Andrew Tudhope Linum Labs
Sponsors & Mentors
Sponsors
Status is an open source messaging platform and mobile interface to interact with decentralized applications that run on the Ethereum Network.
AIFMRM focusses on Risk Management and Quantitative Finance. AIFMRM is part of the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Cape Town where it conducts research and delivers postgraduate education and training. The Institute was launched in January 2014 and is funded by corporate partners in the banking and insurance sectors.
The Institute aims to
Build capacity and deepen skills and capabilities in the financial industry;
Diversify the body of financial practitioners and open the fields of risk management and quantitative finance to people from a range of backgrounds;
Drive research, shape discussion and promote enquiry;
Advance scholarship and develop the next generation of African academics dedicated to rigorous, industry-specific research;
Develop and deliver postgraduate programmes that are relevant, intensive and effective;
The ConsenSys “hub” coordinates, incubates, accelerates and spawns “spoke” ventures through development, resource sharing, acquisitions, investments and the formation of joint ventures. These spokes benefit from foundational components built by ConsenSys that enable new services and business models to be built on the blockchain. In addition to the development of internal projects and consulting work, ConsenSys is interested in the identification, development and acquisition of talent and projects on an ongoing basis.
Old Mutual is the largest and most trusted financial services provider in Southern Africa. Our prominent position in the industry is reflected in our strong operating performance across all our businesses, our good balance sheet position, strong financial flexibility with demonstrated access to international capital markets and diversity of business.
The purpose of the SAFBC is to assimilate and demonstrate the transformative potential of blockchain technology for the South African financial industry. The consortium aims to educate and to bring the benefits of blockchain technology to the industry for the benefit of the entire country.
The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) believes in the potential of African entrepreneurs, and their ability to contribute to the digital economy, set to reach $100 trillion by 2025 (World Economic Forum). It is also passionate about the power of collaboration – and seeks to harness knowledge and skills in order to create a dynamic environment that stimulates the creation of tech and tech-enabled businesses.
RMB FOUNDeRY is a division of RMB, launched to create a space for innovation & disruption in the Fintech space. Our mandate is to research and develop innovative tech solutions that could change the way wholesale banking works in the future with an obsessive focus on client needs and experience. Through our equation of Possibility Thinking we become pathfinders of digital disruption.
UCT is one of the leading higher education institutions on the African continent and has a tradition of academic excellence that is respected worldwide.
Situated on spectacular Devil’s Peak, it is Africa’s oldest and foremost university. Three worldwide rankings have placed UCT among the world’s top 200 institutions, the only African university to have achieved this distinction. UCT is research-led; the premier academic meeting point between South Africa, the continent and the world, and committed to addressing the key issues of our natural world.
Taking advantage of expanding global networks and UCT’s distinct vantage point in Africa, the university is committed, through innovative research and scholarship, to grapple with the key issues of our natural and social worlds. UCT aims to produce graduates whose qualifications are internationally recognised and locally applicable, underpinned by values of engaged citizenship and social justice. UCT will promote diversity and transformation within our institution and beyond, including growing the next generation of academics.
Through its global network of connected sites in seven of the world’s top FinTech ecosystems, Rise delivers numerous programmes that facilitate rapid engagement between Barclays and the Rise community in order to solve some of the biggest challenges facing financial services. These programmes foster long-term mutually beneficial relationships, designed to scale early prototypes and new business models into live products and services. By collaborating with Barclays, our members receive advice and mentorship from some of the world’s leading experts in financial services, as well as having access to a new global customer.
With a global network of talent, world-class innovation programmes and workspaces, Rise is a curated community where the best and brightest can develop, collaborate, and scale together.
ZANG is caffeinated chocolate – a delicious weapon to fend off drowsiness and FIGHT SLEEP!
Every bar contains the same amount of caffeine as a strong cup of coffee or a 250ml can of energy drink, making ZANG the tastiest way to keep your eyes open and fight the darkness.
Every bar contains the same amount of caffeine as a strong cup of coffee or a 250ml can of energy drink, making ZANG the tastiest way to keep your eyes open and fight the darkness.
Mentors & Judges
Andy got interested in cryptocurrencies while completing his Masters degree in English Literature through St Cross College at the University of Oxford. He approaches decentralized networks with a deep focus both on how language can be used to program incentives into the application layer by utilising the underlying cryptographic properties of the available protocols, as well as how this kind of programming can affect the social and political dimensions of our lives.
Andy got interested in cryptocurrencies while completing his Masters degree at the University of Oxford. He approaches decentralized networks with a deep focus both on utilizing the underlying cryptographic properties of protocols, as well as how this kind of programming can affect the social and political dimensions of our lives.
Paul is a blockchain entrepreneur from Switzerland with a background in venture capital and strategy. He’s the founder of Linum Labs a blockchain advisory, focusing on building decentralized applications and digital assets and hosts the Cape Town and Johannesburg Ethereum meetups. Prior to dedicating his career to scaling blockchain applications he worked at a capital market advisory in South East Asia, a PE fund in Johannesburg and graduated from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland
Paul Kohlhaas Linum Labs
The founder of Linum Labs and a blockchain entrepreneur from Switzerland with a background in venture capital and strategy. Prior to dedicating his career to scaling blockchain applications he worked at a capital market advisory in South East Asia, a PE fund in Johannesburg and graduated from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland.
Simon is a full-stack engineer that builds decentralized applications for use in the music industry & online communities. He has been in the blockchain space since 2011, and has been doing Ethereum-based development at ConsenSys for more than 2,5 years. During this time he helped co-found Ujo and develop the first smart-contract driven rights management prototype with Imogen Heap. He is also a co-designer of COALA IP (a standard to represent IP on blockchains), and was a key co-designer of the ERC20 token standard used to secure more than a $1B worth of cryptographic assets on the Ethereum blockchain. Before joining ConsenSys he completed an MA in Socio-Informatics (researching sustainable online community design) which has formed the basis of new work related to curation markets & the attention web.
Simon de la rouviere Ujo/ConsenSys
Simon is a full-stack engineer that builds decentralized applications for use in the music industry & online communities. In the blockchain space since 2011, he has been doing Ethereum-based development at ConsenSys for 2.5 years and co-founded Ujo. He was also a key co-designer of the ERC20 token standard.
After spending a dozen years working on distributed backends in Java, Julien saw the light and moved to frontend development. Hypnotized by decentralized technologies, he is delighted to have been a part of Status team for the past 6 months and believes the mobile future of Ethereum is a bright one.
Julien Eluard Status
After spending a dozen years working on distributed backends in Java, Julien saw the light and moved to frontend development. Hypnotized by decentralized technologies, he is delighted to have been a part of Status team for the past 6 months and believes the mobile future of Ethereum is a bright one.
Jacques is a Computer Engineer based in Pretoria, South Africa. He has built systems on various languages and platforms, prefers Linux and Python if possible and is currently working on Vyper, a python-like smart contract language targeting the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine).
Jacques Wagener Status
Jacques is a Computer Engineer based in Pretoria, South Africa. He has built systems on various languages and platforms, prefers Linux and Python if possible and is currently working on Vyper, a python-like smart contract language targeting the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine).
Software development has been one of my many passions since I was 12 years old. Professionally, I've been programming for close to ten years in various industries including education, finance and health research. Understanding how to work with customers to really understand the problems and taking small steps towards solving these problems in a sustainable way, is even harder than writing code. I currently work for RMB Foundery, the digital disruptors of RMB whilst at the same time mentoring students at The Coding Ground.
Theo Bohnen – RMB Foundery
Theo has been coding for close to ten years in various industries including education, finance and health research. He currently works for RMB Foundery, the digital disruptors of RMB whilst at the same time mentoring students at The Coding Ground.
Co-Pierre Georg is an Associate Professor at the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management at the University of Cape Town and the Director of the UCT Financial Innovation Lab. His research interests range from applications of blockchain in banking to systemic risk and financial interconnectedness with a particular focus on liquidity and payment systems. He obtained his PhD from the University of Jena in 2011 and has published both in finance and interdisciplinary journals. Co-Pierre’s research has received awards from the European Central Bank, the SAFE Center of Excellence at Goethe University, the Volkswagen Foundation, and the Institut Louis Bachelier. He has been a consultant at various central banks and held visiting positions at Oxford, Princeton, and the Columbia Business School. He is a Research Associate at the Oxford Martin School for the 21st Century and a Research Affiliate at the Columbia University Center for Global Legal Transformation.
Co Pierre Georg AIFMRM
Co-Pierre Georg is an Associate Professor at the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management at the University of Cape Town and the Director of the UCT Financial Innovation Lab. His research interests range from applications of blockchain in banking to systemic risk and financial interconnectedness with a particular focus on liquidity and payment systems.
Monica Singer is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
She was the first CEO of South Africa’s Central Securities Depository (CSD), Strate (Pty) Ltd. In August 2017, Monica resigned as the CEO of Strate and all related board positions so she could concentrate in bringing blockchain technology to all relevant industries. In October 2017, Monica was appointed as “Creator of Opportunities” at ConsenSys. Monica is a motivating speaker not only in Finance, innovation and disruptive technologies but in uplifting woman to realise their full potential.
She was the first CEO of South Africa’s Central Securities Depository (CSD), Strate (Pty) Ltd. In August 2017, Monica resigned as the CEO of Strate and all related board positions so she could concentrate in bringing blockchain technology to all relevant industries. In October 2017, Monica was appointed as “Creator of Opportunities” at ConsenSys. Monica is a motivating speaker not only in Finance, innovation and disruptive technologies but in uplifting woman to realise their full potential.
Monica Singer ConsenSys
Monica Singer is a Chartered Accountant (SA) and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. She was the first CEO of South Africa’s Central Securities Depository (CSD), Strate (Pty) Ltd. In October 2017, Monica was appointed as “Creator of Opportunities” to ConsenSys. Monica is a motivating speaker not only in Finance, innovation and disruptive technologies but in uplifting woman to realise their full potential.
After getting a PhD and finding himself bored by the academic research and lecturing life, Carl moved to the Karoo to do yoga. Having a lot of time on his hands, he taught himself digital things. This lead to various freelance digital strategy and marketing roles, a stint in the craft beer industry and time as a manager in a digital agency. Now happily preoccupied with building clicks and mortar communities for a national retail FSP and immersing himself in crypto and blockchain, Carl is always available to walk up a mountain (as long as the dog can come), drink an IPA and write about himself in the third person.
Carl Thomen Old Mutual Finance
After getting a PhD and spending some time lecturing and in research, Carl began self-learning digital in a way that lead to various freelance digital strategy and marketing roles, a stint in the craft beer industry and time as a manager in a digital agency. He now builds clicks and mortar communities for a national retail FSP and immerses himself in crypto and blockchain.
Eric is an Engineer working in software architecture and development. He is interested in many fields of Computer Science and especially likes Lisp, functional programming, artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies and big distributed systems.
Eric Dvorsak Status
Eric is an Engineer working in software architecture and development. He is interested in many fields of Computer Science and especially likes Lisp, functional programming, artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies and big distributed systems.
Jason is a recent UCT computer science graduate and proponent of the blockchain revolution. After graduating from the first run of the ConsenSys Academy, he has recently started working for the enterprise wing of ConsenSys as a blockchain engineer. He was also responsible for building the withdraw DAPP for the Crypto20 project, which recently went into production on the main Ethereum network.
Jason Smythe ConsenSys
Jason is a UCT computer science graduate and proponent of the Blockchain revolution. After graduating from the ConsenSys Academy he started working for the enterprise wing of ConsenSys as a blockchain engineer. He was also responsible for building the withdraw DAPP for the Crypto20 project, which went into production on the main Ethereum network.
After completing his MSc Eng, Cum Laude at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Coenie joined FirstRand Bank's Treasury department as a software engineer where he helped found the blockchain team. After joining ConsenSys Enterprise, he was involved in a number of finance related projects. Coenie was part of the cross organisational team from JPMC and ConsenSys who worked on the Quorum stream of project Ubin where he fulfilled the role of technical lead.
Coenie Beyers – Consensys
After completing his MSc Eng, Cum Laude at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Coenie joined FirstRand Bank’s Treasury department as a software engineer where he helped found the blockchain team. He now works for ConsenSys Enterprise, he was involved in a number of finance related projects.
Competition details and rules
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