NYAIR Episode 19 – Bitcoin & Blockchain: What Are They, and Why Should You Care?

Episode #19 of the New York Alternative Investment Roundtable’s podcast series looks at bitcoin and blockchain and some of the things that the alternative investment community should know about when it comes to these topics. Kirill Gourov, portfolio manager and head of research, Full Node Capital, Larry Lanzilli, CEO of Transact Block, Reggie Middleton, founder and CEO of Veritasium and the creator of UltraCoin and Sebastian Vanderzeil, director and global thematic analyst, Cornerstone Capital Group, discuss Blockchain/Distributed Ledger from various perspectives, including  the pros and cons of immediate uses;  scalability; changes that will be driven by Blockchain across industries; security truths and myths; and other important considerations.

Kirill Gourov is a portfolio manager and head of research at Full Node Capital, an NYC-based investment manager launching its first crypto-asset investment product this year. He is also the founder of CSquared, where he works as a consultant to help clients understand the potential impact of Blockchain, FinTech and broader technology trends on their value chain.

Larry Lanzilli is a technologist and entrepreneur who previously made investments into Home Automation and Flash storage, both 3 to 5 years before they became mainstream. He has been involved with several startups through successful acquisitions and an IPO. His portfolio includes equity in Blockchain companies for roughly 3 years now, including a currently stealth company poised to revamp how venture capital, private equity and hedge funds conduct business.

Reggie Middleton is CEO of Veritaseum’s UltraCoin, a technology he invented to conduct transactions using cryptographic currency where a deal’s contracts and agreements are embedded within the currency. Middleton is an entrepreneurial investor who oversees a team of independent analysts that focus on promising products and trends that are often overlooked by mainstream analysts.

Sebastian Vanderzeil is a Director and Global Thematic Analyst with Cornerstone Capital Group. Previously, Sebastian was an economic consultant with global technical services group AECOM, where he advised on the development and finance of major infrastructure across Asia and Australia. Sebastian also worked with the Queensland State Government on water and climate issues prior to establishing Australia’s first government-owned carbon broker, Ecofund Queensland.