Blockchain. It’s a word that can be seen everywhere from the pages of business magazines to the websites of global professional services and tech companies. What began as the technical undergirding of the anonymous cryptocurrency bitcoin is now poised to revolutionize life as we know it by enabling the sharing of immutable contracts and records via trustless, transparent systems that remove middle men. The nascent blockchain has the potential to disrupt nearly every industry and could change the future of jobs globally for generations to come.

Join us as we bring together the area’s blockchain thought leaders for a morning of exploration on this fascinating disruptive technology.

Speakers include:

• Marc West, Chief Technology Officer of Fiserv

• Jennifer O’Rourke, Illinois Blockchain Business Liaison and Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology for the State of Illinois

• Lamont Black, Assistant Professor of Finance at DePaul University

Presentations will be followed by a panel discussion on blockchain and industry moderated by Dr. David Krause, finance professor and director of Marquette’s Applied Investment Management Program and featuring the following panelists:

• Bob Cornell, Lead Emerging Technology Analyst at Northwestern Mutual

• Bill Caraher, Chief Information Officer at von Briesen & Roper

• Michael Adam, CEO of BankMyBiz.com and Founder of DocLaunch

• Girish Ramachandra, Senior Manager for Market and Solutions at WIPFLI

• Derek Urben, CFO and Director of Business Development at Coinigy

Doors will open at 8 a.m. for networking and a light continental breakfast, followed by presentations starting at 8:30 a.m.

The Milwaukee Blockchain Conference, an event of Milwaukee Startup Week, is sponsored by:

Marquette University College of Business Administration

Marquette Center for Cyber Security Awareness and Cyber Defense

Questions about the Milwaukee Blockchain Conference can be directed to Heather Sullivan, associate director of external relations for Marquette's College of Business Administration, at heather.sullivan@marquette.edu.