Key highlights of CV Summit 2022

The 8th edition of CV Summit, hosted by CV Labs in collaboration with CV VC and PraSaga, turns the global spotlight on Switzerland’s illuminating productivity in blockchain and the incoming iteration of the internet, Web3.  

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Crypto Valley is alive! Heinz Tännler, Finance Director Canton of Zug & President of the Swiss Blockchain Federation, welcomed the audience to the Summit and noted,

“What is important to me is that concrete business models are now being implemented with blockchain technology. This is demonstrated by the large companies and corporates presenting their applications today and tomorrow. I sincerely thank the CV Labs team and event organizers for their valuable and inspiring contribution to Crypto Valley and the global blockchain ecosystem.”  

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Without the complications and restrictions of Covid-19, over 800 in-person delegates can access various interactive zones, keynotes from prolific industry experts and influencers, insightful debates, and open discussions with over 70 panelists.

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“Many different stakeholders are represented, but I'm particularly excited because this edition of the Summit truly showcases the marriage of the old world and the new world. The fact that we're able to welcome sponsors like Visa and Google, and Citi, for example, is an exciting turn of events. We look forward to hearing their voices in many of the discussions that will take place over the next two days.”

- Tracy Trachsler, MD of CV Labs, on what makes this year's Summit unique.

“CV Summit allows us to showcase blockchain’s utility over speculation. I am proud of the CV VC and CV Labs teams and grateful to our partners and delegates. The space is maturing. Traditional VCs and organizations are entering the space, validating our industry.”

- Mathias Ruch, Co-Founder and CEO of CV VC during his welcome speech.

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A VC Perspective: Entering the era of Utility

In the panel “VCs' perspectives and strategies for investing in blockchain tech,” Olaf Hannemann was asked about what VCs do during the crypto winter. He answered,

“When there is winter in Europe, we move to the southern hemisphere, which is why we, as CV VC, have expanded to Africa! Africa is where the true benefit of the utility is evident. Startups there are truly making the world a better place. Innovation is a team sport between investors and startups, particularly in this rapid era of blockchain adoption and utility.”

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Creating value in the digital world

“We create value by reinventing, reimagining, and rethinking how we do this in a way that serves the global population.” said Michael Holdmann, Founder and CEO of PraSaga.

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While moderating the panel “Tokenized finance, security tokens, and the re-definition of value,” Kristina Lucrezia Cornèr, Editor-in-Chief for CoinTelegraph, depicted a humorous picture of the transformation taking place in the financial industry and posed a question to panelists.

“For me, the transformation of the financial industry, from the outside, seems like a horde of blockchain nerds are invading a super conservative traditional industry. Instead of black ties, we start seeing sneakers and T-shirts with some weird abbreviations. What is your take on this transformation of the industry? How do you see this transformation articulated in your business and life as a financial person?”

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Massimo Butti, SDX Head of Equity, responding to Kristina's question, said,

‍“the way I see this, if I look at my career and most recent work, it is not different from 30 years ago. It’s an evolution. This tech is so revolutionary that it has forced people like me to rethink how we work and relate to investors and markets. The shift in mentality has been massive. A tool can open up and democratize access to financial markets. This is one of the breaking points in the evolution of capital markets.”

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CV Summit - an immersive event

Seeing is believing, and what better way to learn than through experiences? This year’s CV Summit introduced experiential zones that allow attendees to immerse themselves into the exciting world of blockchain technology.

The NFT Gallery, made possible by TrustSwap, showcases some amazing pieces, including a 500’000 CHF diamond and all seven statues from Jani Leinonen’s ‘Seven Deadly Sins Collection’ (weighing ca. 500 kg each)! Wendy Yu, Dirk Koy, and Philipp Schaerer are other artists on display.

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While commenting on NFTs during the panel “The state of NFT markets, utility beyond the hype,” Monty C. M. Metzger, CEO & Founder of LCX, said,

“a key part is that with blockchain, we are eliminating the middleman. It couldn’t be a more exciting time for an artist to be alive. With blockchain, artists can make a profit from every future sale. The same applies to other industries such as diamonds.”

Further expanding on this point, Roger Haas, Co-Founder and CEO of ArtMeta, commented,

“crypto is faster than the traditional art space. The real disruptor here is that all market participants can talk directly to each other with no intermediary.”

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A topic that needs no introduction is the Metaverse. The world continues to wait in eager anticipation for the technology giants to pioneer virtual worlds and experiences that connect us in ways that we previously thought impossible. The CV Summit’s Metaverse zone, made possible by ArtMeta, transports attendees into the digital world of the Metaverse via multiple immersive experiences.

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Human Capital on the move

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As the global blockchain ecosystem continues to grow, so does the number of companies participating in the space. CV Summit continues to serve as a meeting place for blockchain talent, connecting individuals to opportunities and collaborations. This year, CV Summit has taken this concept one step further. If you are looking for a job opportunity or considering working in the Web 3.0 space, look no further than the Web 3.0 Talent Hub, made possible by The Big Search. Our partners are available to talk about roles they are currently recruiting for, what it's like to work for their company and more.

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Big Tech - no trilemma here!

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A stellar team of our tech leaders gave delegates an understanding of layers 0, 1, 2, 3, interoperability, scalability, and what emerged as vitally important, user experience. Trilemmas or not, we agreed with Shyam Duraiswami, Chief Strategist at QPQ, when he said, “Trust the message, not the messenger.”  We also concurred with Joe Petrowski  of Web3 Foundation when he said,

“Many companies who succeeded in Web2 were not in Web1. I imagine there will be a wave of Web3 natives who will create new experiences. Web2 is not the epitome of UX. When people recognize the power of Web 3.0, they will be willing to use new tools”.

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Big business Comes to Town:

While talking to companies in the Web 3.0 space, Daniël Rood, Head of Financial Services & Web3, EMEA for Google Cloud expressed Google’s intentions,  

“What we want to do as an organization is we want to work with you. We want to build with you. We want to partner with you. And there are many opportunities that we can bring to the table. We want to invest and be part of this super exciting innovation we're all seeing today. It's a journey for us as a company as well. It's a continuation of the journey that started with the promise of the internet.”

Klaus Steinkamp, Visa Direct Sales Leader for Central Europe, Nordics, and Baltics, emphasized Visa’s efforts within the blockchain space.

“Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Visa intends to address the current friction when the Crypto vertical engages with Fiat currency.”

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Nurturing and growing the global blockchain ecosystem

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CV Labs is the heartbeat of Crypto Valley, the world's most mature blockchain hub. CV Labs helps global start-ups, corporates, and investors to leverage blockchain technology and transform how the world interacts and transacts. CV Labs is the ecosystem business pillar of CV VC, the Swiss-headquartered global blockchain investor that offers seed funding and an incubation program to global tech teams in exchange for equity or tokens.

With locations in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, South Africa, and Germany next to be launched, CV Labs nurtures a global ecosystem through various activities, including incubation & acceleration programs, community-centric co-working spaces, industry events & summits, and advisory & research reports.

CV Summit 2022 epitomizes CV VC’s contribution to connecting the global blockchain ecosystem. This experiential event encourages individuals in the space to collaborate and pursue a more digitally robust and inclusive future for the world and its inhabitants.

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Tomorrow, 15 September, is the second and final day of the 2022 Summit. Join us to meet other Swiss pioneers with an international reach, such as 21Shares which recently joined Switzerland’s unicorn herd, fresh from a new $25m funding round. Crypto banks Seba and Sygnum, Swissquote, the Swiss leader in online banking, Bitcoin Suisse, and SDX, the Swiss Digital Exchange. Gain perspectives from traditional global players Visa, Citi, and Web2 leader Google. And many who are building security and compliance infrastructures to bridge the traditional finance world, such as pan-global corporations like Lukka and Certik.

For those physically attending the event, be sure to immerse yourself into the digital world via the various zones that are available.

If you would like to watch the recorded sessions from Day 1 of CV Summit 2022, click here.

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