CONSENSUS 2023 ANNOUNCES FIRST 100 SPEAKERS, FIRST 100 SPONSORS, ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR INAUGURAL CONSENSUS @ CONSENSUS REPORT

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Feb 07, 2023, 09:00 ET

Consensus is curated and produced by CoinDesk, the most powerful and trusted name in crypto media

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As CoinDesk approaches its tenth anniversary, it will host the premiere Web3 event of the year, Consensus 2023, from April 26-28, in Austin, TX. The three-day gathering will bring representatives from diverse interest groups engaged in this industry to collectively take stock of a tumultuous past year, learn from its lessons, and set a path forward for blockchain technology to fulfill its sweeping potential.

Consensus is the world's largest, longest-running, and most influential gathering of the crypto and Web3 communities. Over 20,000 attendees from 112 countries and more than 500 thought leader speakers came to Consensus in 2022. This year's event includes three days of content across 10+ stages and workshops covering crypto, blockchain, Web3, the metaverse, AI, and after-programming networking events, parties, live music, and experiential activations.

Consensus will offer full-day Summits on Policy & Regulation, Web3 Brand & Creators, and the future of Money. And new for this year is Protocol Village, a place for top chains and builders to showcase their recent work, exciting projects, and roadmap for the next 12 months. Participating chains include Ethereum, Bitcoin, Polygon, Solana, Cosmos, Avalanche, Polkadot, NEAR, and more.

"The market turmoil and the collapse of key players such as FTX have created an opportunity for the industry commonly known as 'crypto' to reset its priorities, to advance innovation, and to set the technology on a path to having the meaningful impact it deserves," said Michael Casey, CoinDesk's Chief Content Officer. "As the 'big tent' event on the crypto calendar, Consensus is uniquely placed to facilitate this vital conversation as it brings together the many disparate groups with an interest in blockchain technology's development. What's discussed at Consensus 2023 will set the tone and direction for the Web3 economy that's emerging out of this disruptive moment."

The first 100 speakers announced include Jenny Johnson, President and CEO of Franklin Templeton; Daniel Alegre, CEO of Yuga Labs; CFTC Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero; Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands; Chelsea Manning, Security Consultant at Nym Technologies; Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol; U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis; Actor William Shatner; Caitlin Long, Founder and CEO of Custodia Bank; Edward Snowden, President, Freedom of the Press Foundation; Christine Moy, Partner and Head of Digital Assets at Apollo Global Management Inc.; Balaji Srinivasan, angel investor and author of The Network State; Richard Widmann, Head of Strategy for Web3 at Google Cloud; Eva Beylin, Director of The Graph Foundation; and Devin Finzer, Co-Founder and CEO of OpenSea. The complete speaker list can be found here: https://consensus.coindesk.com/speakers/

As part of CoinDesk's commitment to use its convening and publishing clout to help move the industry forward in a constructive way, this year, Consensus will be offering intimate off-stage group discussions. The discussions will include a cross-section of interested parties – including developers, investors, government officials, entrepreneurs, and non-profits – who seek solutions to the crypto industry's thorniest challenges. Given the many unsolved issues around standards, regulation, and technology exposed by last year's tumultuous downturn in crypto markets, this is a vital contribution to the advancement of the technology in the broadest public interest. Key takeaways from the discussions will be summarized and synthesized into the inaugural Consensus @ Consensus Report to be published mid-May upon CoinDesk's tenth anniversary.

To ensure that the most pertinent issues are addressed by the right participants in these convenings, CoinDesk has formed an advisory council for the Consensus @ Consensus report. The inaugural members include Avery Akkineni, President of Vayner3; Marta Belcher, General Counsel of Protocol Labs and Chair of the Filecoin Foundation; Eva Beylin, Director of The Graph Foundation and Investor at eGirl Capital; Justin Ehrenhofer, Vice President of Operations at Cake Wallet; Tonya Evans, Professor at Dickinson Law; Matthew Green, Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute; Erica Kang, CEO and Founder of Crypto Seoul; Kathy Kraninger, Vice President of regulatory affairs at Solidus Labs and former Director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Joey Krug, a veteran crypto investor; Liat Shetret, Director of Global Policy and Regulation at Elliptic; and more.

Consensus Experience highlights include:

Networking dinners at some of Austin's best restaurants
Invite-only dinner for the top brands in Web3 and the top culture builders
Pitch competition and a focus on startups
A new multichain Web3athon
The DESK social token will be integrated throughout Consensus with unique ways to earn and spend DESK for exclusive rewards.
Programming and closed-door sessions for asset managers and institutional investors actively evaluating digital asset investment opportunities
Satellite venues and events around Austin throughout the week
Live music performances at the legendary Stubb's BBQ
If you are interested in hosting events during Consensus week, please email [email protected]

Brad Spies, Managing Director of Consensus, said: "Consensus 2023 has been designed to facilitate the discussions and connections that the sector needs in this moment. Convenings will map the core issues and opportunities from the most wide-ranging audience in crypto and Web3. We will explore and celebrate the incredible work being done with the Web3 tech stack by chains, teams, and companies throughout the world. And will highlight the real-world use cases that show us the opportunity in front of us - from token-gated brand marketing to zero-knowledge authentication. It is an important moment, and Consensus in Austin will be the can't miss event of the year, with all of the fun and excitement of a community coming together to move the industry forward."

CoinDesk thanks its first 100 sponsors for helping us make Consensus 2023 the most important conversation in crypto and Web3. 3-5 block sponsors include Stellar, Filecoin, TRON, Hedera, Foundry, Polkadot, NEO, Crypto.com, and Circle. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities here https://consensus.coindesk.com/become-a-sponsor/

About Consensus: The iconic crypto and blockchain event of the year since 2015, Consensus has gathered all sides of the crypto industry as it has grown from a clique of visionary founders to encompass every aspect of mainstream society. Curated and produced by CoinDesk, the most influential platform for media, events, data and indices, Consensus is the only event showcasing and celebrating all sides of the blockchain industry - Payments, NFTs, Web3, DeFi, Regulation, Investing, and the Metaverse - and their wide-reaching effect on commerce, culture, and communities. Consensus invites developers, creators, policymakers, executives, and academics from a wide array of projects to come together for the most influential event of the year.

About CoinDesk: CoinDesk is the most influential, trusted platform for a growing global community engaged in transforming the financial system and the emerging crypto economy. Founded in May 2013, the CoinDesk Media platform provides millions of consumers interested in cryptocurrency assets and blockchain technology with news and insights, podcasts, live-streaming TV shows, and research reports. CoinDesk Indices are the industry standard for institutional single and multi-asset benchmarks for crypto assets. The flagship CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX) has been in operation continuously since 2014.