Event ... MIT Enterprise Forum
Turning Traditional Transactional Business Models Inside-Out

MIT Enterprise Forum of NYC Presents:

Blockchain Smart Contracts: Turning Traditional Transactional Business Models Inside-Out

Smart Contracts are a new wave of innovation enabled by Blockchain technology. Quite simply, these Smart Contracts are self-executing and self-enforcing code, triggered by data that automatically executes agreement terms and stores the agreements on an immutable Blockchain. These computer instructions that execute the terms of an agreement can simplify transactions. Although these contracts are just software, it is too early to determine the legal implications of these types of transactions. They have the ability to revolutionize financial transactions. Blockchain is driving innovation, especially in the financial markets by offering efficiency and transparency on a decentralized immutable ledger.

From digital rights management to the way we collect and pay rent, to trading asset backed securities, and even facilitating the monetization of solar panels on private homes, Smart Contracts have the ability to revolutionize transactions by offering efficient and automated term structures and crystal clear transparency on a distributed ledger.

Chadbourne & Parke will host the BlockChain and Smart Contracts panel of founders and executives from the organizations that are leading the most revolutionary implementation of Smart Contracts. The event will bring together industry leaders that are driving this innovation in the financial markets. They will discuss this new wave of innovation and how it can revolutionize financial transactions while providing efficiency, transparency and trust.

Schedule:

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Registration 5:00 - 5:15
Networking Reception 5:15 - 6:15
Panel Discussion 6:15 - 7:30

Location:

CHADBOURNE & PARKE LLP
1301 6th Avenue
NEW YORK, NY 10019

Panelists:

Andrew Lippman
Associate Director, MIT Media Lab
Senior Research Scientist
Co-Director, MIT Communications Futures Program Group:
Viral Communications
Communications Futures Program

Andrew Lippman has a more than 35-year history at MIT. His work at the Media Lab has ranged from wearable computers to global digital television. Currently, he heads the Lab's Viral Communications research group, which examines scalable, real-time networks whose capacity increases with the number of members. This new approach to telephony, sensor interconnection, and broadcasting transfers 'mainframe communications' technology to distributed, personally defined, cooperative communicators. In addition, he co-directs MIT's interdisciplinary Communications Futures program. Lippman has directed research programs on digital pictures, personal computers, entertainment, and graphics, and he has served on advisory boards of technology start-ups. Currently, he is on the science councils of both non-profit and for-profit companies addressing global information infrastructures. He has written both technical and lay articles about our digital future and given over 250 presentations throughout the world on the future of information and its commercial and social impact. Lippman received both his BS and MS in electrical engineering from MIT. In 1995 he completed his PhD studies at the EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.

The MIT Media Lab announced the launch of the Digital Currency Initiative in the spring of 2015 which Andy Lippman is leading together with other MIT Media Lab researchers and global experts in cryptography, economics, privacy, distributed systems and forward-thinking policy makers. In addition, his Viral Communications Program research includes MedRec, an innovation for electronic medical records using blockchain authentication and architecture.

Todd McDonald
Co-Founder, COO R3
As Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Todd has led R3's exploration into distributed ledgers, meeting and establishing relationships with the largest venture-backed blockchain companies and recognized thought leaders in crypto-finance. Prior to R3, Todd spent fourteen years at Standard Chartered Bank in financial markets trading and management, where he held the roles of Global Head of eFX Trading and Managing Director, Head of FX Americas.

Shaul Kfir
CTO, Digital Asset

Shaul is the Chief Technology Officer at Digital Asset, a software company that builds distributed, encrypted straight through processing tools to improve efficiency, security, compliance and settlement speed. Shaul is a software engineer with a background in research cryptography at SCIPR cryptography lab and a visiting scientist at MIT CSAIL, where he gained extensive experience implementing cryptographic protocols in the field of Zero Knowledge Proofs and Computational Privacy and Integrity. He served as CTO for two previous startups in Tel Aviv. Prior to his involvement in cryptography, Shaul served as a Lieutenant Commander in the Israeli Navy, leading diverse technical teams across challenging environments.

Robert Palatnick
Managing Director and Chief Technology Architect, DTCC

Robert Palatnick is Managing Director and Chief Technology Architect, with global responsibility for IT strategy, architecture, standards and engineering design of the platforms, systems and applications underlying DTCC’s broad range of products and services. Palatnick is co-leading DTCC’s Office of Fintech Strategy and has also been leading DTCC’s technology innovation programs, including cloud, big data analytics and distributed ledger technologies. He is a member of the Governing Board of the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Project, a collaborative effort to establish, build and sustain an open, distributed ledger platform across multiple industries.

Palatnick previously served as a Domain Lead in the Application Development division of IT and was Chief Administrative Officer of Information Technology from 2003 to 2007. Palatnick joined Government Securities Clearing Corporation (GSCC), a DTCC subsidiary, in 1993 as Vice President, Information Technology. He became Managing Director and Chief Information Officer of DTCC subsidiaries GSCC (1996), Mortgage-Backed Securities Clearing Corporation (2000) and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (2003). Prior to that, Palatnick was Vice President, Development and Systems, at Security Pacific Corporation Sequor Software Services.

Palatnick received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Buffalo, and is an alumnus of the David Rockefeller fellowship.

Pramod Achanta
Partner, Financial Services Blockchain Practice Leader for North America, IBM

Pramod Achanta, Partner, Global Business Services, leads IBM’s Blockchain practice for Financial Services industry in North America. In his current role, Mr. Achanta provides strategic advice and execution support on Blockchain technologies to leading Financial Services participants. Mr. Achanta is also responsible for developing innovative solutions leveraging IBM’s blockchain and cognitive capabilities for the Financial Services industry.
Mr. Achanta is a proven leader with a successful track record of delivering complex solutions in a fast paced business environment. With his in-depth understanding of the business and technology challenges for sell-side, buy-side and market infrastructure firms, Mr. Achanta managed several transformation initiatives.
Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Achanta worked for Capco, BearingPoint and Citigroup and its affiliates performing various senior roles. Mr. Achanta received MBA with Honors from The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelors in Engineering from BITS, Pilani in India.

Hosted By:

Beth Kramer
Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Group: Fund Formation and Investment Management

Chadbourne partner Beth Kramer focuses her practice on investment management and securities law. She regularly advises investment advisers on the formation and ongoing management of funds and on the regulatory and compliance aspects of their businesses. She counsels investment companies, private funds and separately managed accounts on structuring, organization, distribution, and SEC regulatory and compliance issues, including responses to SEC examinations. Ms. Kramer’s practice includes the creation of new advisory businesses, including registration and formation with appropriate regulatory authorities, creation of disclosure documents for private funds, drafting of investment management products, evaluating fund documents for institutional investors and family offices seeking alternative investments, development of compliance policies and procedures, performing compliance reviews, representations of advisers in connection with SEC examinations, counseling clients on compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act, and adviser acquisitions. She advises clients with respect to compliance with, and exemptions from the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Beth was recognized by Legal 500 in 2014 and 2015 for her work in investment fund formation and management. She has been appointed to serve on the New York City Bar Association's Investment Management Regulation Committee for a three year term that began in September 2015. Beth regularly participates in panel presentations and conferences, including the Alternative Investment Management Association (where she is a member of the SEC working group) and the Regulatory Compliance Association, among others. Beth is also a member of the 100 Women in Hedge Funds.

Scott Naidech
Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Group: Fund Formation and Investment Management

Chadbourne partner Scott Naidech represents a broad array of private fund sponsors in the structuring, establishment and operation of their funds. He has formed buyout, growth capital, real estate and venture capital funds ranging in size from $100 million to over $16 billion of committed capital, including both geography focused and industry focused funds. In addition to private funds, he advises clients on a number of other complex business transactions, including leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as general corporate matters.

Organizer:

Cristina Dolan
Chair, MIT Enterprise Forum of NYC

Cristina Dolan is an MIT Media Lab alumna and Internet pioneer with over two decades of experience building software, content, and Internet based products and businesses.