Token Summit NYC May 25th

AVC regulars William Mougayar and Nick Tomaino are putting on an exciting event in NYC on May 25th called Token Summit.

I blogged about it a while back but I thought an update was in order because:

1) I am going to do the wrap-up session with William at 5pm. That should be fun.

2) The agenda has been published and it looks great.

3) AVC wine geek Arnold Waldstein and William are doing a talk on natural wines at an event for attendees the night before.

This is the closest thing to an AVC meetup that I know of since the 10th anniversary party back in 2013.

It should be a fun couple of days in NYC.

#blockchain

Comments (Archived):

  1. JimHirshfield

    Awesome! Will there be hobbits and orks? I’m a huge JRR Token fan.

    1. Joe Cardillo

      Goldarnit Jim, I just spit coffee all over my desk. You are truly a master of puns.

    2. Twain Twain

      Just Released Real-time.

  2. LIAD

    first tech event to pique my interest in a long-time. may even get on a plane.

    1. WA

      I resemble that – flight booked.

    2. William Mougayar

      Do it. ;)Ping me for a special discount.

      1. pointsnfigures

        Fun, will miss it unfortunately.

    3. falicon

      If you do come to the NYC area, and want a free coffee, ping me ( info at falicon.com )! I would love to geek out around tech. a bit in person with you. 😉

      1. Donna Brewington White

        One time I would be happy just to sit in and listen.

        1. falicon

          You are always a welcome addition any time you are in the NYC area too!

    4. Matt A. Myers

      Perhaps I’ll jump aboard too.

  3. WA

    Been looking forward to this since the announcement.

  4. Simon Edhouse

    All very Ra Ra Ra.. but there are serious legal implications of token ICOs, and I don’t really see much balance in the sessions. There’s a reference to many token projects “flying under the radar”, but I don’t see anyone from the SEC or approproately experienced Lawyers on a panel or presenting. ~ I hate to say it, but this seems wrong.At the very least, someone like Preston Bryne (General Counsel for Monax) who is a well known token and ICO skeptic in the crypto currency space, should be on a panel presenting his views. See this link for an sample of his views: https://prestonbyrne.com/20

    1. ZekeV

      There’s a way to do token presales right — like Tezos has. Only offer tokens for protocols that are fully specified, offer plenty of info and disclosure, restrict founder liquidity with smart contract vesting (and still, caveat emptor).Most people are not doing it right.

      1. Simon Edhouse

        Tokens and ICO’s are antithetic to Bitcoin in that they generally embody the opposite of scarcity. Tezos is the first one that I have heard of that is totally “uncapped”.. and that to me is a real worry.

        1. ZekeV

          I tend to agree, but it’s hard to argue with results. I’m willing to admit that there may be other legit approaches, even if I personally avoid ICOs or any tokens that have been promoted in such an un-punk manner. My personal policy on this has objectively not been the most profitable approach so far, as it has caused me to steer clear of ETH and Zcash (and would also cause me to miss Tezos if I am firm in my conviction).Capped or uncapped may not matter much, though, compared with rate of inflation. Ultimately, even a strictly capped coin can be easily cloned thus defeating the cap. Tezos I think attempts to reduce the incentive for cloning with this feature, as well as its meta-governance features. I don’t fully (or really, even 10%) understand Tezos — will try to read more in the coming weeks.

          1. jason wright

            what’s the 10% you think you may have a grasp of?We probably won’t see Tezos Classic.

          2. ZekeV

            OK, you caught me in an act of BS — I don’t understand it well enough to describe any of Tezos’ features reliably. I do think it is worth reading their documentation, as well as any fundamental research that they mention. It will be important one way or another. In particular, the idea of protocol amendment protocols (ie, self-amending protocol, aka, meta governance) seems important.

          3. jason wright

            that would be about 9% more than i grasp.i would say that any new protocol ICO is well worth the time it takes to read up on.

          4. JLM

            .Nice volley at the net. The guy smacks you in the nose with the ball and you smile. Well played.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      2. jason wright

        Tim Draper seems to have taken a shine to it.

  5. JimHirshfield

    I just reviewed the site…looks great William. Well done bringing a large group of speakers together.

  6. awaldstein

    Nicely done William and Nick!

  7. Greg Kieser

    Excited for this. Will be there!

  8. Thierry Ascarez

    Would be nice to have it live streamed!

  9. Saul Hudson

    The event looks a winner. This will be a serious, balanced look at a hot (hyped?) space. I imagine understanding of the complex issues will leapfrog thanks to Token Summit.

  10. William Mougayar

    Thanks Fred. I’m very excited about bringing this to life. And the NYU Stern School of Business is a perfect location for it.

    1. JLM

      .Big doings, congratulations!JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. kenberger

        It will be an important AVC reunion.Almost as meaningful as having JLM finally back here at AVC.

        1. JLM

          .Kind, thank you. Check’s in the mail.My pleasure, actually. Missed y’all. Well, some.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          1. JLM

            .Texas BBQ warming pit at Salt Lick outside ATX. Smoked and then held warm to serve.I would recognize that anywhere.On Earth as it is in Texas!JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          2. Twain Twain

            Lol, Jeff! And there was I thinking I’d add it to my Home Covet List like this Aga:https://uploads.disquscdn.c

          3. Kent Karlsen

            A small world. I visited Salt Lick, Austin in April 2013 🙂 Great BBQ and a lot of food for the money. Picture is from my phone. https://uploads.disquscdn.c

          4. JLM

            .The allure of Texas BBQ is a magnetic force of gargantuan proportions. When I travel, I have to recalibrate my blood with a dose of BBQ and TexMex as soon as I return.Nobody leaves the Salt Lick hungry. It’s owned by a guy named Scott Roberts who used to be the head of the planning commission in ATX when I was building high rises.Pretty sure I made it a solvent op in those days, but I had a vested interest.Small world.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          5. Twain Twain

            I’ve been meaning to visit Austin for … AGES.My cousin went to uni there (@JLM:disqus — she’s Texan, born and bred) but I keep being stuck either in NY or SF.

          6. JamesHRH

            great post TT.

          7. JLM

            .You see what you have to look forward to?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          8. kenberger

            and we miss your prolific contributions.

          9. JLM

            .You’re treading on dangerous ground. Do not encourage the inmates. Bit of scolding recently.I intend to be on my “meh” behavior, if I can.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          10. JamesHRH

            Ok, missed some of the people or missed all of it some of the time or…..;-)

          11. JLM

            .Jimmie, way over thinking it. I’m elegantly shallow with an inability to hold a grudge. Plus, I like life as a contact sport.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          1. JLM

            .Haha, why you going ugly on an ape? Didn’t they let you sit at the grownups table in the echo chamber?Be nice. As you sow, so shall you reap.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          2. creative group

            JLM:we are the few and proud to clearly view the Alternative facts you created for the peanut gallery as opinions and commentary and not factual for the majority the rants and essays you have posted here. With the exception of us contesting those opinions and essays promoted as factual it was painful reading the intentional propaganda.We don’t desire to be at the table of the Progressives or Conservative wheel house. We desire to upend it.There are points of agreement and disagreements with both sides.More disagreements. Both sides are ruining America.You even had your surrogate, understudy, replacement, substitute or deputy attempting to fill the void with the 700 Club imitation.He actually mouthed we are liberal (Fighting words) when we disagreed with the many Alternative Facts and lies he promoted.We are Pro-Life without pushing our beliefs upon individual rights of a woman. That isn’t our body to command or administrate.If the Conservative ilk are so Pro-Life why do they support, legislate and uphold the death penalty. Craziness at its best.And your Viking and Caveman imitation is duly noted.#UNEQUIVOCALLYUNAPOLOGETICALLYINDEPENDENT

          3. JLM

            .Get. A. Life.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          4. greggdourgarian

            You’d like the crypto world then, especially Ethereum which a lot of the ICO’d companies at the conference are based on. The solutions being brought forth cut through ideological lines cleaner than Scott Roberts cleaver on a brisket flat.Are you coming to the Summit? Been reading your stuff for seems like a decade now…would be fun to meet in person.

          5. jason wright

            An unborn child has done nothing wrong and is the absolute definition of innocence in human affairs.

          6. creative group

            jason wright:agreed!Still not our right to infringe on a womens body. Period!

          7. kenberger

            …and more boring too.if i wanted pleasant, I’d hang out somewhere other than a blog 😉

    2. Twain Twain

      It’s always fun when tech and finance do a “rinse and repeat.”In 2000, a bunch of us were invested in experimental platforms like EO (Equity Offering) which set out to democratize and provide equity offerings directly to the general public — rather than having it all be in the hands of institutional investors.So I get the whole ICO (Initial Coin Offering) proposition.Now, it’s digital documents and digital assets rather than a transaction bible of paper the size of a small room (read the books on the sell-off of Enron’s energy trading unit).What happened to EO and others like it?Fire sales of $1 are not what investors risk manage for but they do happen …This is not to say ICOs won’t work in this “rinse and repeat” cycle. It’s only to say that my very young self at the time saw any number of very interesting icebergs and potholes that supposedly seasoned and smart investors willingly threw themselves at.

      1. William Mougayar

        Early days still, I think. We don’t know how this movie will end yet.

    3. PhilipSugar

      It looks great. I think I might have to be in the Big Easy during this one, but I will see. The last AVC one I had a last minute trip to MN and had to miss. Nobody took me up on my free ticket to Howard’s conference.

    4. JamesHRH

      Its neat how you are no longer in a media industry, you are just doing media: PR, books, blogs, events……its neat to watch you just decide to produce and direct all of these things.Good luck!

      1. William Mougayar

        thanks. it’s being entrepreneurial and hustling.

    5. Lawrence Brass

      Congratulations for the achievements and the goodness.Looking forward to watch the talks on video, I am sure that the talk on natural wine will be awesome.Saludos.

    6. Jim Ritchie

      Clozer.ai is looking forward to attending from SF, should be fun!

  11. Tom Labus

    We are going to Madison, WI for a graduation but want to say have a great conference and I hope it’s like an Aaron Judge upper deck shot at the Stadium!!!

  12. DJL

    Blockchain is a great name for a wine. That sounds like a blast. Hope everyone has a great time.

  13. rowgraus

    Looks like a very interesting conference. I’m surprised to see that Ethereum doesn’t have a bigger role. Curious whether that was an intentional choice and more generally what drove decisions on the speakers and panels

    1. William Mougayar

      What makes you say that? Many of the companies and sessions are based on products that are developed using Ethereum. The Ethereum Foundation doesn’t need to be represented for Ethereum to be omnipresent. For e.g., the (Ethereum) ERC20 is part of the fabric of the majority of ICOs.

      1. rowgraus

        Yes — didn’t mean to imply I disagreed with the speaker choices. I’m too new to the space to even have a valid opinion. More just was curious on Ethereum Foundation not being represented directly as you mention, especially given how dependent many of the new ICOs are on Ethereum’s success. If the question isn’t adding value to those in the know then no worries 🙂

        1. greggdourgarian

          The foundation developers are spread across the globe and pretty busy people…but there will be a lot of us there who although not employees of the foundation are active in the open-source space and consider ourselves advocates of the community.

        2. William Mougayar

          It’s not a technical conference. EF works mostly on technical issues.

  14. Charlie Graham

    Any chance it will be streamed for those of us on the west coast?

    1. William Mougayar

      Hi Charlie, not live streamed, but video-taped for publishing later on YouTube; after post-production.

      1. Charlie Graham

        Awesome. Thanks! Please post a comment or have Fred tell us when it is available!

  15. Rob Underwood

    Curious folks take on Tezos which Tim Draper is involved with and which is having its ICO later this month on May 22. I find it intriguing as its largely written in OCaml – curious folks like @wmoug:disqus’s overall take on it and where it might fit in the ecosystem.

      1. Rob Underwood

        I am going through the technical white paper now and it’s interesting, in part because in theory it seems like any of the three layers they use might be used on their own, especially the network protocol which “discovers blocks and broadcasts transactions”. See https://www.tezos.com/stati….Draper’s backing seemed noteworthy too, http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05

        1. jason wright

          it’s all very interesting. Fred’s Polychain investment has a pre sale stake for an ICO discount. Now TD is in there buying shares in the software development company, and ICO tokens. already feels a bit frothy, or perhaps foggy.

          1. Rob Underwood

            +.01 BTC for the reference to yesterday’s post.

          2. jason wright

            That’s 60 Tez!I’ll buy a pizza.

    1. William Mougayar

      I don’t have a particular take on it yet.Many of these projects are early, so like a startup, you don’t see traction right away.

      1. greggdourgarian

        The issue w ocaml lies not with its merits as a language – how can anything be harder then Solidity which lacks an iterative on arrays? – but with the fact that its code will sit out on a public blockchain where it will be in full view of motivated hackers.The advantage Ethereum and to extent some others have is that they’ve had that exposure for better or worse for quite some time now and in certain cases like TheDao much to their chagrin.tl;dr; many well-funded ventures – thanks to ICOs – are already getting first move advantage on Ethereum…it will be hard for Tezos or anyone else to catch up even with an arguably better development language.btw William…are wives welcome to the pre-summit event the night before?….Fred mentioned something about a wine tasting…would go over well here on the home front

  16. Sebastian Wain

    Will there be a special AVC toast? Shameless plug: as part of the Y Combinator Startup School we are developing an API to interact with multiple blockchains, tokens, smart contracts, and also doing analytics over them.If someone here is interested to use this service, please let me know so we can improve the service with more feedback.

  17. Bob_in_Portland

    Pardon me, this is a test.

  18. Tae Hong Min

    Hi Fred, Are there any discount for poor knees in debt recent college graduates?

  19. ShanaC

    Where is the natural wine talk?Also this is near my birthday, hehe

  20. Donna Brewington White

    Oh man! A meet up and I am missing it.

  21. bennypage

    What’s the best (safest) place to exchange BTC for ETH?