Two announcements from the DC Blockchain Summit came from Bloq, a pioneer in the development of enterprise-grade blockchain solutions. First, the company announced the creation of BloqLabs to boost its ongoing sponsorship while bringing support to viable open-source projects in the Bitcoin and blockchain space.



Second, Bloq revealed that it will be joining the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA), an alliance that connects Fortune 500 enterprises, startups, academics and technology vendors with Ethereum thought leaders and experts. Bloq Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Garzik has been appointed to the alliance’s Technical Steering Board.

Introducing BloqLabs

According to Garzik, BloqLabs aspires to set the tone for blockchain technology, ensuring that enterprises are embracing innovations from the community’s robust ecosystem of developers.

As such, BloqLabs will support and help to develop several key projects and platforms. The initial cohort of supported projects will include Drivechain, Qtum, VeriBlock, bitcoinj and the Android Bitcoin Wallet.

“Open source is at the core of Bloq’s DNA, as both a patron and developer,” said Andreas Schildbach, developer at Bloq and the developer of the first bitcoin wallet for Android. He also maintains the bitcoinj repository primarily used in bitcoin wallets and transaction services globally. “I’m grateful for Bloq sponsoring work in open source blockchain software.”

Paul Sztorc, an economist at Bloq and chief architect behind Drivechain, concurred. “The record is clear: open source is the way to go — it’s better, faster and more secure,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have Bloq sponsor the project; few companies are this generous.”

“Businesses have been exploring blockchain technology for years now, but without widespread adoption,” said Patrick Dai, co-founder of the Qtum Project, another early recipient of BloqLabs’ support. “BloqLabs aligns with Qtum’s goal to bridge the gap between the business and technical worlds with open-source solutions that meet the commercial needs for privacy, security and, most importantly, usability.”

“BloqLabs will serve as the platform for deeper engagement between enterprises and the open source community, just like Bell Labs and Xerox Parc did for networks and technologies we use every day,” Garzik said to Bitcoin Magazine. “We’re excited to be kicking off BloqLabs with such a diverse group of projects and established leaders in bitcoin and blockchain [technology].”

Joining Forces With the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance

Further emphasizing Bloq’s commitment to broader blockchain solutions, Bloq has joined the company of Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, BNY Mellon, BG, ING, Thomson Reuters and ConsenSys, as a member of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance. Garzik has also accepted a position on the Technical Steering Board of the alliance.

Announced on February 28, 2017, the mandate of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance is to build, promote and broadly support Ethereum-based technology.

“Initiatives like the EEA and BloqLabs will be critical to connecting enterprises with open source blockchain innovation,” said Garzik. “We’re thrilled to contribute our time, energy and insights to this project, and I’m honored to be appointed to the Technical Steering Board.”

“Jeff [Garzik] is a legend of the open source community and has been one of the most prominent advocates for strong technical governance of public blockchains,” said Jeremy Millar, chief of staff of ConsenSys and board member of the EEA. “Combined with his experiences from the Linux Foundation, Red Hat and Bitcoin Core, Jeff is a tremendous addition to our technical leadership.”

Bloq delivers blockchain technology solutions for global enterprises. Its software platform enables companies to build, manage and scale solid blockchain-enabled ecosystems, all backed by enterprise-grade service and support.

Led by a team of world-class blockchain developers, entrepreneurs and investors, the company utilizes open-source technology, providing key linkages for secure interoperability with prevailing business systems. Its technology targets critical business issues surrounding security, provenance, authentication and reconciliation.

Over the past five months, Bloq has been in a major expansion mode, having acquired blockchain analytics pioneer Skry as well as co-launching Vulcan Digital Asset Services. The latter is a platform that gives digital assets utility for everyday banking, commerce and assets services, through PwC Australia.