Blockchain at Berkeley, new opportunities from Covid-19

The world of education meets blockchain technology: this is the mission of Blockchain at Berkeley. It is a community created by a group of students who aim to provide knowledge and advice about the world of blockchain. 

They were originally known as the Berkeley Bitcoin Association Group in 2016. The stated goal from the beginning is to become a hub in the “East Bay”, i.e. in San Francisco, where they are based. 

They have already made history as they created the first accredited course on blockchain for university students, Blockchain Fundamentals.

The group soon grew from an initial dozen members to today’s structure of about 100 people who are students, but also consultants, designers, developers, educators, researchers, but most importantly, fans of blockchain technology. 

The projects of Blockchain at Berkeley in the days of Covid

The focus remains on blockchain courses, which are now a trend in the US, but the people at Blockchain at Berkeley have also created several interesting projects. Of these, the Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator stands out. It is an accelerator dedicated to entrepreneurs who want to enter the blockchain world. They have a team of experts not only from Blockchain at Berkeley but also from Berkeley Engineering’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and the Haas School of Business.

In this time of economic crisis, they are distinguishing themselves for a unique initiative: they have made their Xcelerator available to young talents who have lost job opportunities due to Covid-19. As you can read from their Twitter profile, they have opened the applications on the website and will make sure to allocate young people left without an opportunity to the more than 30 companies in their portfolio. 

(1/2) Have you lost an internship this summer due to Covid-19 or are interested in working at a high-growth blockchain startup? If so, the @BB_Xcelerator would like to invite you to apply to our portfolio companies through our jobs portal! Just like you would YC’s

— Blockchain at Berkeley (@CalBlockchain) May 9, 2020

Precisely the accelerator recently announced the creation of an app for tracking the contagion, called Coalition, which is already available on Google Play and aims to be a weapon against the pandemic that has hit the United States very hard.

A bit like Immuni in Italy, which however is not yet available. 

In short, it seems that the Coronavirus has not stopped Blockchain at Berkeley, the members of which have been able to take advantage of new opportunities arising from the pandemic.