Welcome to Berkeley Blocks! Born in Berkeley, this newsletter aims to educate folks on Blockchain technology and gives you an opportunity to get involved with the space. Both the authors of this newsletter have a combined experience of 7+ years in the blockchain space working with top firms in crypto trading and blockchain venture capital. Happy reading 😀
Top Story: Scott Bessent has been selected as the next Treasury Secretary. Bessent is an active advocate for blockchain and digital assets. Is this the beginning of the pro-crypto regime? Only time will tell (Read more here)
Blockchain Start-up of the week:
OpenLedger: OpenLedger is a decentralized, permissionless blockchain platform designed to enhance AI models by providing high-quality data. It enables developers to build more efficient AI models through transparent and reliable datasets, while correctly attributing and rewarding contributors for their data. During one of the conversations with close friend of mine(who is an AI researcher), I realized how big a problem data attribution is in LLMs and how it disincentivizes creators and even threatens their jobs.
The Week in Crypto:
a. Ripple poised for stablecoin launch as early as December 4th - RLUSD set to compete with existing stablecoins by Circle, Paxos and Gemini.
b. Regulatory power to go to CFTC vs SEC post the Trump administration takeover? (Read more here)
c. Ton unvelied a cross-chain bridge with Bitcoin
d. Lastly, the historic overturn of US sanctions against cryptocurrency mixer, Tornado Cash, sparks hope for us degens!
Crypto 101:
What is Consensus Mechanism?
Consensus mechanism is a set of rules and protocols, according to which different machines (also called nodes) on a decentralised network agree on the state of the network, ensuring accuracy without a central authority. Every blockchain in the world also referred to as Layer-1 firms, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana have pre-defined consensus mechanisms. For all you nerds out there here is a good read. Enjoy!
Local Spotlight: Berkeley and Bay Area Scene
Upcoming Events:
a. December 4: Discovering the Chainlink Build Program with Theoriq.ai ( Luma)
b. December 4: Crypto Founders’ Masterclass (Luma)
c. December 4: Blockchain and Business Networking (Allevents)
d. December 5: Co-Creator Spotlight (Luma)
e. December 6: Sui Community Meetup (Luma)
Reading suggestion: Digital Gold | Nathaniel Popper
Opportunities in Blockchain:
Full-Time roles:
a. Business Development at Conduit (Link)
b. Operations and Marketing Associate at Re7 Capital (Link)
c. Product Owner at Fidelity Digital Assets (Link)
d. Associate Product Manager at River (Link)
e. Senior Product Manager at Kraken (Link)
Start-up roles:
If the below opportunities sound interesting to you please contact us for additional details.
f. OpenLedger is looking for researchers in AI to join their team.
g. One of our friends is looking for a CTO for his stealth startup in BTC DeFi.
Internships:
a. Associate Product Manager Intern at Coinbase (Link)
b. Sales Intern at Coinbase (Link)
c. Product Engineering Intern at Allium (Link)
Funding rounds:
Stay Connected.
Twitter: @cesium77
Telegram: @karan_curry, @riadokania
Email: [email protected] , [email protected]
Fun Fact: The first ‘store of value’ Bitcoin transaction happened on May 22, 2010, when a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. At the time, this was worth about $41. As of December 1, 2024, that BTC is worth 975,578,690.40 USDT. Yes, you are not the only ones who lost out on yet another crypto summer 🙃
For entrepreneurs out there, feel free to contact us for intros to the VCs or mentors in the space. If you got till the end of the newsletter, we would love to hear any feedback! Also, you sharing with your friends and family interested in this would be a big help. Here is our sign up link: https://shorturl.at/fLCap
