Michael Amar Unveils the Vision Behind Paris Blockchain Week: A European Blockchain Revolution

How Paris Became a Hotspot for Blockchain Innovation: Michael Amar Tells All

Ishan Pandey: Hi Michael, I am delighted to welcome you to our "Behind the Startup" series. Can you share the inspiration behind founding the Paris Blockchain Week Summit?

Michael Amar: Thank you for having me, Ishan, and pleased to meet you.  Of course, well one of the key reasons back in 2019 for this journey was that I felt I wanted to put Europe on the map regarding eyes on blockchain and the excitement of it, there was not really anything at the time that had a platform to showcase the best of Blockchain. This also includes the fact there were and are so many amazing developers and start-ups, that we could bring all of these elements and more together, in one place.

Another key advantage of starting when we did was to run with the flow of regulatory and legislative frameworks, it is a critical part of the progression of the space and we have grown with this development also.

Ishan Pandey: With your experience in founding and exiting multiple companies, what lessons have you learned that have been particularly valuable in the blockchain space?

Michael Amar: Global thinking. What do I mean by this? Well I feel that specifically in Blockchain, how international the companies are because the teams are usually also spread out all over the World. With this market being relatively thin, you have to think on a Global scale all the time.

This I feel is a valuable learning over this short time because you are then prepared and have a solid foundation in your mind and for the company to work in an adaptive and efficient manner.

Another key area I would say is valuable is the focus on revenue, it is all very well discussing users, tokens etc. but ultimately the focus of revenue generation and security of that should be highly important.

Ishan Pandey: What key strategies have you employed to secure funding for your ventures, particularly in the blockchain space?

Michael Amar Actually, I have never raised for any of the blockchain ventures I have been involved in. So besides this point. I want others to realize a deep knowledge of Web2 and expose it to Web3 as much as possible.

This I knew would have an impact on start-ups and that if you surround yourself and the space with bright and upcoming companies, including the fantastic existing ones of course, the space will reap the rewards. This is what I love to see which in turn can help boost funding/revenue across the industry and into ventures.

Ishan Pandey: The Paris Blockchain Week Summit has become one of the major international conferences in the blockchain field. What challenges did you face in establishing and growing such a significant event, and how did you overcome them?

Michael Amar: This is a great question, as many event start-ups probably face similar challenges. From my perspective, of course, it was not easy to start the event in 2019, you are a new event and you need to have trust and confidence instilled in you which, to be honest has two sides.

One you have a great team which we have always had, which helps a lot to bridge the trust and processes etc. the other side your speakers and sponsors need to see value, or if you are new, to at least see a clear path. You want the best speakers and attendees, they want you to ensure you execute their strategy for the event and their participation also.

The other area of challenge is building the attendance, year on year, bigger and better, for example, 1700 to 6500, to 8500 then more than 10,000, it is a story we have built, we always improve, we grow with the space, it is very rewarding and exciting.

The venue choices, scaling and logistics surrounding these choices, how do you remain relevant with all the new markets, the ever-evolving space that we are in, it all comes down to many variables but as I say you have a great cohesive team ethic you will be rewarded and of course building extensive networks that will help you grow as well.

Being agile is very important, you have to adapt or react to potential last-minute changes, be in-line with the industry narratives and evolutions, with various market issues that may arise, you just work harder and you aim to be smart and agile. I think these are the key challenges and some of the responses to undertake to counter the challenges.

Ishan Pandey: Being active in both B2B and B2C markets, how do you see the blockchain revolution impacting businesses on both sides, and what opportunities do you foresee for entrepreneurs in the space?

Michael Amar: I am really focused on the B2B2C co-ordination, I want to see beyond just tokens and crypto or even the speculation behind a lot of it, I want to see the actual utility of blockchain, essentially the blockchain revolution within B2B and B2C markets.

So I feel the next big opportunity is what we call real world asset tokenisation, with the usage of crowdfunding 3.0 approach where you could buy tokens within a property or a hotel for example, which could be liquid but you can exchange it, this can be applied to many sectors and many assets, you know, Real Estate, Energy, Healthcare, and this can adapt to every enterprise level which will ultimately drive the B2C users.

Ishan Pandey: Paris Blockchain Week Summit focuses on international collaboration. How do you see the blockchain industry evolving on a global scale, and what regions do you believe will be key players in the future development of the technology?

Michael Amar: I think we are going to have a few hotspots right? It has changed a lot for sure. In my mind, before blockchain, the epicenter of technology was Silicon Valley, whilst it is still a strong area, it is not the case anymore that it is leading, so for me, you have New York, Montreal, Canada is doing really well, especially in Toronto.

Paris is of course rising, Lisbon, Switzerland, especially for the fiscal part of the industry. MENA cannot be ignored either the last couple of years and their continued growth, Dubai another. It goes back to one of your previous questions, it truly is Global and a collective. You can see that we have good healthy collaboration with most events, specifically large international events so we all help each other to develop and especially in a technical way as well.

Ishan Pandey: How do you perceive the current bull run affecting the trajectory of the blockchain revolution, particularly in terms of investment trends and technological innovation?

Michael Amar: We can see that the bull run brings more money to the table for sure, mostly it also brings awareness not just in the investment sphere but also externally, even to new users or investors currently outside the crypto and blockchain space.

We have just scratched the surface, this is why it is highly exciting that at Paris Blockchain Week we present these improvements and evolutions to our audience, you can see it. We grow with the industry and we aim to be a leader of information and networking to be ahead of the game. It is truly exciting!

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