Let's start with a brief introduction of Quant Network.

At Quant Network, we build products that help organisations and people put trust in the centre of everything they do.

One of the technological solutions we are building is Overledger – the world’s first blockchain operating system that connects blockchains to one another, enables the development of multichain applications and also connects existing networks to the blockchain. By doing so, we are building new innovations and technology to solve problems no one else is tackling.

How did the project come about?

The idea for Overledger was sparked from my first-hand experience as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Department of Health. This is where I first saw the potential for blockchain to directly advance patient care through interoperability across multiple networks and datasets. I also recognised the future potential of distributed ledger technology and founded the Blockchain ISO Standard TC307 in 2015 which brings across 47 countries to promote the harmonisation of this technology and its adoption.

Also, myself and our team have extensive experience working in enterprise and government on average for 20+ years. We recognise the potential for blockchain technology and the need for interoperability, but we also recognise this is not a simple process and that it is very difficult for enterprises to work with multiple blockchains at the same time.

To elevate the challenges faced by enterprises, we have designed our solutions with the needs of our clients in mind whereas other blockchain projects trying to tackling interoperability are adding more complexity and don’t fully understand the nature of enterprises and the immense difficulty to changing legacy systems.

Where do you see the project in the future?

We are laying the foundations for the next internet: The Internet of Trust. The major limitation of modern-day blockchain technology has been the inability of blockchains to communicate and work with one another.

In order for blockchain technology to unlock its true potential, it needs to allow seamless communication and inter-connectivity across multiple blockchains as well as the recognition of transactions and smart contracts.

But, with any organisational change like adopting a new technology comes additional complexity and costs. Quant is here to help navigate this complex process and simplify the adoption process. We have designed the solution with our clients’ needs in mind.

Quant simplifies how organisations take advantage of blockchain through a single gateway instead of duplicating infrastructure, cost and integration of multiple individual blockchain gateways, so they can focus on operating their businesses and unlocking the benefits that this technology presents. This is why we have already seen so much interest in our solution from both governments and enterprise clients.

We also see huge potential for developers to build their own Multi-Chain Applications and the launch of the Mapp store in 2019 will be rather exciting as we are sure we will see some great innovations come to life.

How will you achieve this? In other words, what do you think gives Quant an edge over the competition?

There are three key differentiators that our clients appreciate and that others do not offer.

The first being simplicity - we reduce complexity for organisations to take advantage of blockchain technology. We design our technological solutions with existing networks and clients’ needs in mind. You need not invest in costly new systems or require a complete overhaul of existing networks.

We take an inclusive approach that connects businesses and people.

The second being flexibility and choice - Quant offers you flexibility and options that weren’t possible in the past. Quant allows you to implement the technology that best suits your needs as well as rapidly take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

Many other interoperability projects try to address interoperability by adding another blockchain or adding another layer of consensus. We allow existing networks to connect to blockchain and are agnostic so you’re never locked into one ledger.

And the third being future proofing - we give organisations the agility and ability to shift direction and more rapidly take advantage of new opportunities and innovations. Quant reduces the risk of the rapid pace of change across foundational technology and business. Seeing beyond the horizon, safely experimenting and then adapting quickly to change.

Can you give some details about the team behind the project?

Quant’s leadership team alone have spent a collective 100 years protecting people, governments and regulated industries from the risk of security threats, operational failures and criminals alike. We have also assembled an a-class team of experts to bring this vision to life from the operational side as well as from our tech team building the technology – each individual is a subject matter expert. Not only are we extremely proud of the calibre of talent we have but this also means we are poised for success.

What are the most important upcoming milestones for Quant Network?

The key development we are all focused on is delivering our SDK by the end of September. We had previously communicated that we would have two connectors but we will be releasing the first version with four connectors.

We are also launching a new developer environment and expect to see the technology deployed by a few clients in different sectors.

What about your long-term prospects?

For Quant, the sky is the limit and we have exceeded our own expectations. We already have more meetings with prospective clients than we expected, we have more connectors than we had planned, we have our own multi-chain applications being developed in parallel to our operating system but more broadly, we are excited about the part we are playing in laying the foundations for true change.