When the Wright brothers invented the airplane in 1903, it was hard to imagine there would be over 500,000 people travelling in the air at any point in time today.
In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto invented Bitcoin and the Blockchain. For the first time in history, his invention made it possible to send money around the globe without banks, governments or any other intermediaries. Satoshi is a mystery character, and just like the Wright brothers, he solved an unsolvable problem. Whenever this happens, it inspires incredible innovation.
The concept of the Blockchain isn’t very intuitive. But still, many people believe it is a game changer. Despite its mysterious beginnings, the Blockchain might be the airplane of our time. Economist and filmmaker Manuel Stagars portrays this exciting technology in nineteen interviews with software developers, cryptologists, researchers, entrepreneurs, consultants, VCs, authors, politicians, and futurists from the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the UK, and Australia.
How can the Blockchain benefit the economies of nations? How will it change society? What does this mean for each of us? The Blockchain and Us gives a view on the topic far from hype, makes it accessible, and starts a conversation.
Manuel Stagars is an economist, film director, author, and serial entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in consulting and startups in Switzerland, the United States, Japan, and Singapore.
His current film projects focus on the potential of technology for the economies of nations, societies, and the lives of people around the world. His recent films include FinTech Made in Switzerland (2016) and The Blockchain and Us (2017). Digital Transformation (2017/18) continues his filmseries on the promises and impacts of technology in our time.
Manuel has written books and scientific articles on Fintech, startups, impact investing, data quality, and Open Data. He has a degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and several financial certifications (CFA, CAIA, ERP).
Film Credits
Conversations with (in alphabetical order)
- David Birch
Director of Innovation, Consult Hyperion
Guildford, UK - Perianne Boring
Founder & President, Chamber of Digital Commerce
Washington, USA - Christian Decker
Core Tech Engineer, Blockstream
Zurich, Switzerland - Taylor Gerring
Co-Founder, Ethereum
Zug, Switzerland - Marco Carlo Grossi
Director Audit & Risk Advisory, Deloitte Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland - Caitlin Long
Chairman of the Board & President at Symbiont.io
New York, USA - Jesse McWaters
Financial Innovation Lead, World Economic Forum (WEF)
New York, USA - Paul Meeusen
Head Finance and Treasury Services, Swiss Re
Zurich, Switzerland - Dolfi Müller
Mayor of the City of Zug
Zug, Switzerland - Matthew Roszak
Co-Founder & Chairman, Bloq
Chicago, USA - Guido Rudolphi
Founder, Cryptocash
Uster, Switzerland - Jan Seffinga
Partner, Deloitte Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland - Elizabeth Stark
Co-Founder & CEO, Lightning
San Francisco, USA - Alex Tapscott
Founder & CEO, Northwest Passage Ventures, Co-Author “Blockchain Revolution”
Toronto, Canada - Lars Thomsen
Chief Futurist & Founder, Future Matters
Zurich, Switzerland - Eric Van der Kleij
Founder Adeptra, London Tech City, Level39. Adviser UK Govt, Kickstart Accelerator
London, UK - Roger Wattenhofer
Professor, Distributed Computing Group, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
Zurich, Switzerland - Rik Willard
Founder & Managing Director, Agentic Group
New York, USA - Steve Wilson
Digital Identity Innovator & Analyst
Sydney, Australia
Additional conversations and special thanks (in alphabetical order): Iris Belle, Ben Bledsoe, Dario Duran, Marie Farrar Knowles, Olga Feldmeier, Sony Fricker, Daniel Gasteiger, Daniel Grassinger, Johs. Hoehener, Richard Kastelein, Leanne Kemp, Thomas Kern, Francine Klopfenstein, Veronica Lange, Claire LaRocca, Adriano B. Lucatelli, Christian Mäder, Ruedi Maeder, Luzius Meisser, Martin Müller, Mia Mutic, Ian Petchenik, Nathaniel Popper, Kamesh Raghavendra, Brian Rogers, Raffaela Stelzer, Elizabeth Wesson
Additional thanks (in alphabetical order): Agentic Group, Blockchain News, Blockstream, Bloq, Chamber of Digital Commerce, Constellation Research, Consult Hyperion, Cryptocash, Deloitte Switzerland, Ethereum Foundation, Everledger, Flightradar24, Future Matters, ISO-20022.ch, Lightning, Lockstep Consulting, Municipality of Zug, nexussquared, Northwest Passage Ventures, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Swiss Re, Symbiont, World Economic Forum (WEF), Zurich Airport
Recording of live air traffic courtesy of Flightradar24
Cinematography, Editing, Music & Sound Design by Manuel Stagars © 2017 Manuel Stagars
