Big changes often take the world by surprise. Even when a handful but not insignificant number of people can see what’s going to happen — and even when they scream and shout about the significance of such change to friends, family, colleagues, media, you name it — many, if not most, are caught off guard when the change actually happens… as if they weren’t warned.

Welcome to the blockchain community, a space that can feel like screaming into the wind when it comes to signalling the big things that are underway.

Most people may have heard about blockchain technology in one way or another. They probably have come across such buzzwords and phrases as “decentralization” and “peer-to-peer transactions” and “consensus mechanisms” and “verifications by multiple nodes.” But little tends to resonate, even with the media.

It’s a complex subject. And all too often these days, the broader implications of blockchain systems get lost in the frenzy stirred by the speculative trade in cryptocurrencies and the sometimes colorful characters who have become fabulously wealthy from the recent surge in crypto prices. Yes, blockchain forms the foundation of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Yes, the blockchain community is intrinsically tied to cryptocurrencies. Yes, there are some colorful characters in the space.

But I’m here to say that there’s so much more to the blockchain space. And I’m here to say that tectonic shifts are underway in this space, even if they’re happening under the surface and not as visible to the general public as I’d like them to be. Indeed, although we are signalling to the world that this technology is on the cusp of shepherding us into an era of a new and better internet…well…things kinda feel like screaming into the wind at the moment.

It may be years away. It may be sooner than that. But the way the world operates is poised for a radical shift. The evolution and introduction of blockchain systems will fundamentally change a variety of industries, from international trading system and health care to food quality, social media and global collaboration of all kinds.

Media certainly haven’t seemed to fully grasp the potential. There’s been a dearth of serious reporting on the space in big news outlets, and so the general public is still pretty much oblivious to it all. But investors have caught on, and that should be seen as a bellwether. From the beginning of the year through June, an estimated $12 billion have flowed to the ICOs, or initial coin offerings, offered by blockchain-related firms. That’s more than double the amount for all of 2017.

The surge in money is partly speculative, yes. But it’s also based on painstaking research and prudently crafted predictions. Just think of heavyweights like Andreessen Horowitz, which last month announced a $300m fund dedicated to helping blockchain-based ventures reach their true — indeed, revolutionary — potential.

There are many credible and visionary ventures led by visionary people in the blockchain space — a space that I’m fortunate to be working in. The venture where I work, Covee, is one of those organizations that features a visionary cast of leaders. We are pioneering a blockchain-based platform to help teams of experts from around the world collaborate on projects that can range from cancer research and quantitative financial analysis to fashion design.

What makes the Covee vision revolutionary is the one which makes the entire blockchain space revolutionary. With the advent of such technology, middlemen such as corporations and lawyers no longer become as necessary a component for collaboration on such endeavors. That’s because the blockchain’s decentralized, peer-to-peer review system empowers people with credible verification and collaboration systems.

Smart contracts that arise from blockchain technology, for example, are set to replace traditional contracts, which have for centuries been penned and overseen by — yes, you guessed it — all the middlemen who stand to removed from (or at least made less vital to) the equation.

There are so many other ventures doing equally astonishing work in the blockchain space. And what they are doing, of course, will eventually be felt the world over. For example, one day we might not have to rely on big-data monopolies such as Facebook and Google to do email or stay in touch virtually with friends and family. The blockchain is poised to replace their model of centralization, and peoples’ personal information will be far safer from the massive data breaches and misuse that plague the current system.

Anyway, what I hope to convey here is that below the noise of cryptocurrencies and speculative trading and complex jargon, big things are stirring. Soon — very soon, I hope — the rest of the world will catch up with what’s happening.

But by then, the change will probably have already happened. But at least by then, those of us who have known early on will no longer have to scream into the wind.

Please get in touch rs@covee.network!