If you’ve not been living under a rock for the past decade then you know that Blockchain is the hottest thing in the fintech industry. However, it is still a relatively new industry with the first conceptualizations in the early ’90s and then popularization of it nearly two decades later by Bitcoin and its mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto.
One of the major problems for new ventures and projects trying to gain a foothold in the new Blockchain-driven cryptocurrency industry is the inability to connect with pioneering Blockchain engineers, system architects, and developers alike.
To solve this issue, many gig-based freelancing sites have opened up in the past few years but none of them were adequately funded or maintained. As a result, it has become increasingly hard for Blockchain developers to find jobs from reputable projects. As of now the only reliable place to get good intel on which crypto project is hiring is either through syndicated Linkedin connections or a Blockchain Jobs Classifieds site Crypto.Jobs. There have been few other talent pool sites but none that have really gained enough traction.
However, all that is about to change.
The first quarter of 2021 has already seen one startup trying to make a dent in this very problem. A platform that is launched by crypto-celeb Anthony Pompliano in association with Gemini, Coinbase, and BlockFi [1].
Additionally, there is also another project that is looking to address the same issue and trying to solve the problem in its own way. Block Desk – the subject of today’s interview. Block Desk is an expert oriented service provider platform for the Blockchain industry and is aiming to become a market leader in this field.
The man behind Block Desk is Edward or popularly known as Crypto Beast among Peercoin, Vsystems, and Primecoin fans. I had a chance to ask Crypto Beast a few questions about his new venture and the following is a transcript of that conversation.
Logan: Hey so this is a new start for you, can you tell me a bit about your history prior to Block Desk?
CB: Hey, so my name’s Edward but I really prefer Crypto Beast haha! I have been working as a Business development manager in the crypto industry for many years now. I’ve worked with Primecoin, Vsystems, Tachyon Protocol, Nash Komodo, and many others. And yes this is my foray into a blockchain centric talent pool site. Hoping for the best.
Logan: Great! So can you tell me a bit about the people behind this project or is it just you?
CB: No, not entirely alone we have a tech team and Sunny King is advising me on this project. We intentionally kept the team small because this isn’t an ICO and we aren’t selling anything.
Logan: Good to know that Sunny’s on board as an advisor, so is there a launch date planned yet?
CB: We’re launching the alpha version of the platform first. No fixed date, but we’re aiming for late Q1 for the alpha.
Logan: So how would you define this platform to an average person? What is Block Desk?
CB: Simply put, it is a platform where projects can go to hire experts in Blockchain development, business development, marketing or project managers, advisors. Experts with non-developmental or technical skills can also call Block Desk their home as our platform welcomes educators, content creators, marketers, advisors, etc. With Block Desk we aim to reduce the struggles faced by projects and freelancers when it comes to finding trustworthy people to work with remotely.
Logan: So tell me why does Block Desk exist? Why did you want to go down this path and what issues are you really trying to overcome or address here?
CB: Well Logan you see I’ve been working in this industry for a while now as you know, I’ve seen the struggle on both ends, I’ve seen projects hiring wrong people and then screwing something up, either losing the confidence from the community with faulty code or just their product breaking down and not working as they are supposed to because of inexperienced developers. I’ve also seen and experienced the lack of a platform where the employer can put the money in an escrow and just sit back and relax as their chosen freelancer works to deliver what’s been asked for. And this goes both ways, the freelancers too can just work with peace of mind knowing that they’d get paid for sure at the end of the job.
Logan: That’s good! I have always been an advocator of products that solve an issue. I believe that the best ideas are the ones that solve a problem, so you’ve definitely got my attention there. Tell me more, how would this be executed, what are you doing with the escrow system?
CB: First, we will launch the Alpha version allow experts from around the world to apply and offer their services, populating our databases. Then onwards, between every employer and employee, there will be an agreement that’ll go through our unique USDC smart contract, which will act as the escrow gate.
Logan: And a dispute resolution mechanism?
CB: Yes that too! There’ll be a dispute resolution mechanism as well.
Logan: Cool! So what lies beyond this? How do you plan or standing out?
CB: We actually want to keep it simple. Nothing crazy because at heart Block Desk is a service provider platform for the Blockchain industry. However, I’ve been working behind the scenes a lot for the past year to get Block Desk ready for this 2021 launch.
The additional things that might stand out would be our native cryptocurrency which would be used for payments on the platform alongside USDC.
There will be a news section where news pieces would be written by our vetted experts’ team.
We’re also eager to have educational content for novices in the crypto world. Wouldn’t matter if you are an average Joe, a trader, or a CEO, there will be expert guidance for people of every level.
We’re also planning to do something with the Staking economy plus some other things but we’ll release more info on that later.
Logan: Very cool indeed! Wasn’t expecting the Staking bomb but hey I should have expected that since Sunny’s involved. So, where can people reach you or the platform? Do you have a community set up yet?
CB: haha yeah the King of Staking is with us!
And yes you can join our community on
Discord : https://discord.gg/qvRw2Vf6yQ
Telegram : https://t.me/joinchat/HJKxZUt0j4oW9fpsPyCn-A
Logan: Okay great! Thanks for talking to me about Block Desk I am certainly going to sign up and post my profile up there when I go looking for a job or two.
CB: No problem! Always a pleasure to talk to you.
And that was it!
Stay tuned to thecoinmagazine.com as we bring you more similar updates about new projects and the crypto world in general!
