Stellar Token & Berkeley Blockchain

Event Highlights (W4-Apr-2018)

• Stellar Event Token: For this month's Stellar meetup [Fri 6pm, 27 Apri 2018 @ TheCellar, Kuala Lumpur] we intend to showcase the superpowers of blockchain technology. After you sign up at Eventbrite, we will send you a digital ticket in the form of a Stellar Event Token [an ERC20-like utility coin for use in ticketing.]. You will need to download a mobile wallet [the organizer will probably tell you which one to use] that will hold the Stellar Event Token. At the door, you will need to deposit this Stellar Event Token for entry. Once you deposit the digital ticket, you will receive Lumens [or XLM, Stellar's unit of currency, similar to Ether and Bitcoin], which will be used as payment for a variety of things during the event e.g. food, drink, auction for a date with Miss Crypto Malaysia...
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• Blockchain at Berkeley: Blockchain at Berkeley is the largest and most active university-based blockchain organization in the world. Premised on the idea that universities are hubs for cutting-edge research and visionary ideas, Blockchain at Berkeley serves as a neutral party that provides blockchain-based education, consulting, and research initiatives. Blockchain at Berkeley will be presenting Deep-Dive into Crypto-Economic Design [Wed 10am, 25 Apr 2018 @ Ruttonjee, Hong Kong].

Pick of Events (W4-Apr & W1-May, 2018)

Crypto Events FYI only
Link Stellar Tokens and Lumens @ KualaLumpur info as highlighted
Link CryptoUpdate: Wanchain Steemit @ KualaLumpur info
Link NEM Blockchain Centre Launch @ KualaLumpur info
Link Blockchain Embassy Asia @ KualaLumpur info
Link ICO for Virtual Land @ KualaLumpur info
Link Stuff Banks, Use Coins @ KualaLumpur info
Link WeMerge Blockchain Incubator @ KualaLumpur info
Link CryptoEconomic Design @ HongKong info as highlighted
Link CryptoWallet for Apps @ HongKong info
Link Blockchain as an Investment Platform @ HongKong info
Link Build Decentralised Applications @ Singapore info

Other Events
Link GIX = (WashingtonU x Tsinghua) + TusStar @ ShahAlam info
Link MY-TH Crossborder Ecommerce @ KualaLumpur
Link Meet Your Better Half @ KualaLumpur
Link Wonder Women Picha Lean FutureLab @ KualaLumpur
Link US Market Access for Tech Startups @ KualaLumpur tix
Link Make Money Work for You @ KualaLumpur tix
Link Digital Content Exhibition @ KualaLumpur info
Link Big Ass Fans @ KualaLumpur
Link Future Mobility: Electric Cars @ Bangkok
Link Millennial Millionaire @ Jakarta tix
Link The Universe as Code @ Jakarta

Startup Decelerator

The term startup decelerator is used by Spanish accelerator Menorca Millennials to brand itself and its programs which are one year in duration compared to the usual one to three months. Menorca Millennials is one of 45 accelerator partners of Global Pitch, a pitch competitionn (closing: 22 April 2018) hosted by DealMatrix. Sample accelerators and alumni:

Betatron Where founders come first (HK)

• OmyCar - Gamification of better driving: drive better to win
• Pakt - Storage when you have more clothes than closet [in packed HK]
• Pixofy - Interactive furniture shopping

Brinc Helping founders build and launch connected hardware businesses (HK)

• Kepetair - Fixed winged drone [flies like a plane vs like a helicopter]
• Poladrone - Aerial data collection
• Scorpiox - Drone as a service for emergency services, ecommerce etc

Chinaccelerator Helping startups cross borders (CN)

• CoolHobo - Shop online and offline at the same time using VR  
• GroupMall - Community-based WeChat shop
• 247Tickets - Buying event tickets in China is still difficult & expensive

Elevator Lab Run by an Austrian bank (AT)

• Kompany - Access company filings worldwide
• Asteria - Automatic cash flow forecasts top image
• Sonect - Replace ATMs with shops that accept and dispense cash [1]

JadeValue Fintech investor and incubator (CN)

• Factom - Document authentication by blockchain
• Orchard - Marketplace to buy and sell loans
• FSPwork - Real estate ecosystem

Menorca Millennials Startup decelerator (ES)

• Social Internet - Influencer relationship management 
• InsideDNA - 1000+ of bioinformatic tools for genomic analysis
• Mercaux - Digital in-store experience 

[1: Could be useful even with the introduction of ewallets and epayments if cash is still being used, but a reduction in usage means ATMs are underused or could not be justified in new locations.]

Redux: Big Data, Big Garbage

Our recent post with the above title received high interest but the eye-catching title merely refers to a topic of an event. Here are some possbilities big data could have big issues: [via 1]

• Volume - So much data, there is nowhere to store it.
• Velocity - Comes in so fast, it can't be captured readily.
• Variety - Arrives in all shapes and sizes not just numbers and text.
• Veracity - Is the data valid, accurate, complete or otherwise?
• Value - Is the data of value to  you, and society (eg. privacy, security)?

Picks: Canton Fair 2018

Comboez Electric Auto Vacuum Food Dome

Kingslite Solar Garden/Street Light

Meridian International Auto Grip Pliers

Sinoglass Vinegar Bottle Measurer

Zhejiang Woqu Ebike

Hanssem Effex Hybrid Vacuum Cleaner

Meituxian Touch Coffee Table

Ningno Kuer Kayak Cooler Box

Shanghai Mtree Digital Telescope

Shenzhen Chaowei Bluetooth Speakers

Zhejiang Skywalker Crop Protection UAV

Shenzhen KTC Digital Signage

Canton Fair 2018, April 15th - May 5th @ Guangzhou, China info

eWallets: Alipay TnG QRpay

Pick of Events (W4-Apr-2018)
Link eWallets: Finally Here @ KualaLumpur
Link Gorgeous Women Will @ KualaLumpur tix
Link Belgium Luxembourg Blockchain @ KualaLumpur
Link Google Machine Learning @ KualaLumpur
Link Belt and Road Connectivity @ KualaLumpur
Link Data Visualisation in Manufacturing @ KualaLumpur
Link No Uber? Mobility Startups @ Cyberjaya
Link CRM: ITcompstore TresGo MyParcel @ ShahAlam
Link Alipay x TouchnGo @ Penang tix
Link Computer Network Design @ Kuching
Link Blockchain Sharing Economy @ Singapore
Link Hololens: The Next Reality @ Singapore
Link Blockchain for Financial Inclusion @ Jakarta

Education Tips from Jay Shetty

Jay Shetty is a film producer and a member of  Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2017.

Startup Tips from Li Ka Shing

Li Ka Shing is a prominent Hong Kong entrepreneur whose business interests include Watsons, Australian Gas, UK Rail, Husky Energy, Hutchison Telecom, and ports in 26 countries. Having dropped out of school at 15 to work, here are some of Li Ka Shing's tips for those who are starting out: [via 1 2 3]

When You are Poor

• Spend less time at home and more time outside.
• Be good to others. Don’t be calculative. 
• Throw yourself out in the open and let people make good use of you. 

Starting Out

• When you don't have a lot, pay attention to learning.
• Share what you learned, in learning and sharing, you will make new friends.
• If your salary is stagnant, it means you have not grown as a person.
• The ability to smile when you are misunderstood is a sign of good upbringing.
• Always be industrious, the virtuous welcome onerous duties.
• Your fate is decided by what you do between 10pm and 12am.

Case Study

• On New Year’s Day, the [Li Ka Shing's] boss announced that the bonus that year would be based on sales. At the end of the year, my sales figure was seven times higher than the second best. If they paid my bonus based on my sales, my bonus would have been higher than the general manager’s. The other salesmen were already jealous. So I said to my boss: “Just pay me the same as the second best salesman; it would make everyone happy.” As a result, I became a manager when I was 17 going on 18.

Musings

• I was once an employee, so I know what employees want.
• I took jobs, no matter how lowly they were. But I did my best at work, and at increasing my knowledge.
• When my children were small, I took them to squatters' areas and made them take the tram and bus.
• I named my company Cheung Kong (Yangtze River). The Yangtze River doesn’t pick and choose its tributaries. 
• I think education is the most important thing to a nation. Without good education, whatever equipment or plans you have mean nothing.
• A liberal [ie free] society has to be founded not only on law and order but also on a prosperous economy.
• The fruit that you eat will never taste as beautiful as the fruit that I ate during the turmoil of war. You will never cherish it as much as I do.

Pick of Events (W3-Apr-2018)
Link A Night of Duets @ KualaLumpur tix
Link Meet the Guitar Masters @ KualaLumpur
Link Revenge of the Foreign Correspondents @ KualaLumpur
Link Expand Your Business to America @ Kuala Lumpur
Link McKinsey Scaling @ KualaLumnpur
Link Accounting in 2050 @ KualaLumpur tix
Link Culinary Hackathon @ KualaLumpur
Link Ecommerce Summit @ KualaLumpur
Link Cryptocurrency Roundtable @ KualaLumpur
Link Blockchain Future @ Singapore tix
Link Blockchain Investment @ Singapore tix
Link Oil Palm Hackathon @ Singapore
Link Wordpress Ecommerce for Women @ Singapore
Link Banking Evolution, Revolution & Big Bang @ Singapore
Link High Net Worth Networking @ Singapore
Link A Conversation with GoJek @ Jakarta
Link Blockchain Smartcity @ HongKong
Link Blockchain Ecommerce @ HongKong

Big Data or Big Garbage?

[This week's picks arrive early because the bot came back with more events, mainly lectures, for this week, in addition to the next. The post title refers to a topic in a Big Data event and the post video to an Industry 4.0 event (see below).]

The 2nd week of April 2018 sees a convergence of tech events in Hong Kong:

• Link HKTDC ICT Expo
• Link Global Sources Consumer Electronics 
• Link Global Sources Conference
• Link StartupLaunchPad Conference fixed
• Link Internet Economy Summit
• Link Startups Investor Forum
• Link Coworking: Accelerating Startups

Big Data & AI Day | 12-Apr-18 @ HongKong link

• Data Science as a Vehicle for Digital Transformation - SNU
• Data Intelligence and Analytics at Alibaba - Alibaba
• Big Data Science Changing the Face of Retail - JD
• New Era of Information Dissemination - Toutiao
• Big Data or Big Garbage? - UW-Madison post title

Pick of Events (W1-Apr-2018)
Link Brahms Holst Poulenc @ KualaLumpur
Link Classical Piano @ KualaLumpur
Link Membrane Technology for Clean Water @ KualaLumpur
Link Nanotechnology and Space @ KualaLumpur
Link Populism in Europe and Asia @ KualaLumpur
Link Shell Malaysia Chairman @ KualaLumpur
Link MIHAS @ KL  Starbucks | China | Belgium | Pharma | F&N
Link Bosch Industry 4.0 and IoT @ Kuching post video

Pick of Events (W2-Apr-2018)
Link Cloud Data Analysis @ KualaLumpur
Link Next Generation HR @ KualaLumpur
Link Social Influencers @ KualaLumpur
Link Ciné-Diner Haute Cuisine @ KualaLumpur
Link WIT Indie TravelTech @ Penang tix
Link Linux Free Operating System @ Penang
Link Muru-D Tickled Media @ Singapore

ConsenSys: The Power of Ethereum

ConsenSys helps organizations build, test, and deploy public and private blockchain solutions. ConsenSys is a founding member of Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, the world’s largest blockchain industry working group. ConsenSys projects include:

• Balance - Blockchain-based accounting [triple entry accounting]
• Boardroom - Smart contracts for the boardroom [proposal, vote, consensus]
• Gnosis - Prediction market [eg. what is a reasonable price for this painting?] 
• MetaMask - Access trusted blockchain-enabled ethereum websites vid
• OpenLaw - Digital agreements [turn legal contracts into smart contracts]
• Ujo - Automatic and prompt royalty payments for artistes [eg Imogen Heap]
• Variabl - Exchange for next generation financial products [eg ETH/USD hedge]
• Virtue - Solution to centralised poker platforms that can see your cards vid

Pick of Events (W1-Apr-2018)
Link Consensys Blockchain Ladies @ Singapore
Link Smart City Hackathon @ Singapore
Link Energy Startups @ Singapore
Link Blockchain Career @ HongKong
Link Ecommerce Acceleration @ Jakarta
Link GreenDrinks: The Founders Return @ KualaLumpur tix
Link Amcham: US Business in Asia @ KualaLumpur tix
Link BFM: Khazanah Economist @ KualaLumpur
Link Alphacap: Innovation Ecosystem @ KualaLumpur
Link Dribbble: Doodling Meetup @ KualaLumpur
Link Continental: Future Car UX/UI @ KualaLumpur
Link MTDC: Tech-Based Projects Pitch @ KualaLumpur
Link MPCxMDEC: Industry 4.0 @ KualaLumpur tix fixed
Link YSEALI: Women Breaking Barriers @ KualaLumpur
Link Startup Weekend: Logistics @ KualaLumpur [+ Uni] fixed
Link Blockchain: Content Producers @ KualaLumpur

[How are events picked? No particular criteria, there is no grand curation.]

Hackathon: In Blockchain We Trust

LongHash Hackathon

• Date: 20 to 22 April 2018
• Location: WeWork, Tokyo, Japan
• Admission: Free, includes food, lodging and travel  
• Prize: 20 ETH = approx USD 10K
• Apply: By 1st April 2018 here

Themes

• Expansion of atomic swaps 
• Implement KYC for a sponsor's blockchain
• Use machine learning to identify suspicious entities and trades
• Timestamp IoT block transactions

Speakers, Advisors and Judges include

• Yuzo Kano, CEO, BitFlyer
• Xiao Feng, Advisor, Chainbase Accelerator
• Fujimoto Mai, Miss Bitcoin

Bonus: [Consumer] Blockchain News

• Link Virtual currencies are commodities, US judge rules
• Link Breakeven mining price of BTC is USD 8K [BTC is now USD 8K]
• Link Crypto-exchanges are raking in billions
• Link Cost of mining one bitcoin: KR $26K | SEA $5K | HK $7K | CN $3K

Accelerator Startups: Spring 2018

2018 SXSW Accelerator Pitch Winners via

• Transportation: GoKid - Safe ride-hailing for kids
• Social: Icon - 3D print a house using concrete
• Enterprise: DroneSeed - Drone spray forests against pests
• AR/VR: ARwall - AR without googles, headsets & gadgets
• Communities: Grubtubs - From food leftovers to farm feed
• Entertainment: Vochlea - Control music with voice instead of a console
• Health: Nanowear - Sensor textiles best of show
• Best Bootstrap: Leaf - Bank for refugees done most with the least

German Accelerator® Graduation Pitch and Demo Day 2018 via

• ProGlove - Glove with built in QR/barcode scanner
• N26 - German mobile bank N26 makes it to America
• FMC - Ferroelectric hafnium oxide RAM: faster, lower energy, more stable
• Franka - Off-the-shelf robot arm vid
• Perdoo - Objectives and key results framework vid
• Timee - Calendar based, social networking
• Twentybn - Machine decipher human behaviour
• RiseML - Focus on machine learning without having to deal with infra

Supercharger Hong Kong 2018 Cohort via

• CyberProductivity - White label accounting system banks can give customers
• Enforcd - Database of global regulatory data, news and insights
• Exate - EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance system
• Gini - One mobile banking app for multiple banks: HSBC SCB Citi BoC etc
• InvestmentNavigator - Get investment advice from the Swiss
• KnowYourCustomer - Paperless KYC
• MindBridge - AI auditor to handle big data
• Vphrase - Turn charts and graphs into plain language

[Only selected startups listed above. Forthcoming accelerator intakes: MuruD, HKSTP, ChinaA, KStartup, Viisa, GAP, MAP, SAP.]

Pick of Events (W5-Mar-2018)
Link Genghis Khan @ KualaLumpur
Link Big Data Demo Day @ KualaLumpur
Link Pitching Tips from the Brits @ KualaLumpur
Link Genomics: The Collective Character of Genes @ KL
Link Startup Party @ KualaLumpur
Link Social Night @ KualaLumpur
Link DIY Video Storyboard @ Cyberjaya
Link Coin.my & Bitspace @ Cyberjaya
Link Write a Personal Journal @ Kuching
Link The Rise of Machines @ Johor top image
Link The Hashgraph Ecosystem @ Singapore
Link Ethereum Golem @ Singapore
Link Blockchain Challenge @ Singapore
Link Realtime Blockchain Stream Analysis @ Singapore fixed
Link Supercomputing in AI, Fintech, Data & Biotech @ SG
Link Inside the Minds of Brilliant Designers @ Singapore
Link Machine Learning Domain Expertise @ HongKong

Token And Cryptocurrency Ecosystem

Token2049: The Token And Cryptocurrency Ecosystem @ HK, 20-21 Mar 2018. $1K. info
Premier event for decision makers in the global crypto ecosystem to shape the industry. Topics include (speaker organization followed by abbreviated topic name):

• ICOBox - ICO success stories: a case study
• CryptoHWwallet - Trust no one
• Mindworks - Post ICO venture capital
• Swirlds - Hashgraph: a new distributed ledger vid
• Caspian - Institutionalising crypto assets
• Civic - Governance of the crypto goldrush vid
• BnkToFuture - The token economy in 2050
• Wanchain - China: the sleeping dragon
• Kowala - Stablecoins: the next phase of blockchain
• Golem - Banking the unbanked

Pick of Events (W4-Mar-2018)
Link Earth Hour Total Darkness Theatre + Free Cryptocoins @ KL tix
Link YouTube for Startups @ KualaLumpur
Link Sugarbook Sugar Dating @ KualaLumpur
Link Chevening Youth Forum @ KualaLumpur
Link Industry 4.0 Productivity Incentives @ KualaLumpur
Link Industry 4.0 Smart Factory @ KualaLunpur
Link How to Transform an Old City into a Smart City @ HongKong
Link Startup Weekend Fintech @ HongKong
Link Recipe for a Winning Brand @ HongKong
Link Women in Data Science @ Jakarta
Link Making Money with Open Source @ Singapore
Link Reimagining Food @ Singapore

What Accelerators and Incubators Want

March marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere: flowers bloom, greenery reappears, spring water trickles from snow melt, mammals awake from hibernation, birds return from migration, bees take off in search of nectar, and forward-looking ecosystems fire-up their engines:

Y Combinator apply
Many of the best ideas we’ve funded were ones that surprised us. There are, however, specific startups that we’re very interested in [Calendata's pick of 10 out of 25]:

• Agriculture - Alt-meat, cellular agriculture (agriculture at the cell level)
• Bio - Reading DNA, genetic programming
• Creators - How to pay content creators?
• Education - Human brain power is vastly under utilized, fix this to fix the rest
• Energy - Looking for 10x better batteries
• Healthcare - Preventative healthcare is the best healthcare
• Jobs - Can you create jobs (instead of replacing them with algos, bots etc)?
• Memory - Supplement memory with wearables, voice assistants etc
• PalmOil - Big market, low tech, ungreen: looking for disruptors (fya my id)
• Programming - Make programming more accessible (not only for nerds)

Y Combinator graduates include Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Docker and Coinbase.

Techstars apply

I’m currently on the hunt for amazing companies for the Techstars London program. [Eamonn Carey, MD, Techstars]

• Apps - Apps that are ubiquitous, device agnostic and don't require download
• Audio - More expressive and communicative than text, less hassle than video
• Blockchain - Coins for the masses (not only for insiders, geeks, speculators)
• ElderTech - Folks living longer, having fewer children (in some countries)
• Food - By 2050 need to feed 9 billion people (7.6 billion now)
• Happiness - Social media can be a downer, any happier alternatives?
• Marketing - Web and mobile ads are broken (annoying, ignored)
• Sharing - Share annotations and notes (surface what you jot)
• UI - Gestural interface (hand signs, head nods/shakes, body language)

Techstars graduates include ClassPass, DigitalOcean and Sphero.

In addition to novel solutions, accelerators will likely also be looking for exceptional founders, competent team, minimum viable product, cogent business model, traction, market size etc as well. [11-Mar-2018]

Multi-Faceted Crystal

China-based actress Crystal Liu (Liu Yifei) has been tapped for a forthcoming Disney blockbuster. In celebration of International Women's Day 2018 and multilingualism, here's a short clip of her going places.

AI: How to Tell a Cat from a Dog?

How to tell a cat from a dog?

Divide the photo into a 2 x 2 grid. If the top left and top right show pointy ears, it is a cat, if droopy ears, it is a dog (ignoring dogs like huskies have pointed ears). If the bottom left and right show a rounded chin, it is a cat, an angular chin, it is dog (ignoring pugs have rounded chins).

That was a simplified convolution neural network image recognition sampler. For more details, check out the talk listed below, or attend commercial training here (USD 900) or here (USD 800), or enrol in a free Udacity-Google deep learning course here (from which the above image was taken).

Pick of Events (W3-Mar-2018)
Link Convolutional Neural Networks @ Cyberjaya
Link Chat with Nando's Founder @ KualaLumpur
Link Ecommerce by Paypal eBay Aramex @ KualaLumpur
Link Beta Test New Computer Games @ KualaLumpur
Link YouTubers Meetup @ KualaLumpur
Link Wireless Technology @ KualaLumpur
Link HealthTech: The New Frontier @ Jakarta
Link Sónar: Advanced Music Festival @ HongKong

Blockchain Events
Link Blockchain The Next Revolution @ Iskandar
Link Blockchain The Future of Trust @ Jakarta
Link Blockchain Smart City Game Changer @ HongKong
Link Blockchain Cryptocurrency Innovation @ Singapore
Link Blockchain Repository of Medical Data @ Singapore
Link Atomic Swaps No Exchanges Needed @ Singapore info
Link OMG Plasma Crypto Network @ Bangkok
Link Etherscan Ethereum Smart Contracts @ KualaLumpur
Link Hardcore Blockchain ICOs @ KualaLumpur FYI only

Sovereign Cryptocurrencies

Mulled 

• Cambodia KHCoin -  Indigenous open source coin
• Canada CBDC - Replace revenue from cash with that from cryptocurrency
• Estonia EstCoin - eCurrency for Estonia's eResidents
• India Lakshmi - Fiat digital currency
• Russia CryptoRouble - Cryptocurrency for Russia, BRICS & Eurasia
• Switzerland eFranc - Looking for a competitive edge
• Turkey Turkcoin - Asset backed token

Planned

• China [Coin] - Digital currency is easier to track, more fraud resistant
• Indonesia [Coin] - Partner: eCurrency Mint, a Dublin-based fintech
• Kazakhstan [Coin] - Partner: Exante, a Malta blockchain company
• Singapore [Coin] - Augment fiat currency with tokenized currency
• Sweden e-krona - From cashless to tamper-proof cashless
• UK [Coin] - Keep your money in the central bank, retail banks not needed

Launching Soon

• Dubai emCash - Partner: Object Tech Group, a London-based fintech
• Japan JCoin - Ready for Tokyo 2020 Olympics
• Marshall Islands Sovereign - Partner: Neema, an Israeli fintech startup

Launched

• UK Royal Mint Gold - One RMG = one gram of gold top image
• Venezuela Petro - Fund raising by Venezuela to get round sanctions

Notes 

• Senegal and Tunisia were reported to have launched their national cryptocurrencies eCFA and eDinar circa 2015, but not much news since then. 
• The implementation partners were/are Dublin-based eCurrency Mint and Swiss-based Monetas respectively. Monetas seems to be having issues. 
• The word 'Sovereign' in the title is loosely used to indicate national level cryptocurrencies, whether central bank or enterprise led.
• Where the cryptocurrency is yet unnamed, it is shown as [Coin]. 
• This post is highly speculative, click through to the source articles for more information. 
• Post date: 5-Mar-2018.