In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by James Sowers an Angel Investor, and Co-Host of Exploring the Block. Before James got into early stage investing, he was always interested in buying and selling, even as a child he was self proclaimed hustler. James jumped into investing after he purchased his first Bitcoin in 2013 and then moved into crowd funding. James gives his advice to people who want to jump into the ICO space and what they should keep their eye on. The crypto, blockchain and ICO world is rapidly growing and evolving and James give us his views on its evolution and where he sees it moving. In this episode, you’ll also get James’s take on the challenges in this space,

the risks he sees and immediate opportunities to pursue.

About James- James is An experienced angel Investor, featured speaker @ MIT Media labs and blockchain strategy advisor. Mentor @ alchemist Accelerator Director @ Greater  Good Society . He is a mentor for CS359B at Stanford University Designing Decentralized Applications on Blockchain. James believes in joining the best founders in projects that are creating the future as we know it .

He as been quoted saying:

"The key to redefining a category is to see possibly where others don't".

"Talent is hitting a target no one else can hit

“Genius is hitting a target no one else can see"

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by Nikolai Oreshkin of Elysium Venture Capital . After Nikolai sold his first company, one of the first private internet providers in Belarus, he moved to Silicon Valley and began to primarily focus on venture capital investment in blockchain. Nikolai shares his advice on investing in blockchain startups and what to look for. He also gives his views on how the industry is evolving and his view on what is trending. You’ll also learn his investment thesis in the blockchain sector as well as challenges and risks along the way.

About Elysium Venture Capital - Elysium Venture Capital is a premier investment management group focused on helping high growth technology companies access the global market. With strong ties in Silicon Valley, Europe, and China, the group runs venture funds, fund-of-funds, and special purpose investment vehicles across the world. Members of the group are world famous tech entrepreneurs, founders of publicly traded companies, and professional investors. With hands-on experience, Elysium VC  invests in the most promising innovative companies and bridges the gap in emerging tech across North America, Europe, and Asia.

About Nikolai- Nikolai is an investment professional and experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record in bringing early-stage technology from idea to disruptive growth. For more than 5 years of investment experience across the US, Europe, and China, Nikolai was involved in over 30 transactions, including cross-border and M&A, valued at more than $1,5 billion USD. Previously, Nikolai founded an ISP and was one of the first entrepreneurs who offered internet access to people of Belarus and promoted the use of social networks. Crypto-holder since early 2011.