Charleston SC - South Carolina Blockchain, PalmettoChain, Inc., and the McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina are co-sponsoring the inaugural South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge.
“Our goal is to inspire entrepreneurs and innovators to apply blockchain technology to industries like supply chain, agriculture, real estate, transportation, law, and many more,” said Dr. Dirk Brown, Faculty Director, McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise.
“We want to encourage all South Carolinians, UofSC students, and teams worldwide to develop and propose next generation solutions to present-day problems,” said Dennis Fassuliotis, PalmettoChain, Inc., Executive Director and co-founder of South Carolina Blockchain, Inc. “This is a world-class competition intended to focus on our state’s emerging tech industry and also encourage introductions and partnerships with teams from other states and around the world.”
Up to $6,000 in prize money is available, including a special bracket for UofSC student-driven entries. Ideas will be developed online in StartupWind, using an idea concept card, a business model canvas, a proof-of-concept submission, and a budget.
Idea canvases will be judged by blockchain industry leaders, including W. Scott Stornetta, indisputably, one of the founding fathers of blockchain technology, and Shawnna Hoffman, Global Blockchain Offering Leader for IBM Watson Health. Other judges include Gerald Gallagher, Dr. Gerald Dwyer, Francoise Birnholz, Patrick Hidalgo, Eric Thome, Kim Christ, Jacob Hall, Audra Hall and other seasoned investors and entrepreneurs. Submissions will be evaluated on (1) how compelling the idea is; (2) presentation of blockchain use-cases with South Carolinians in mind; and (3) how realistic the solution is to implement.
The competition was formally announced at the Resilience SC 2020 Virtual Blockchain Conference hosted by South Carolina Blockchain, Inc. on July 15, 2020. Details of the competition can be found at https://southcarolinablockchain.org/challenge/. A complete record of the live conference can be found on the South Carolina Blockchain YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FreRa4b9sFY&t=3s.
A separate student bracket of the competition is open to UofSC students, including all campuses and the Palmetto College. Individuals and teams of any size may submit idea canvases and proofs-of-concept utilizing a blockchain platform of their choice. A dedicated portion of the award money is reserved for UofSC students and student teams will also be eligible for the public bracket prizes. Please read the eligibility, entry, judging and additional terms before submitting your idea canvas and proof-of-concept.
The competition is open to teams worldwide, however, to inspire its economic development initiative, one member of the team must be a SC resident.
Entries are due Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at 11 p.m. EST.
Winners will be announced August 19, 2020.
Visit our webpage to get started on your application.
For more information, contact Katherine Swartz Hilton at kmswartz@mailbox.sc.edu, 803.777.1717 or Mark Driver at mark@southcarolinablockchain.org, 478.607.9173.
About South Carolina Blockchain, Inc. and Palmetto Chain, Inc.
South Carolina Blockchain, Inc. is a Public-benefit corporation (B-Corp) focused on educating South Carolinians and others about practical applications, use-cases and opportunities for blockchain technology in the Palmetto State. By highlighting projects, partnering with educators, fostering a blockchain community and evangelizing on blockchain-related emerging technologies; South Carolina Blockchain, Inc. seeks to promote economic development in the state through evolutionary and revolutionary innovation and entrepreneurism.
Separately, Palmetto Chain continues to focus on advocacy and legislative initiatives to promote a conducive regulatory framework for blockchain-enabled technologies, primarily cryptocurrencies and coin offerings, which represent a critically important foundation and functionality underpinning future blockchain business solutions. PalmettoChain, Inc., was founded in 2018, and is a SC non-profit association also supporting the development of the State’s own blockchain utility to serve the governments, businesses and citizens of South Carolina.
Media Contact: Dennis Fassuliotis, Executive Director, Palmetto Chain, Inc., Co-founder of South Carolina Blockchain, Inc. 843.270.1016 dennis@southcarolinablockchain.org.
About the McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina
The McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina promotes scholarly activity, educates students about the role of free enterprise and entrepreneurship in enhancing economic growth, and encourages students to contribute and participate through entrepreneurship in creating a better America.
The Institute is funded through the generosity of Robert and Janice McNair Foundation which also funds centers at multiple other universities across the nation supporting entrepreneurship and free enterprise education. Under the guiding vision of Robert and Janice McNair, the foundation is committed to developing a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders who have both the technical skills and the philosophical understanding of how the free enterprise system forms the basis of economic opportunity and prosperity for individuals in our country.