Proof-of-PR

Today we’re joined by three very talented ladies from Hercode: Nicky Campa, Avalon Barrie, and Heidi Pease. The three begin by telling us their backgrounds and what led to their involvement in the blockchain industry, each bringing unique qualities and experiences to the team.

Hercode is an initiative within LA Blockchain Lab that focuses on women and diversity in the blockchain space. Over the past year, Hercode has worked with the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to provide courses to teachers in Afghanistan so that they will be equipped to educate young girls about blockchain technology and coding in Solidity. Another program launched by Hercode focuses on educating high school girls in Los Angeles about blockchain.

As difficult as the coronavirus pandemic has been, it has made the Hercode team realize the importance of online education, which is an area they are now focusing on closely. Nicky, Avalon, and Heidi speak to what can come from educating women worldwide on emerging technologies and their excitement to move forward with their vision. They also believe that the pandemic can allow people to recognize the incredible value of blockchain technology, especially as the need for verification and trust becomes that much more pronounced.

Overall, Hercode believes strongly that where you live or your gender should not limit your access to education, and the team hopes to close the gender gap when it comes to participation in the current technological transformation.

Topics covered:

What our three guests were doing before discovering crypto

Heidi's journey founding LA Blockchain Lab

Giving women all over the world the opportunity to learn about blockchain

The initiatives that Hercode is driving

Working with partner schools in the Los Angeles area

Closing the gender gap in the blockchain industry

Dealing with the global COVID-19 pandemic

Thinking more strategically to give a quality education to everyone

Problems in other countries that are not seen in the United States

Blockchain use cases envisioned by students in Afghanistan

Links to Resources:

LA Blockchain Lab Website: https://www.lablockchainlab.org/

LA Blockchain Lab on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lablockchainlab

Hercode Website: https://www.lablockchainlab.org/hercode

Hercode on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hercodeglobal

Hercode on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hercodeglobal/

In today’s episode, Nikki Del Principe is joined by guests Evan Shapiro and Izaak Meckler. CEO Evan and CTO Izaak are both Co-Founders of O(1) Labs, the team behind Mina.

Mina (formerly Coda Protocol), the world's lightest blockchain powered by participants, deploys recursive zk-SNARKs to ensure the blockchain remains the same size—22 kb—enabling anyone to sync the chain in seconds, ushering in a new era of blockchain accessibility.

We hear how Evan and Izaak became interested in cryptocurrency and the technology behind it in high school and collaborated together on coding projects before bringing O(1) Labs to life. We learn about the transformation of the Coda Protocol to Mina and the importance of community input on the project. Evan and Izaak hope to solve the problems inherent to today’s internet and bring back creative expression through providing developers with the foundation and tooling they need to build Snapps, verifiable SNARK-powered smart contracts. They take us through the technology behind Mina and end the episode by discussing their predictions for the crypto sphere.

Topics covered:

How Evan and Izaak became involved in cryptocurrency

Creating O(1) Labs to solve the architectural issues of the crypto space

The technological and societal impacts of crypto

The transformation of Coda to Mina

Formulating Mina's core values

What it means to be the world’s lightest blockchain-powered by participants

How Evan and Izaak aim to address the issues of today’s internet with Mina

Shoutout to the Mina community

Mina's implementation of Snapps

The importance of verifiability and transparency

Predictions for the crypto sphere in 2020 and beyond

Links to Resources:

Mina: https://minaprotocol.com/

Mina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MinaProtocol

Mina on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/RDQc43H

Join Genesis program: https://minaprotocol.com/genesis

Kim LaFleur is the Director of Client Services for Security Token Academy, which is the first video platform focused on security token offerings (STOs). Security Token Academy provides insights to security token enthusiasts, investors, and issuers. Kim takes us through the process of how she vets the tokens that are featured on the platform, from reviewing partners to social media presence.

In addition to Security Token Academy, Kim recommends other legitimate resources of cryptocurrency information. She talks about the platform’s Regulatory Review, which informs viewers of new things happening in the US and all over the world, and about the upcoming Security Token Academy Summit in New York City on June 11. We are informed about what exactly will be taking place at the summit as Security Token Academy continues to pioneer this space. Kim then discusses what traits she looks for when determining a good interviewer and interviewee and some of the specific issues that apply to the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. The episode concludes with Kim telling us how she thinks blockchain can change the journalism industry.

Topics covered: - A background of Kim LaFleur and Security Token Academy, including how she entered this industry. - How projects are vetted at Security Token Academy and how issuers can differentiate themselves from other projects. - What Kim thinks is required for good reporting on crypto, including her own recommendations of who to follow. - If there are any projects that Kim is particularly excited about. - The Security Token Academy Summit - Desired traits of a good interviewer and good interviewee. - Issues that are specific to the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. - The future of journalism in relation to blockchain.

Links:

https://www.securitytokenacademy.com/

Welcome to Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of public relations for Bitcoin and Web3. In our third episode, our host Kelley Weaver, CEO of Melrose PR sits down with Cam Thompson, Web3 Reporter at CoinDesk.

Kelley and Cam discuss objective reporting, crypto being here to stay, why you shouldn’t ghost reporters who DM you, the importance of maintaining reporter relationships, and much more!

To stay up-to-date on upcoming guests and news follow us on Twitter at @ProofOfPR.

Welcome to Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of public relations for Bitcoin and Web3.

In our fourth episode, our host Kelley Weaver, CEO of Melrose PR sits down with Isabel Foxen Duke, Ordinals Advisor and previously Comms Director for the Ordinals Core team to discuss the unique PR tactics Isabel leveraged to make Ordinals the most talked about Bitcoin story in years. Kelley and Isabel discuss how to harness the power of passionate communities on both sides of the crypto divide, how to hook a reporter, the latest trends in mass adoption messaging, plus much more!

To stay up-to-date on upcoming guests and news follow us on Twitter at @ProofOfPR.