North Carolina is often described as a FinTech hub because Bank of America and Wells Fargo are embedded into Charlotte's economy. But evidence for disruptive FinTech startups is quite thin. If one uses inclusion of evolving blockchain technology into FinTech as evidence of real innovation, the only Charlotte businesses that "get" the blockchain are Encrypted Labs and my tiny outfit, Kleverer.com. Kleverer has no track record, but access to a potentially disruptive data monetization and blockchain relevant patent portfolio. Encrypted Labs is perhaps on the verge of a breakthrough for mobile use of the blockchain by consumers as well as enterprises. Packard Place, which touted itself as a FinTech accelerator has devolved into an office space leasing operation for emerging firms that, at best, supplement traditional FinTech operations. Even in the Triangle, where Red Hat and IBM have extensive developer networks, there is little real evidence of the kind of breakout thinking we are seeing from Microsoft and other technology hubs across the world.
Multiple meetups and hackathons reflect the emergence of a real community and a competent developer pool. At this point, North Carolina has only three blockchain meetups I am aware of. FinTech is naturally conservative. The regulatory environment and the levels of risk necessitate conservatism. While there is money and a plethora of intellectual capital in North Carolina, we have a shortage of vision from a tech community that is trapped in the the centralized enterprise apps of the past. I hope leaders emerge and that the "old guard" pivots. This is a crucial time in history. Decentralized or hybrid enterprise and decentralized peer to peer trust networks are inevitable. Start learning about and integrating blockchain technology into your vision of the future. And when people tell you about the risks inherent in the shift, remember what happened - if you are old enough - when the first internet enabled search engines emerged. All that porn popping into your browser, but also all that other information that shapes who we are these days. There will be an Arab Spring for blockchain, with the concomitant tragedy and opportunity of all revolutions. Banning mobile phones could stop the march of change. How long did it take you to buy one?
