A blockchain explanation your parents could understand | Jamie Skella | Pulse | LinkedIn

It’s happening in an increasingly frequent manner: “Jamie, explain this blockchain stuff to me. I’ve read a bunch of articles and I’m no wiser.” The problem with most blockchain explainers is that they provide more detail than what matters to most people, using language that is foreign to most people, which winds up leaving people more confused than when they started. Instead, without worrying about being a technically perfect description, here’s an explanation of blockchain your parents could understand…

Source: A blockchain explanation your parents could understand | Jamie Skella | Pulse | LinkedIn

Read More

Big law is having its Uber moment – Macleans.ca

AI-powered tools are potentially more accurate. Whether they realize it or not, even the sharpest lawyers inevitably bring their own biases to legal research. That, in turn, skews their ability to realistically gauge their chances before judges, who harbour their own preconceived notions of how law should be applied. Tax Foresight, by contrast, isn’t concerned with how a judge should rule, but rather what’s the most likely outcome based on past experience. It’s essentially Moneyball for tax lawyers.

Source: Big law is having its Uber moment – Macleans.ca

Read More

Power renaissance: Desmarais empire cozies up to tech startup enemies |

Montreal’s billionaire Desmarais family has come up with a novel approach to fend off the technology startups that threaten its financial services empire: Bring the enemies in and invite them to attack.

That alone is no guarantee of a successful transformation, according to Robert Smythe, a Toronto-based analyst with tech research firm International Data Corp. Canada. The real challenge is to figure out how to use technologies like artificial intelligence and biometrics to seamlessly offer the services people expect from companies like Great-West and IGM. On that front, Power may not be ahead of other major financial institutions, he said.“While investing in fintech companies gives you some exposure to the fintech world and might be financially lucrative — if one of them hits a home run — it does not grow internal fintech expertise,” Smythe said in an email.

Source: Power renaissance: Desmarais empire cozies up to tech startup enemies |

Read More

What Are Smart Contracts? A Beginner’s Guide to Smart Contracts

Example: Suppose you rent an apartment from me. You can do this through the blockchain by paying in cryptocurrency. You get a receipt which is held in our virtual contract; I give you the digital entry key which comes to you by a specified date. If the key doesn’t come on time, the blockchain releases a refund. If I send the key before the rental date, the function holds it releasing both the fee and key to you and me respectively when the date arrives. The system works on the If-Then premise and is witness

Actually, when it comes to smart contracts, we’re stepping into a sci-fi screen. The IT resource center, Search Compliance suggests that smart contracts may impact changes in certain industries, such as law. In that case, lawyers will transfer from writing traditional contracts to producing standardized smart contract templates, similar to the standardized traditional contracts that you’ll find on LegalZoom. Other industries such as merchant acquirers, credit companies, and accountants may also employ smart contracts for tasks, such as real time auditing and risk assessments. Actually, the website Blockchain Technologies sees smart contracts merging into a hybrid of paper and digital content where contracts are verified via blockchain and substantiated by physical copy.

Source: What Are Smart Contracts? A Beginner’s Guide to Smart Contracts

Read More

ICOs and VCs | AVC

So, while ICOs represent a new and exciting way to build (and finance) a tech company, and are a legitimate disruptive threat to the venture capital business, they are not something I am nervous about and they are not something USV is nervous about. We are excited about them when they are the right thing for our portfolio companies and we are encouraging those companies to use this new approach. We are also investing in tokens, through token funds, and directly on or own.

Thanks Chris for the find!

Source: ICOs and VCs – AVC

Read More

What is An Initial Coin Offering? The Future of Fundraising (ICO) | Blockgeeks

ICO is the abbreviation of Initial Coin Offering. It means that someone offers investors some units of a new cryptocurrency or crypto-token in exchange against cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. Since 2013 ICOs are often used to fund the development of new cryptocurrencies. The pre-created token can be easily sold and traded on all cryptocurrency exchanges if there is demand for them. With the success of Ethereum ICO are more and more used to fund the development of a crypto project by releasing token which is somehow integrated into the project. With this turn, ICO has become a tool that could revolutionize not just currency but the whole financial system. ICO token could become the securities and shares of tomorrow.< /blockquote>

Source: What is An Initial Coin Offering? The Future of Fundraising (ICO) – Blockgeeks

Read More

QS Best student city 2017 – YouTube

Surprised?! Montréal has been chosen as the best worldwide student city, in front of New York, London, and even Paris by QS Intelligence Unit!

Follow the conversation on our social media!

#MTLBestStudentCity

Join us on our:
Website: http://www.montrealinternational.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mtlintl
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/montreal-international

Read More

Montréal World-Class Tech Hub 2017

Montréal is among the hottest places to grow your business and dive into the high tech and the artificial intelligence fields! Discover why major key players such as Google, Microsoft, Ubisoft, LightSpeed, Busbud, Maluuba, Rodeo FX and many more companies decided to invest in Montreal! Get involved and be part of the game by following us on social medias! #TechHubMTL Discover Montréal International : http://www.montrealinternational.com

Source: Montréal World-Class Tech Hub 2017

Read More