LAB Radio
Together let’s count all the votes Carlos Torriellos is changing the political system in Latin America. He is the face of a volunteer group, consisting of concerned citizens in Guatemala, called Fiscal Digital. This translates to, “The Digital Witness”. Their goal is to certify post-election paper ballot results in a corrupt and broken system. Last year, in mid 2019, Guatemala held an election. Everything was going fine, until doubt was cast on the official results through social media. The situation escalated quickly and no one seemed to have a solution. The election officials began...
info_outline Ep 82 - Darknet Market Research with Cedric Dahl - 1000X GroupLAB Radio
Darknets Rising The Darknet is powered by cryptocurrency. On episode 82 of LAB Radio we speak with Cedric Dahl of 1000X Group about this controversial place. Most people have heard of the Darknet, but know what really goes on or how it operates. We dispel some myths and provide insight to why crypto is used predominantly on darknet markets. Cedric, like most of us, shrugged off Bitcoin when first told by a friend. The only difference for most us the is when the clock first starts ticking. For Cedric it was 2010. By the time he became a believer, he was farther ahead of the game than...
info_outline Ep 81 - The Free Republic of LiberlandLAB Radio
The Creation of a New Nation Welcome to the Free Republic of Liberland. Wait you've never heard of this country? "Well, that's a pretty normal response", says Joey Langenbrunner, Deputy Head of Mission to the United States. Liberland is new. The micronation, like Somaliland, will have existed for 5 years on April 13th, 2020. The delegation is planning a big celebration. They are launching they're own blockchain for governance and a cryptocurrency called Merits. Although, they are starting to get recognition internationally, they are still not recognized by the UN. This micronation...
info_outline Best of 2019 - LAB Radio - Episode 80LAB Radio
This episode is LAB Radio's "Best of 2019". It's composed of several clips from guests over the past year. For many, 2019 will be one of those years in crypto that won't stand out in people's minds much. It wasn't flashy. There wasn't a lot fanfare. CNBC wasn't pumping XRP. It was quiet and people were busy building great things. I was fortunate to sit down with many amazing people this year to discuss their thoughts and contributions on the industry. Unfortunately, I had to narrow it down to just a hand full of clips but, trust me, all of our guests were fire. I know you'll enjoy hearing...
info_outline Ep 79 - Creating Effective Blockchain Legislation w/ Caitlin LongLAB Radio
Caitlin Long knows Blockchain Law Caitlin Long joins LAB Radio host Chris Groshong, just days after resigning from the Wyoming Blockchain Taskforce. I had asked her specifically to come on the show to comment on concepts the newly formed California Blockchain Taskforce can glean from her pioneering efforts. We waste no time getting into the issues around the Uniform Law Commission's (ULC) Uniform Regulation of Virtual Currencies Businesses Act or URVCBA. Particularly the supplemental portion which strips the property rights of owners. Ms. Long says if we're not careful we may only recognize...
info_outline Ep 78 - The Crypto Curator, Paul McNealLAB Radio
The Crypto Curator, Paul McNeal The first person I met at the conference was the always smiling, Crypto Curator, Paul McNeal. I had no idea Paul was the host of a crypto news show, but after talking to him, I knew he had the chops and would make a great guest for LAB Radio. Paul's path into crypto took a circuitous route to say the least. Like many, he was able to leverage a previous skillset to help him land where he is today. Initially Paul heard about Bitcoin from the by . This officially made him the "go-to" Bitcoin guy when the monthly Chamber of Commerce Tech...
info_outline Ep77 -Lourdes Miranda, Crypto Financial Crimes AnalystLAB Radio
Money Launderers Beware Cryptocurrency Analyst and Financial Crimes Investigator, Lourdes Miranda joins us for episode 77 on LAB Radio. Lourdes’ expertise lies in her years working from a compliance and financial crimes angle. Her knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act led her to a career in the intelligence community, primarily the CIA. She knows the ins and outs of how money launderers operate. So when she was approached to join, admittedly she didnt know much about cryptocurrencies. That didnt bother the Agency one bit. She told their cyber security teams, if they taught...
info_outline Ep 76 - Hannah Rosenberg - Chicago's Queen of CryptoLAB Radio
Chicago's Queen of Crypto When I noticed the talented Hannah Rosenberg would be speaking at the conference, you have no idea how happy I became. I had recently visited Chicago at the end of August and I was able to sit down with Hannah and record an episode. Unfortunately, the recording had some technical issues and it was unusable. I wasn't going to let a second opportunity slip by. Hannah got started in crypto back in 2014 and is one of the most involved and passionate people in the industry. She is the Managing Director of the Blockchain Institute, the Lead...
info_outline Ep 75 - Celsius Network - Providing benefit above all elseLAB Radio
Celsius Network is changing the game I was thrilled to interview, not only one of the Celsius Network top brass, but two at the same time. We rarely get a duo as dynamic as CEO, Alex Mashinsky and Head of Global Partnerships, Leah Jonas. I knew this was going to be fun and informative. You don’t have to go deep into a search for the name Alex Mashinsky before you uncover a plethora of amazing feats. Not only does Alex have an eye for the future, but he understands what it takes to get there. A big part of “getting there” is surrounding yourself with amazing people...
info_outline Ep 74 - "Where's my Crypto Insurance?" - InsureYourBitLAB Radio
Our guest on episode 74 of LAB Radio is InsureYourBit’s founder, Doug Moeller. Doug is passionate about providing crypto related insurance to individuals and entities who regularly use uninsured third party custodians as a regular part of their business. Stay in crypto long enough and you will eventually hear of or be a part of an exchange hack. US based residents who are used to traditional financial services, like banking, are familiar depositors insurance. They receive this as part of the banks agreement with the FDIC. However, the FDIC only insures one kind of deposit, US...
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Chris Wittenborn, Business Development and Strategy at Velocity Markets
On episode 70 of LAB Radio, Velocity Markets’, Chris Wittenborn chats with your host Chris Groshong from Bitcoin2019.
Chris first heard about Bitcoin back in 2010. He read the whitepaper, but couldn’t get around the fact that he meet someone in parking lot to buy bitcoins. After growing up in Chicago, he moved to Colorado for better winters, great skiing and to pursue a degree at the University of Colorado Boulder. He landed a research job with a little finance firm locally and was given some sage advice to go East.
It was in 2011 when Chris headed to New York and where he really dug into the financial world. In 2017 there was lots of rumblings about the Institutional world coming into the crypto space. Being on the Institutional side, he knew that ecosystem was not ready to support Institutional grade customers. Therefore, he left to start providing institutional consulting for Exchanges and Private Equity companies building products.
“Shorthop is an institutional caliber exchange technology in the hands of the retail user”
-Chris Wittenborn
Velocity Markets is the parent company for Shorthop, an institutional caliber exchange technology in the hands of the retail user. Shorthop aggregates liquidity across several markets to provide its users the best possible price. The user no longer has to worry about which exchange to transact on or moving funds around. The user only has to focus on their desired outcomes, Shorthop does the rest.
They have different levels of services for different levels of clients based on their sophistication. They really focus on providing the user, whether its a Hedge Fund or an individual, with the best execution possible across a wide variety of exchanges. Initially, they are launching in California. Over the next several months, as they receive money transmission licenses, they will be opening up their platforms to other jurisdiction within the United States.
Recently, Chris Wittenborn has been spending his time working on leveraging their existing Broker/Dealer license to launch a digital securities exchange. This exchange would be separate from Shorthop and only be available to institutions and accredited investors. Creating a secondary market for compliant offerings is the future. The company Circle was recently able to achieve this, which is promising for Chris and the Velocity Markets team.
In this episode Chris Wittenborn discusses:
- Insight to the advice he was giving companies building for institutional clients
- Bitcoin Volatility and whether aggregating price will reduce volatility.
- Their efforts to launch a Finra registered digital securities asset exchange component.
- How he approaches is job and how he stays engaged.
- How he and his cofounders came together.
- What he would change about the industry.
Further Reading and Resources:
Chris Wittenborn, Business Development and Strategy at Velocity Markets | LinkedIn | Twitter | Email