We are heading towards the tipping point for mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency. But we aren’t there yet, and no one knows how long it will take. Other than the dark markets and investment/speculation/store of value, there are few uses for cryptocurrency today.

It is a time of intense anticipation for those of us in this space. We are excited about the dozens of cryptocurrency-fueled DAPPS (decentralized applications) coming online over the next twelve months targeted at every conceivable area of the economy, including supply chain, banking, social media, IOT and provenance (think land rights and unbreakable human identity) and scores of other areas.

Mainstream partners like Microsoft are heavily engaged in some form of blockchain tech. Venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz, and Angel’s List are making big investments in this space.

The emergence of a Killer App — an essential product for a particular industry or for the public at large — is still the most likely path to widespread crypto adoption.

Either of Ethereum’s prediction market DAPPS, Auger or Gnosis, could fit the bill. These are prediction markets for everything— from the weather in two weeks to who will win the local city council race, to the future price of oil — on transparently fair networks that can’t be manipulated, serving gamblers, scientists and economists who will gain a crowdsourced ability to forecast anything. Powerful stuff. They are both coming on line soon. But no one knows if they will lead us to that tipping point.

Those of us waiting for the Killer App shouldn’t look beyond other opportunities to evangelize and educate. The industry’s focus is rightly on development but we should be creative in other areas to advance the benefits of crypto, decentralization, and blockchain. This will soften the field for when the Killer App hits, allowing civilians to at least have context when that product comes knocking on their door.

These are the kind of things I’m talking about:

Donate crypto to a non profit.

This is a particularly good tactic for App coin projects that control a large amount of native currency. Donate a chunk to a deserving group, get them set up with an exchange account and make a big deal of it in the local and trade press.

If you have a real estate focused DAPP, give to a non-profit housing organization. A social media DAPP could donate to an anti-bullying group. You get the picture. Crypto is still novel enough that a donation of this kind will generate interest in your project at the same time you are doing a good thing and teaching a group of people about digital currency.

Become a local crypto celebrity.

You know more than you think. Why not take a stab at becoming an early thought leader and advancing the movement at the same time. Chambers of commerce, tech meetups, industry conferences, PTA meetings, Kiwanis Clubs, Rotaries — all are continually looking for interesting speakers and content.

Why not spin up a few slides using your own authentic voice to explain your view of this world, why you are excited about it, and how your project or favorite crypto or DAPP might change the world (or at least add value). End the talk by explaining how to get some Ether, Bitoin, Monero, etc.

Convince tax and finance friends of the early adopter opportunity.

I’m shocked that more tax and personal finance/wealth manager types aren’t positioning themselves to be leaders in this space. Sometime soon many small investors, average Joes and many others looking to build a nest egg are going to want to know how a small amount of crypto might fit in their portfolio. They won’t be looking for advice from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, they want experts they know and trust to guide their paths: financial advisers and tax consultants.

There is an amazing first mover advantage for consumer facing experts in this field. And we want these people talking up crypto to their clients. The problem is that most tax and wealth managers are goobers and still believe crypto is funny money. This is where you come in. If you are the client, demand they brush up on these assets. If they are just friends of yours, you can ride them even harder. Make them feel foolish for missing the opportunity of a lifetime emerging from the fog right before them. Then buy them a beer before reminding them again in your quiet voice that you're dead serious.

That’s it for now. Keep the faith, people.

For my non-crypto friends, this is my standard appendix on some of the concepts mentioned in this piece:

Blockchain is the technology behind Ethereum, Bitcoin and several smaller platforms that have attracted a flood of new developers and more than $1B in venture investment over the past two years.

Cryptocurrency is the compensation that “miners” receive for using their computers to run peer to peer blockchain networks in lieu of centrally controlled servers. Ether, Bitcoin and other currencies are bought and sold on digital asset exchanges like Coinbase in the same way that stocks are traded on NASDAQ or the NYSE.

The Decentralized Web allows for a wider distribution of value and ownership on the Internet and was the original goal of the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee and his compatriots. It is finally being made possible by breakthroughs in cryptography and advanced economics — the two essential elements of blockchain.

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