Introducing Myself

Hey everyone, 

     My name is Matt Richmond and I work in the blockchain industry. Based out of Vancouver, I spend most of my days doing work for various blockchain startups. I have been interested in this space for a long time now, and after working in traditional finance, I decided to go all-in on crypto-currency. 

     People often ask why I chose to dedicate all my energy towards an industry with  a rocky past. Why I chose to embrace the uncertainty in an industry  with an unproven history full of volatility and lawlessness. My answer  to them is why not? Rarely do we get to see the birth of a revolution  and the start of an industry like we are seeing now. A frontier that’s  more akin to the birth of the railway as opposed to a gold rush. I  consider myself extremely lucky to be alive in this day and age.  Fortunate to be living through a moment that will be looked back upon as  very pivotal in the history books. For there has always been a burning  desire deep inside me to change things. To enable the human race to move  forward but preserve our past. The blockchain ideology has fanned those  flames and working in the industry alongside some of the most  intelligent people I have had the pleasure to come across has allowed me  to spread this fire with more reach than I could have imagined.

     The blockchain has always meant one thing to me: Freedom. Freedom from  oppression. Freedom from middlemen. Freedom from a world where more  control equates to more power. In a time where oppressors knuckles are  so white from grasping any ounce of control they can muster, the  blockchain is a break in the clouds on a sunny day. The glimpse of dawn  after a dark night. The idea that people can control more of their  assets and information than they ever have before is one that has made a  lot of people excited about the path we are on. Innovation is busting  at the seams, and humans are exhibiting what makes us humans: Problem  solvers.

     The blockchain, a constant source of controversy, an obsession for many, a  fraud to others, is starting to make it’s presence known. Perhaps known  for it’s rocky past on the darkweb or it’s wild-west nature of heists  and robberies, there is one thing for sure: the tipping point has come  and gone. The blockchain is here to stay and will continue to become a  fundamental part of the world as we know it. Anything that has or will  happen to various blockchain companies will only just strengthen the  industry and gain momentum for the future. For a flower to blossom, it  has to know the dirt and be just as comfortable with the grime as it is  with the sun and the air around it.

     The future is an empty void, an empty canvas waiting for us to paint our  impressions on it. With each new stroke bringing us closer to the final  masterpiece, it is up to us as humans to decide how we want the image to  be revealed. It’s hard to refute the idea that the Internet was our  last great step of human evolution. I believe that the blockchain is  laying the foundation for the next step of human evolution. Trust-less  transactions with an emphasis on security are opening doors like we have  never seen before. In the eight years since the blockchain has been  conceived, the growth has been unprecedented and can be argued as the  fastest growing period in our history. Where we go from here as a  society, as a human race, is up to us to decide.

     Dropping everything and putting it all on the line is always a frightful  thought. Change can be paralyzing and everybody has felt that feeling in  one way or another. Resisting change on the other hand creates friction  and unrest. It’s much easier to flow with the river as opposed to  swimming upstream. For that reason, I am all in. I will be doing  everything I can do to foster this community, grow the industry and most  importantly, bring blockchain technology within reach to everyone. I  look forward to seeing what comes about from this next period in our  time-line. The disruptions we cause, the innovation we exhibit and yes  even the hacks that break our hearts. The road forward is still dark and  unclear, but those of us in the industry are illuminating a safe path  through. Because after all, those who light the world, change the world.