NEW YORK, NY; July 6, 2017 — The Blockchain for Social Impact Coalition (BSIC), a ConsenSys initiative, has formed to leverage the power of the Ethereum blockchain for those in need. BSIC aims to incubate, develop, and implement blockchain solutions that are investable, scalable and replicable, while solving social and environmental problems. This will demonstrate the promise of blockchain technology to increase transparency, accountability and efficiency in humanitarian organizations, and improve the lives of the individuals they aid.

The inaugural meeting brought together more than 30 representatives from 22 member organizations including EduDao, Disberse, High Tech Humanitarians, Logos Global Advisors, MIT Solve, New America: Future Property Rights, Nordic Impact, slavefreetrade, Sustainability International, the World Wildlife Fund, ALICE, and Tata Consultancy Services. Participants discussed existing pain points in their work, foreseeable challenges in collaboration across sectors, and their vision of blockchain use cases in the humanitarian space.

BSIC has identified four target areas as initial launch points: Identity & Vulnerable Populations, Energy & Environment, Supply Chain, and Financial Inclusion. Members will self-select into Working Groups to collaborate on one of these specific areas. The Working Groups meet once a month to identify key initiatives, give feedback on existing projects, and craft out strategy to accelerate blockchain adoption. In addition to Working Groups, BSIC is creating a network of decentralized meetups, open to the general public, and has already launched events in New York, London, and Washington D.C. while looking to expand globally.

Central to BSIC’s initial activities is a month-long virtual Hackathon to be held later this year. Teams will have access to humanitarian and technical experts virtually, as well as through localized in-person events. The Hackathon will take into account feedback and challenges identified by the meetups and Working Groups, and gather leading experts and technologists to help guide teams towards creating innovative solutions. The proof of concepts created during the hackathon will form the basis of MVP development delivering investable opportunities and solutions to for impact oriented organizations.

“We now have a confederated group of organizations, from a broad range of impact sectors, dedicated to exploring the potential blockchain technology has to aid those in need, and to creating, testing, and implementing the necessary solutions” — Ben Siegel, Impact Policy Manager at ConsenSys.

For more information on the Blockchain for Social Impact Coalition, contact Ben Siegel (ben.siegel@consensys.net) or Vanessa Grellet (vanessa.grellet@consensys.net), and check out our website, Twitter and Facebook.

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