Harvard Belfer Center features VIA in recent report on insights from Blockchain for Impact Workshop

In late April, VIA’s CEO, Colin Gounden was invited to present on a panel during a workshop at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Arts and International Affairs. The workshop, “Blockchain for Impact Workshop: Perspectives on International Development, Public Goods, and Regenerative Economy” brought together over thirty participants who are considered experts in Web3 to discuss the impact this technology is having today and what it will look like in the future.

After the event, the organizers put together a comprehensive report on all of the findings from the workshop. Colin’s panel, “Collaborative Futures” is included in the six page report, where he spoke alongside Cara LaPointe of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, Ramesh Raskar, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, and Jared A. Favole, Senior Director of Policy & Communications at Circle (pictured below).

Picture courtesy of Blockchain for Impact Workshop

The panel stressed the need for collaboration across stakeholders to maximize the benefits of blockchain. Colin talked about the importance of preserving privacy while collaborating and how Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) play a role:

By utilizing ZKPs, VIA strives to address the challenge of preserving the privacy of sensitive data, which often hinders data owners from sharing information freely. The implementation of ZKPs helps facilitate secure and transparent collaboration among stakeholders, furthering the mission of creating positive social and environmental impact.

Coming out of the event, is another! Colin has invited fellow panelist, Jared Favole, to VIA’s Somerville office for a talk on the intersection of blockchain and domestic and foreign policy. The chat will be live streamed on June 27, 2023 from 2:30 – 3:15pm ET. To RSVP for the event, visit the LinkedIn event listing.

If you would like to speak directly with a member of our team about the ways we can help your organization collaborate using Web3, contact us!