6 Questions for Lynn Liss of Akoin

2 years ago

We inquire the buidlers successful the blockchain and cryptocurrency assemblage for their thoughts connected the industry… and propulsion successful a fewer random zingers to support them connected their toes!


This week, our 6 Questions spell to Lynn Liss, the main operating serviceman and co-founder of Akoin, a cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem designed to empower entrepreneurship and substance rising entrepreneurs successful Africa.

Lynn Liss serves arsenic main operating serviceman of blockchain institution and cryptocurrency Akoin, co-founded with planetary person Akon. She is an operations enforcement and societal interaction person driving fiscal revolutions, gathering empowering exertion and concern models, and forging strategy, partnerships and teams for monolithic societal change. Steering Akoin’s ngo to empower entrepreneurship and fiscal inclusion crossed Africa, she brings much than 10 years successful the societal interaction and startup assemblage to the array arsenic good arsenic different 10 years arsenic a absorption advisor advising, executing and operating innovative concern and fiscal models for satellite alteration with C-level executives astatine apical planetary firms. Lynn was a archetypal mover successful the “blockchain for good” space, providing enforcement proposal to blockchain companies and caller cryptocurrencies and blockchains with a societal impact.


1 — What benignant of consolidation bash you expect to spot successful the crypto manufacture successful 2022?

Well, we’re surely successful the protocol wars close present betwixt L1s, L2s, and each locomotion of beingness successful betwixt and astir the protocol space. While the thought of interoperability allows galore protocols to beryllium simultaneously, the abstraction won’t necessitate the existent magnitude that’s being envisioned oregon is coming to life. That said, having these assorted models to some technically and financially measure and find wherever and however you privation to acquisition them, coupled with the axenic “competition makes you stronger” mentality, causes the platforms to sharpen their attack and level by the minute. It’s beyond thrilling to ticker specified a race! 

We each payment from the plethora of beardown protocol options conscionable getting amended and better, including the attack for interoperability simultaneously getting stronger from an manufacture position and however we follow these tools into our toolset. So, consolidation, yes, but existing unneurotic and cross-chain — besides yes. 

I’m precise encouraged by the sheer fig of projects being launched close now. In my opinion, we’re witnessing a “renaissance” successful the blockchain abstraction wherever determination are nary incorrect answers. This volition not past indefinitely, arsenic is ever the case, emerging usage cases volition render others obsolete, antithetic mechanics volition beryllium well-received, portion others won’t be. This volition successful crook pb to the adjacent gen of blockchain applications launching with overmuch higher fidelity from a UX position arsenic good arsenic beardown firm structures and operational procedures. This modulation from “experiment” to “use case” arsenic an overarching manufacture ethos is going to beryllium fascinating to ticker successful the coming months and years.

2 — What volition hap to Bitcoin and Ethereum implicit the adjacent 10 years?

Speaking of “walks,” I conscionable took 1 with a person successful the vicinity who is comparatively caller to the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, and recovered myself suggesting that a “toe successful the water” would beryllium to put successful a fewer of the large currencies and protocols arsenic a starting constituent via wallets specified arsenic Coinbase. Given Bitcoin and Ether are the astir commonplace stepping chromatic for the masses (there are 1 oregon 2 others I added to that list, and Bitcoin is excessively volatile for my liking), these OG players evidently aren’t going anywhere, and fixed the size of the the communities that enactment them, they’ll proceed to thrust manufacture innovation on with the caller L1s and L2s described above. As others emergence up, we’ll spot stronger contention and much interoperability with these majors. This is besides wherever astir companies archetypal commencement to see receiving cryptocurrency for basal payments, which leaves nary uncertainty successful making these currencies adjacent stronger and not spell anyplace anytime soon.

What’s much absorbing to maine is which of the up-and-coming L1’s and L2’s related currencies volition emergence to the apical and statesman getting adopted by the lesser crypto-savvy players. My forecast is that erstwhile it comes to circumstantial manufacture lanes (i.e., marketplace sectors specified arsenic lending each the mode to geographics, similar what we’re doing with Akoin successful Africa), galore altcoins volition emergence up into the apical 20 and go much commonplace and utilized for mundane activities. This is the spot wherever you’ll find users who truly attraction astir a circumstantial marketplace oregon space, that privation much worth and inferior past the existent offerings provide, and are seeking solutions customized to their needs. These users volition go much and much comfy holding those assets, not from an concern perspective, but from a existent inferior and regular usage perspective, which is the beatified grail. 

Doubling backmost to the archetypal question, the world is that these main protocols aren’t going anywhere, peculiarly arsenic acold arsenic Bitcoin is concerned, arsenic it represents the “gold” equivalent to a store of worth connected the blockchain. Ethereum, connected the different hand, is acold much analogous to an operating strategy than thing else. The payment of Ethereum is the changeless attraction to upgrades and usability. While it’s presently price-prohibitive owed to a big of reasons — not the slightest of which being exorbitant state fees — the emergence of L2 solutions alteration Ethereum to fundamentally cannibalize the utile mechanics it comes crossed portion discarding the little useful. As a result, I spot Ethereum remaining arsenic the ascendant L1 for years to come, with Bitcoin retaining its presumption arsenic the superior store of worth connected the blockchain.

3 — When you archer radical you’re successful the blockchain industry, however bash they react?

I’m blessed to study that, generally, radical are little amazed and perplexed astir what the heck that means than 2 years ago, erstwhile the ICO craze was taking the satellite by storm. While inactive precise nascent, blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies person recovered their mode into accepted banking, authorities agencies and luck 500s, each the mode to radical holding a fewer of the large cryptocurrencies. There seems to beryllium a higher comfortableness level with making basal payments successful crypto, determination is little perplexion and much curiosity these days. That curiosity coupled with radical and large companies consenting to dip their toes successful the blockchain waters is wherever large crypto adoption volition occur, and we’re thrilled to beryllium capable to fig it retired together. This is what gets maine astir excited — to beryllium astatine that tipping constituent betwixt an “emerging exertion paradigm” and wide adoption into manufacture standard.  With that, myself and others, who person been successful the abstraction for a agelong clip and privation to spot this manufacture grow, enthusiastically instrumentality the clip to locomotion and speech the newbies done it.  In doing so, you sharpen the communicative and the pathway, and forge however everyone volition find their mode into this abstraction immoderate mode oregon the other.  This each keeps america excited, and connected our toes too!

4 — List your favourite sports teams, and take the azygous astir memorable infinitesimal from watching them. If you aren’t a sports fan, take a fewer movies and a moment!

Ask my hubby — I had to inquire him who was playing astatine the Super Bowl, and we unrecorded successful Los Angeles. When it comes to movies, anyone who knows maine good knows that Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” from the movie 8 Mile will beryllium playing astatine my funeral, (unless we beryllium successful different interdimensional level by then, but that’s for different question). That infinitesimal connected signifier and the lyrics sum it each up.

5 — Where bash you basal connected alien quality and the beingness of beingness elsewhere successful the universe?

I person nary uncertainty connected the “existence of beingness elsewhere successful the universe” front, truthful a resounding “Yes.” For a heavy dive connected each things “alien intelligence” and whether we’ve been visited by specified forces present connected Earth, you’d person to inquire my husband, Ira Liss, who is simply a semi-expert connected the matter. I stay openly curious, arsenic with each things.

6 — Other than the contiguous day, successful what clip and successful which state would you similar to person lived?

I had to truly deliberation astir this one, from the glamor and sensational euphony of the 1920s into the 30s coming from the jazz renaissance happening successful Paris, to New York successful the 40s and 50s with its eclectic literate circles and swanky gatherings. That said, I wouldn’t take to beryllium anyplace other but my contiguous spot and time. One of my favourite sayings is: “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is simply a mystery, but contiguous is simply a gift! That is wherefore it is called the present.” Many fantastic radical person been credited with creating this quote, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Bil Keane and more. This resonates for maine connected a regular basis, arsenic making the astir of each time and the magical vigor that surrounds you is genuinely a gift.

A privation for the young, ambitious blockchain community?

Continued curiosity, experimentation and innovation. 

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