Cryptocurrency consultant, an Alt-economist. He is also a basic income activist, the founder of JoatU, poker coach and a photographer.
Latest work: The other side of Basic Income: Basic Jobs
30. Shermin Voshmgir, Blockchain Hub
Shermin is the director of the Research Institute for Crypto Economics at the Vienna University of Economics, and the founder of Blockchain Hub — an international network of autonomous Hubs that promote the idea of blockchain, crypto economics and the decentralized web. She is also advisor of Jolocom, a blockchain based self sovereign identity protocol. In the past, she was a curator of theDAO and on the advisory board of the Estonian e-residency program and was.
Latest work: Token Economy: The Future of Money
31. David Grossblatt, Founders Dojo
David Grossblatt is the founding member of Founder’s Dojo. David contribute to great teams accomplishing great objectives. The Founders Dojo is a collaborative startup studio and community headquartered in San Francisco and global in reach. Over 500 startups, SMBs and Founders have worked in and with the Founders Dojo since 2007. He’s also highly involved with pushing groundbreaking policy through the capital of the State of California to create a foundation for the legality of blockchain technology now and in the future.
Latest work: Blockchain Coalition Takes on Sacramento
32. Tim Bos, ShareRing
Tim has over 19 years’ experience working with start-ups and established enterprises with a focus on technology. Tim Bos also established his first start-up, bioWatch Australia in July 2004, with the purpose of building a software framework for tracking valuable assets around the globe. He sold the company to Procon MRM in the USA in 2008. He also co-founded the digital asset sharing economy company Keaz which has a fleet of cars in operation in hundreds of locations. Most recently, Tim co-founded ShareRing, a blockchain based company that’s focused on changing the landscape of the fragmented sharing economy.
Latest work: Sharering.Network Interview CEO Tim Bos — The Sharing Economy Review
If you know someone who should be on this list, please comment on this post!