Blockchain for Europe and IOTA Foundation feature VIA’s Web3 solutions in recent report

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Blockchain for Europe, a members-only organization that serves “companies driving innovation, integrity, and empowerment through blockchain,” partnered with IOTA Foundation, a non-profit that develops next generation protocols, to write a comprehensive report on the ways blockchain is supporting global sustainability efforts.

The report titled, “An Overview of Blockchain for Climate Action and Sustainability,” includes VIA’s Web3 solutions in a section that covers global climate change initiatives. The authors discuss Skylight and a more recent initiative for EVs:

VIA’s Web3 platform will then also allow verification of the fuel mix of the charge and discharge of EV batteries, incorporating VIA’s zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) to maintain the privacy of sensitive data that currently creates friction for the data owner in the decision to share this information.

For the full report and details written about VIA’s Skylight and ZKPs application for EVs, visit the Blockchain for Europe website. If you would like to speak directly with a member of our team about the ways we can help your organization using Web3, contact us!

VIA announces 10th patent granted in January 2023

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VIA, the leader in Web3 for secure verification, integration, and analysis of private data, is pleased to share that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted VIA its 10th patent. The patent portfolio covers a range of Web3 capabilities including cryptography, and secure, decentralized AI analysis orchestration.

GreenBiz highlights VIA CEO’s insights about electric vehicles

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As we enter 2023, many of us in the energy space are eager to learn about the year’s outlook. If you are one of those people, you are in luck, because VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden was selected to share some valuable insights in a recent article by GreenBiz. This feature is a part of an extensive 2023 predictions piece in the transportation and mobility sector. The author of the article Vartan Badalian, GreenBiz Group Transportation Analyst, offers his thoughts on the race to net zero. Vartan highlights challenges, opportunities, and trends shared by world transportation leaders, such as Delta Air Lines, Lyft, Enel X Way, and many others. 

While more than 20 experts provide their views, Colin’s comments are the only ones related to Web3 and also bidirectional charging:

We expect a dramatic rise in vehicle-to-building and vehicle-to-grid charging. With extreme weather, aging infrastructure and record supply chain shortages, the new generation of bidirectional electric vehicles will be a highly attractive source of energy flexibility for grid operators. Web3 technologies like zero-knowledge proofs will help verify that the electrons returning to the grid are from renewable sources while maintaining the privacy and anonymity of EV owners.

To read the full article on the GreenBiz website, click here. Curious to learn more or continue the conversation? Feel free to reach out to Colin directly on LinkedIn or email our team at info@solvewithvia.com. 

DataDrivenInvestor highlights Tech on Reg podcast interview with VIA CEO Colin Gounden

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Dara Tarkowski, host of the Tech on Reg podcast, published an article on DataDrivenInvestor, a media platform at the intersection of technology, finance, and society. The article covers key points from the recent podcast interview she did with VIA’s CEO, Colin Gounden. Dara commented that the conversation with Colin around technology and clean energy was both relevant and timely: 

“In light of the global energy crisis and the perennial, devastating effects of climate change, it’s about time we talked about how technology can disrupt our reliance on fossil fuels.”

In the article, Dara breaks down the different insights Colin gave on data privacy, federal intelligence, energy data, and equity. One quote from Colin highlighted in the article that stands out is when he describes the reasons why local and national government agencies are investing in energy independence:

“I don’t know that it was the case a few years ago when we started, but it’s becoming the case now, for two major reasons. One is that since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, cyber attacks on the power grid infrastructure have gone up tenfold. That’s a big concern for local and national governments, because these attacks go much deeper than simply disabling popular websites. Modern life requires a lot of electricity, so protecting our grid is fundamental in our societal hierarchy of needs. If you lose the internet, it’s inconvenient and you kind of go back to life in 1976. If you lose power, you go back to life in 1876.” 

To discover the second major reason Colin touches on, head over to the DataDrivenInvestor website and read the full article. 

Swiss podcast Insider’s Guide to Energy interviews VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden to talk blockchain and energy

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Insider’s Guide to Energy, a Swiss-based podcast that explores topics such as innovation, disruptive technologies, and emerging trends in the energy space, invited VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden on the show to discuss anything and everything that is at the intersection of energy and blockchain. 

The hosts of the podcast, Chris Saas and Johan Oberg, are known for interviewing strong leaders across the globe, with other episodes that included GE Power, Fortum, and Enel North America, to name a few.

Since the interview clocks in at around 48 minutes, we’re breaking it down into bite-sized segments with timestamps to allow you to easily listen to your favorite topics (below).  

Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube (see video below).

5:00 – 8:38: What are the key components of energy and blockchain?

Do you drive an EV? Listen to Colin make the connection between EVs and energy access, and how closely it relates to VIA’s mission.

11:20 – 14:20: Is data the new oil?

The short answer is: it all has to do with MATH. Hear just how that’s possible in this clip.

14:35 – 16:55: Who are VIA’s customers?

Did you know that the U.S. government is the single largest consumer of energy on the planet? Keeping data private while enabling data analysis is what led VIA to working with the Department of Defense (DOD). Don’t miss hearing about other companies VIA proudly works with.

19:36 -22:40: The price of blockchain

In this segment Colin talks about VIAsecurechain, Polygon, and the value of cryptography.

22:45 – 25:00: Managing a global company 

Learn about VIA’s team located around the globe including offices in Boston, Montreal, and Switzerland.

28:40 – 32:20: The near future of blockchain

Smart contracts. Selling back electricity. This segment is not to be missed!

34:20 – 36:25: The impact of the Inflation Reduction Act

This act is a BIG deal. VIA even published a blog about it – check it out!

37:55 – 39:50: So, what’s next for VIA?

Colin shares insights on how VIA stays current in a fast-moving world. 

45:30 – 46:40: Data regulations in energy and big tech

Colin briefly reflects on government regulations.

The hosts wrap up by inviting Colin to come back for a conversation around data science. Don’t want to miss it? Follow VIA on social (Linkedin and Twitter) and check our news page for the latest updates!

Decrypted Unscripted interviews VIA CEO Colin Gounden for recent podcast

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Decrypted Unscripted, a podcast that explores the “privacy landscape, from regulatory developments to litigation trends”, invited VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden on the show to discuss the role AI and blockchain have in the energy industry. Hosts David and Deb of Perkins Coie, have had numerous guests on the podcast including leaders from Uber, Stanford University, and the Financial Times, to name a few. 

In the 45-minute interview, Colin talks about a range of topics including VIA’s mission, Zero Knowledge Proofs, and Ted Lasso! Since 45 minutes tops the list for quality on-air time, we’ve taken the liberty to break down the interview and provide timestamps of hot topics covered below.

7:03 – 8:45: What the heck is Blockchain?

After reminiscing on the days when people were skeptical about the internet, host Deb asks Colin, so “What the heck is blockchain?” Hear Colin’s explanation along with some great analogies.

8:46 – 13:45: Tell them how VIA makes it work in energy.

David asks Colin how VIA landed on energy being the industry to transform with VIA’s technology, including highlights from the HBS case studies about VIA.

13:46 – 17:05: Let’s talk about VIA’s mission.

What can VIA do to make communities cleaner, safer, and more equitable? Listen to Colin’s response on how our mission will make an impact.

17:25 – 25:10: Zero Knowledge Proofs, you’ve got to tell us about that.

Colin gives a description of ZKPs, calling it one of the “biggest innovations we’ll see in the next 20 years.”

26:05 – 31:18: How does privacy and transparency work together?

Privacy is a concern for blockchain and transparency is the differentiator. How do these work together? Colin explains and covers how smart contracts are involved.

31:20 – 34:48: How does VIA help disadvantaged communities?

Listen to Colin’s thoughtful response on VIA’s initiatives here.

34:50 – 36:20: Beef up infrastructure security with VIA.

Infrastructure data is important to VIA. Colin talks about the value and importance of GDAC™.

36:25 – 40:45: The Crypto Valley

The future is now, just unevenly distributed. This is Switzerland. Listen to hear about the importance of data privacy for the country.

40:45 – 42:20: What did Colin do during the COVID lockdown?

Ted Lasso. Enough said.

To wrap, Colin suggests reading VIA’s Skylight whitepaper to get a better grasp of what VIA is doing in the Web3 space.

Nasdaq’s streaming show, TradeTalks, interviews VIA’s CEO, Colin Gounden

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VIA’s CEO, Colin Gounden, was invited by Jill Malandrino, Global Markets Reporter at Nasdaq, to be interviewed on her show about trends in the global capital markets, TradeTalks, which boasts over 11,000 followers on Twitter. Jill hosts one-on-one interviews with industry leaders to chat about market trends and the crypto space, among other areas.

During the over six minute interview, Jill asked sharp and insightful questions about blockchain, smart contracts, and clean energy. Colin and Jill also discussed the relevance of Web3 and the Department of Defense. 

We don’t say this a lot, so believe us when we say, this is a must-see interview. Visit the Nasdaq website for a recording of the talk here.

Authority Magazine Declares “The Future is Now” in Interview with VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden

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Staying true to the mission of Authority Magazine, a publication “​​devoted to sharing in-depth, and interesting interviews, featuring people who are authorities in Business, Pop Culture, Wellness, Social Impact, and Tech,” Fotis Georgiadis selected VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden for an in-depth interview.

The interview, shared on Medium, covers Colin’s personal experiences in his career, including the most interesting story and what movement he would inspire, and most importantly, the cutting edge technological breakthroughs at VIA:

The biggest technological breakthrough our team at VIA is currently working on is Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). I think that when we look back 20 years from now, ZKPs will be seen as one of the biggest innovations of our time.

Colin also takes a deep-dive into the incredible work going on at VIA related to Web3 and gives his 60-second VC pitch:

VIA’s been in Web 3 (blockchain and smart contracts) for more than 5 years. We’re just hitting the inflection point for really big adoption (single digit millions to double digit millions). We’ll make investors look brilliant for backing our growth to get to that $Bn+ valuation mark and, at the same time, doing it with a terrific sustainability mission.

For the full interview, visit Authority Magazine’s post on Medium.

InsideHook Highlights VIA CEO Colin Gounden’s Insights About Web3

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Kirk Miller of InsideHook took a deep dive into Web3 in his latest article, “The Answers to All Your Not-So-Stupid Questions About Web 3.0”. Through expert interviews, the article delivers insights including how Web3 will change our day-to-day to the kinds of companies that will thrive in this new environment.

VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden, gave his thoughts on the power of Web3:

“In 2004, James Surowiecki published a book called The Wisdom of Crowds — the basic premise is that many non-experts are smarter than a few experts,” says Colin Gounden, CEO of VIA, a blockchain-based Web3 platform for privacy-protected data analysis. “Surowiecki had collected incredible and well-researched examples ranging from guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar at a county fair to locating a lost U.S. Navy submarine. Businesses that are willing to leverage Web3 to harness the wisdom of crowds rather than rely on the expertise of a few are going to benefit the most from Web3.”

For the full article, visit the InsideHook website.

GreenTech National Funding Lab in Oklahoma Selects VIA for Clean Energy Program

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VIA is proud to join the inaugural cohort of the GreenTech National Funding Lab. Considered a highly competitive program, VIA was one of only ten companies chosen from across the country to form the inaugural cohort.

GreenTech National Funding Lab is the latest program to be launched by OK Catalyst, an office out of the University of Oklahoma, which assists in identifying opportunities to work with several participating Federal agencies including the Department of Defense (DOD), NASA, Department of Energy (DOE), and National Science Foundation (NSF).

Support from GreenTech National Funding Lab will accelerate VIA’s focus on delivering clean energy solutions to the Southeastern U.S. including, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Georgia. 

“Oklahoma in particular is a leader in clean energy generation technologies and forward thinking when it comes to data privacy issues,” said Joe Babiec, SVP Strategic Initiatives at VIA. He continued, “We’re thrilled that OK Catalyst has opened its doors for the first time to companies outside of Oklahoma to join one of their highly successful programs. We feel that VIA’s core technology will have immense value to support this community in their clean energy and data privacy goals.”

Though VIA’s participation in the GreenTech National Funding Lab is just getting underway, VIA has already identified a Web3 energy initiative within the state of Oklahoma. VIA envisions this application of the company’s blockchain technology as the first of many good things to come from its partnership with OK Catalyst and the GreenTech National Funding Lab.

Swiss Cognitive, World-Leading AI Network Selects VIA for Guest Article

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Swiss Cognitive, World-Leading AI Network selected VIA’s CEO, Colin Gounden, to share his point of view on the relationship between clean energy and blockchain technologies. The importance of clean energy in today’s economy and VIA’s long-standing expertise in this area were the primary reasons VIA was invited to write on this topic for Swiss Cognitive’s readers. In the article, Colin talks about how the decentralization of energy through rooftop solar panels and electric vehicles has created the ideal environment for blockchain to achieve solutions in clean energy:

“In a way, energy has evolved to become more adaptable to working with blockchain. Decentralization is at the core of Web3 and blockchain technologies – there are many players, in many locations, who interact but aren’t centrally controlled. As keen followers of energy and clean technologies will know, the last five years has seen an exponential increase in the decentralization of power.” – Colin Gounden, CEO of VIA

Colin’s guest article can be found on the Swiss Cognitive’s website.

Tech on Reg Interviews VIA CEO Colin Gounden for Podcast on Decentralizing the Energy Industry

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Dara Tarkowski, host of Tech on Reg, invited VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden as a guest on Episode 48 of the podcast. During the episode, “Decentralizing The Energy Industry” Colin talks about how Web3 is the next internet frontier, signaling a decentralized approach to the web, underpinned by blockchain technology. Colin explores where we are heading with Web3, what it means for data privacy, and how it’s taking shape in different industries.

One of our favorite quotes from Dara Tarkowski during the podcast was how VIA and clean energy relate:

“What VIA is doing is really combining up-and-coming technologies that have become so newsworthy that average consumers are starting to talk about this technology in a way that technologies have done for sometime with the desperate need for clean energy that has been so topical and the topic of every political race around the world. And VIA is right at the intersection.”

To listen to the full podcast, visit the Tech on Reg website. 

VIA’s Joe Babiec and Advisor General Tom Blackstock Participate in 3-Day JETC Conference

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VIA was proud to participate in this year’s JETC Conference. This is the first time the conference has been in person in three years, with over 2,000 attendees participating.

To kick off the event, VIA’s SVP, Strategic Initiatives, Joe Babiec and Advisor, General Tom Blackstock, set up shop in the exhibit hall that included over 150 participating companies. The duo had excellent conversations with fellow attendees about the ways JARVIS™ supports facilities management.

A peek into VIA’s booth at JETC.

On Day 2, General Tom Blackstock moderated the panel, “SMEs in Installation Facility Management and AI” with Joe Babiec, Major General William T. Nesbitt, and Lowell Ursey, Integration Branch Chief, NDR PMO. The panel covered how to prioritize facility investments in an environment where demands on today’s military facilities are increasing and budgets to support improvements to critical infrastructure are tight.

General Tom Blackstock moderating the panel discussion (photo courtesy of JETC Conference committee).

For a full recap on the event including a fun 2-minute video, visit the JETC website.

Colin Gounden Joins Wharton’s Sarah Hammer for Conversation about AI, Blockchain, and Clean Energy

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VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden joined The Wharton School’s Sarah Hammer for a conversation about how the use of blockchain, crypto, and AI connects to clean energy. Speaking specifically about technology in the crypto space, Colin commented:

“In general, we see the technology and tech stack evolving so fast in the crypto space that it’s where innovation is happening. Anytime that you want to provide a technology solution, you want to go to where the innovation is happening fastest.”

For more great questions and insights from Colin and Sarah’s chat, check out the full recording here.

That Tech Pod Interviews VIA CEO Colin Gounden

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Laura Milstein and Gabi Schulte of That Tech Pod interviewed VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden for the latest episode of their podcast which covers topics ranging from data privacy to tech innovations. During their chat, Colin described how valuable Web3 is for the future of data privacy and more specifically, how it plays a critical role in making data more accessible:

“It doesn’t matter how good your AI is, your math is, or your quant skills are if you can’t get access to data … the most successful companies in the world, the biggest market caps, the ones that have grown fastest, they did it by saying data is valuable, we need to learn from that data. Blockchain and Web3 are making vast amounts of data available to everyone, not just a select few.”

For the full 34 minute episode, play it here.