As you have likely read in the news over the past few months and weeks, support for blockchain technology is quickly gaining momentum, perhaps faster than anyone expected. With the price of Bitcoin soaring past $15k, as well as a rush of consumers setting up their cryptocurrency wallets, a future built on top of decentralized systems is becoming more and more of an inevitability.
One of the highest signals, for both the space and community broadly, is that industry experts and major celebrities are throwing their support and reputation at blockchain. Here are 6 influential entrepreneurs who are driving the blockchain revolution:
- Kevin Harrington
Kevin Harrington, one of the original Sharks from Shark Tank and pioneer of the ‘As Seen on TV’ industry, is an expert at scaling ideas. Aside from serving as an active board member of ShipChain, an emerging blockchain startup, Harrington has been a massive advocate for the technology, speaking at events and hosting conferences to accelerate momentum.
It is clear that he will be a driving force in this space for years to come, as he has the support of his network and expertise to lean on.
- Mark Cuban
Though clear to say he is hesitant to bet on the short term volatility, Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur and big time investor, recently participated in the ICO for Unikrn, a gaming startup that utilizes the blockchain to sell virtual tokens. They recently just raised over $25 million through their token offering.
Cuban is a believer in the long term capability of blockchains, as he is actively diving deep into new types of digital currencies and tokens.
- Richard Branson
Sir Richard Branson is a serial entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and the founder of the internationally known Virgin Group. He has been an early adopter and big time advocate for blockchain technology for the past few years. He has hosted blockchain specific “summits” on Necker Island, gather the best and brightest in the industry to collaborate on large scale projects.
He recently announced his investment in a startup named Blockchain, a Bitcoin wallet designed to shift power into consumers hands (versus the big banks).
- Brian D. Evans
Brian D. Evans, on top of being an Inc. 500 Entrepreneur and ranked as the 4th most influential business journalist in the world, is helping nascent blockchain technologies scale, leveraging his more than 15 years in online advertising and marketing experience. In the past, he has successfully helped applications rise to the top of the app store and acquire millions of users.
Now, he is the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of ShipChain, where he and team are reinventing the modern logistics ecosystem.
- Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher, the critically acclaimed actor and venture capitalist who has funded companies including Spotify, Uber, and Airbnnb, has been driving the blockchain movement forward. Most recently, he announced his major investment in BitPay, a payment processor that enables merchants to be able to accept bitcoin payments at scale.
He has been tweeting about blockchain and bitcoin for months, excited about the long term implications of the backend technology and the effects it can have on our society.
- Nasir Jones (Nas)
While Nasir Jones is best known for his musical abilities, he is also a partner and co-founder at Queensbridge Venture Partners, a firm that has invested in popular companies like Lyft. Jones has been a long time supporter of Bitcoin and blockchain, and was one of the first investors in Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency exchange.
Jones has been quoted saying, “I was really inspired by the boundaries people were pushing. [Bitcoin] seemed like something people bet against because the government doesn’t welcome with open arms what they don’t control. But it is such a big idea that it could never be controlled.”
