Ep. 58: Solving for Crypto Security Through Hardware Wallets with Thomas France of Ledger
05/03/18 • 18 min
As the blockchain ecosystem shifted from a Bitcoin-centric world to one that welcomed multiple coins, the demand for a hardware wallet that allows users to secure and manage crypto assets grew exponentially. Ledger became the go-to solution, and the startup scaled to sell 1M units in the last year.
Thomas France is the co-founder of Ledger, the leading security and infrastructure solution for cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications. He is also the co-founder of La Maison du Bitcoin (The Bitcoin Center), the first physical space dedicated to Bitcoin in Europe. Prior to his work in the crypto space, Thomas served as co-founder and COO of Prixing, a mobile shopping app sold to HighCo in 2013. He holds a Master of Science from Ecole National des Ponts et Chaussées.
Thomas sits down with us to explain why he was drawn to solving for Bitcoin security via crypto hardware wallets and how his startup grew out of The Bitcoin Center in Paris. He shares the basics of Ledger, discussing how its tools secure crypto assets in an offline environment. Thomas speaks to his initial interest in Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship and offers an overview of the crypto environment in France, the US and hubs around the world. Listen in as Thomas describes how Ledger exceeded expectations in 2017 as part of the toolkit in the cryptocurrency gold rush.
Connect with Thomas
- Ledger https://www.ledgerwallet.com/
- Ledger on Twitter https://twitter.com/ledgerhq
- The Bitcoin Center https://lamaisondubitcoin.fr/
- Thomas on Twitter https://twitter.com/totofrance
- Thomas on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfrance/
Resources
- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton https://www.amazon.com/American-Kingpin-Criminal-Mastermind-Behind/dp/1591848148
Connect with Boost VC
- Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/
- Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/
- Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
As the blockchain ecosystem shifted from a Bitcoin-centric world to one that welcomed multiple coins, the demand for a hardware wallet that allows users to secure and manage crypto assets grew exponentially. Ledger became the go-to solution, and the startup scaled to sell 1M units in the last year.
Thomas France is the co-founder of Ledger, the leading security and infrastructure solution for cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications. He is also the co-founder of La Maison du Bitcoin (The Bitcoin Center), the first physical space dedicated to Bitcoin in Europe. Prior to his work in the crypto space, Thomas served as co-founder and COO of Prixing, a mobile shopping app sold to HighCo in 2013. He holds a Master of Science from Ecole National des Ponts et Chaussées.
Thomas sits down with us to explain why he was drawn to solving for Bitcoin security via crypto hardware wallets and how his startup grew out of The Bitcoin Center in Paris. He shares the basics of Ledger, discussing how its tools secure crypto assets in an offline environment. Thomas speaks to his initial interest in Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship and offers an overview of the crypto environment in France, the US and hubs around the world. Listen in as Thomas describes how Ledger exceeded expectations in 2017 as part of the toolkit in the cryptocurrency gold rush.
Connect with Thomas
- Ledger https://www.ledgerwallet.com/
- Ledger on Twitter https://twitter.com/ledgerhq
- The Bitcoin Center https://lamaisondubitcoin.fr/
- Thomas on Twitter https://twitter.com/totofrance
- Thomas on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfrance/
Resources
- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton https://www.amazon.com/American-Kingpin-Criminal-Mastermind-Behind/dp/1591848148
Connect with Boost VC
- Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/
- Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/
- Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
Previous Episode
Ep. 57: Open-Source Blockchain Technology, Private Ledgers and the Right to Fork with Brian Behlendorf of Hyperledger
The beauty of open-source software lies in its efficiency. If two companies, building different solutions, work together on the parts of the projects that overlap, they accomplish more in less time. The Hyperledger Project is an open-source collaboration working to build a set of blockchain technologies that can be used in a variety of industries and embedded in the emerging internet technology stack.
Brian Behlendorf is the Executive Director of the Hyperledger Project for The Linux Foundation. Brian has dedicated his career to connecting and empowering the free and open-source software community to solve difficult problems. Early in his career, Brian was a primary developer of the Apache Web server and a founding member of the Apache Software Foundation. He was also the founding CTO of CollabNet and CTO of the World Economic Forum. Today, Brian serves on the board of the Mozilla Foundation as well as the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Prior to joining Hyperledger, Brian was a managing director at Mithril Capital Management, a global technology investment firm.
Brian joins us to explain the relationship between the Linux Foundation and Hyperledger, describing the venture’s subscription-based business model and several of the projects being built with its open-source blockchain technology. He walks us through the benefits of Hyperledger over public blockchains, discussing the business community’s preference for anonymity and the right to fork if data is misused. Listen in for Brian’s insight around measuring the progress of community-building and learn how open-source software helps us go further, faster.
Connect with Brian
- Hyperledger https://www.hyperledger.org/
- Hyperledger on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_X0WkMtkWzaVUKF-PRBNQ
- Hyperledger on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hyperledger
- Hyperledger on Twitter https://twitter.com/hyperledger
- Brian on Twitter https://twitter.com/brianbehlendorf
- Brian on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbehlendorf/
- Brian’s Website http://brian.behlendorf.com/
Resources
- Netcraft https://www.netcraft.com/
- ‘Fighting the Seed Monopoly’ in The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/seed-monopoly-free-seeds-farm-monsanto-dupont
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami https://www.amazon.com/Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-Novel/dp/0679775439
- Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567
Connect with Boost VC
- Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/
- Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/
- Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
Next Episode
Ep. 59: Pro-Blockchain Policy on Capitol Hill with Perianne Boring of the Chamber of Digital Commerce
Crypto is no longer a dirty word in DC, and we have the Chamber of Digital Commerce to thank for that shift in sentiment. Established in 2014, this nonprofit represents companies in the blockchain space, fighting on Capitol Hill for a better regulatory framework that will allow innovation to thrive in this country.
Perianne Boring is the Founder and President of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, the world’s largest trade association for the blockchain industry. The Chamber’s mission is to promote the acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain-based technologies, working with policymakers, government agencies and industry players to educate and advocate for a pro-growth policy environment.
Perianne joins us to discuss the Chamber’s work in shifting the rhetoric around digital currency in Washington, explaining how sentiment has changed in DC over the last four years. She walks us through the conflicting views of cryptocurrency established by FinCEN versus the IRS and the challenge in complying with tax law as it is currently written. Listen in for insight on how the Chamber of Digital Commerce’s current policy proposal would treat digital currency as an alternative to the US dollar and how that would impact the way crypto is taxed.
Connect with Perianne
- Chamber of Digital Commerce https://digitalchamber.org/
- Chamber of Digital Commerce on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chamberdigital/
- Chamber of Digital Commerce on Twitter https://twitter.com/chamberdigital
- Chamber of Digital Commerce on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChwEyC2QsQCztk2qGzm1b6Q
- Chamber of Digital Commerce on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/chamber-of-digital-commerce/
- Perianne on Twitter https://twitter.com/PerianneDC
- Perianne on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/perianne-boring-43363991/
Resources
- The Treasury Inspector General’s 2016 Report https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2016reports/201630083fr.pdf
Connect with Boost VC
- Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/
- Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/
- Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
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