Solana is without doubt one of the hottest and used blockchains on the planet, with the very best variety of Month-to-month Lively Customers (in extra of 100 million, in accordance with VC and thought chief a16z; see their State of Crypto 2024 for extra info). How do you scale adoption of a expertise infrastructure that has collected additional time hype and glory, in addition to just a few scandals and a good dose of dangerous press. That is why we sit down with Patricia Albrecht, based mostly in Berlin, who leads Solana Superteam Germany specializing in enterprise adoption, startups and new ventures in Germany, Europe’s largest economic system. That is our trade.
Inform us a bit about your story and what you do
I’m the Lead of the Solana superteam in Germany. It’s the expertise layer that works on the Solana ecosystem right here within the nation. We maintain the total cycle of scouting, incubating, investing in the most effective startup that may leverage the Solana expertise to speed up their product and go-to-market methods. We additionally work with governments and different personal and public establishments within the nation, to foster this community of innovation and development. Solana has related operations in twenty markets globally, from Canada to UAE, for instance.
As for me, I began a decade in the past, working for the United Nations in Geneva. Very related job, as I used to be constructing startup ecosystems in rising economies, for instance from Bangladesh to Rwanda. It’s throughout that point that I noticed for the primary time how crypto was getting used. These gamers, clearly, weren’t within the hypothesis facet of crypto. It was about entry to capital and trade of worth. In most rising economies, it’s nonetheless very costly to ship and obtain cash. In 2018, I left Geneva and bought my MBA from Oxford. In between, I had two firms. I’ve been a VC, investing different individuals’s cash, and in addition an angel investor. All in all, I’ve labored within the startup universe from a wide range of angles. Capital and expertise can and do transfer the needle in our world.
What are the present massive battles to win for blockchain?
On the retail facet, the problem is UX and UI, so the buyer journey. Consumer interfaces are nonetheless sophisticated and non-conducive to mass adoption. For positive, that may be a first facet that wants enhancements.
Then, regulation must catch up. Some areas are extra superior than others, just like the US and the UAE. Blockchain remains to be affected by malicious actors. Meme cash, largely, are one instance. There are loads of gamers utilizing crypto to maximise private good points. However legal guidelines and guidelines are coming to wash this up.
Sensible Use Instances additionally key. For instance, Munich based mostly blockchain startup Arcium works on a confidential computing community which may allow hospitals and researchers to collaborate on delicate affected person knowledge with out compromising privateness. Essentially the most strategic industries will change because of tech. Enormous efficiencies may be realized because of what we do. We’re transferring into a unique focus, fixing issues in actual life for individuals and enterprises.
What’s the way forward for blockchain?
By way of blockchain we will democratize entry to capital markets for all. It’s the arrival of the so-called web capital markets. Everybody, with only a cell phone, can entry monetary alternatives, switch worth, and take part in world markets effectively and transparently.
Retail can’t work with out B2B infrastructure. All the trade has matured and professionalized, from higher infrastructure to safe custody, and compliant stablecoins. Stablecoins have large product/market match. Germany’s numbers are going up. Germany is a powerhouse of innovation, with the most effective expertise on this planet. If there are unicorns in Europe, they are going to come from Germany. And blockchain and Solana will play a key position in enabling that future.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic in regards to the future, in mild of present tech progress (AI and blockchain)?
I’m very optimistic in regards to the future. The blockchain trade has gone via cycles, after all. The FTX crush has had a large affect on Solana. We at the moment are again. Solana has all of the playing cards to interchange Ethereum because the blockchain of selection for Retail and Enterprise. We will now work on the economic system’s fundamentals. We will convey to the market actual options, additionally with the assistance. Additionally, massive establishments like Blackrock and banks are adopting the tech, so all stars are aligning.
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