The third Satoshi Roundtable retreat once again brings together industry leaders at a private resort for deep discussions on bitcoin and blockchain technology. The gathering, limited in size to approximately 100 industry members and known as one of the key events in the blockchain world, takes place at a resort in North America later this month.
This month, top developers, executives, and influencers will explore various topics and issues facing the industry. Attendees include Dr. Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, Dr. Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock, Johnathan Johnson, President of T0, Erik Voorhees, CEO of Shapeshift, Roger Ver, CEO of Bitcoin.com, leading developers like Peter Todd and Eric Lombrozo amongst many others.
The members include a variety of leaders working with Bitcoin, Hyperledger, Ethereum, other blockchain apps, digital token and coin sponsors, advocacy groups and others from the broad blockchain ecosystem. Participants include C-level executives and founders of Netki, Decentral, Unsung, ConsensSys, Ledger, Bitfury, Open Bazaar, C4, Polychain, Civic, Bitt, Bitgo, Storj, Ethereum, Dash, Bitfinex, Circle, Monero, Genesis Mining, Auger, Bitstamp, Align Commerce, Veriblock and others. Senior blockchain executives from larger organizations such as Fidelity Investments, IBM and the World Bank also participate. Jerry Britto, Executive Director of leading cryptocurrency policy group, Coin Center will lead a discussion on regulation which will include a talk from US Congressman Cynthia Lummis, on how the industry can most effectively avoid harmful regulations. Confirmed attendees also include Alan Cohn of the Blockchain Alliance, Llew Claasen, Executive Director of the Bitcoin Foundation, subject matter experts such as attorney Carol van Cleef, investors such as Ben Davenport and Simon Dixon, academics such as Emin Gün Sirer of Princeton, various early adopters, authors and influencers.
Aside from the all-star attendee list, the retreat also breaks from other events in its format and design. Using "open space technology" or a decentralized "unconference" format, the Roundtable has few formal keynote style talks, or even scheduled sessions, and instead focuses on participant-driven discussion and organic content and scheduling. "Since everyone is qualified to be a speaker, we don't differentiate between attendees. The seats are arranged in circles and the group together decides the direction of the sessions based on what is most useful to them.", said Bruce Fenton, CEO of Atlantic Financial and the event's host. "One thing people enjoy about conventional conferences most, is side discussions in the hallway or at meals. At The Satoshi Roundtable we design the entire event to foster and facilitate this type of deep, meaningful discussion among peers whether it's the whole room, a dozen people, or a breakaway with three people who share a very specific common interest." Since attendees are carefully selected, participants are more comfortable and can jump into advanced conversations more quickly. Media interaction is off the record and entrepreneurs are encouraged to move out of "pitch mode".
The schedule includes several group meals, two full days in the Roundtable sessions, coffee meetings and cocktail parties, as well as significant time for breakaway discussions, informal gatherings and entertainment. Activities such as golf, water skiing, yoga, tennis, and optional evening poker, strategy and tabletop board games are also organized. Families and children are also welcome to attend the event and the venue offers childcare and numerous activities.
To receive an invite, prospective attendees typically must be founders or C-level execs of funded startups, senior blockchain focused executives at major corporations, active investors, accomplished developers, or leading academics, notable authors and influencers. Interested parties can request a waitlist or invitation from the hosts.