PL Updates: LabWeek Field Building Wraps Up
Plus: Bagel partners with Nvidia, Talent Protocol's Builders Day, WeatherXM's funding milestone, and a Q&A with Zondax founder Juan Leni
Thank You from LabWeek Field Building!
We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to all the speakers, attendees and our partners, Edge Esmeralda and Foresight Institute, who helped make LabWeek Field Building a success. Held from June 10-16, LabWeek Field Building brought together some of the leading individuals and teams in the fields of neurotechnology, human-AI cooperation, biotechnology & longevity, and extended reality. We’re excited about all the progress that was made during the sessions and we’ll share some of our next steps soon.
Most of the talks were recorded, so be on the lookout for them on the Protocol Labs YouTube channel. In the mean time, here's a glimpse of some moments we shared together throughout the week. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
For more daily photos and coverage, visit X and LinkedIn.
⚙️ New Tool Alert for Team Office Hours in the Directory
What it is: Similar to a professor's office hours in universities, this feature allows members of the Protocol Labs Directory to list recurring times where anyone in the network can drop in to ask questions. Members can filter by Teams that are providing public Office Hours to the network and learn more about what they're working on directly.
Why it's a big deal: Things move fast in the network and keeping track of multiple teams or projects is very difficult. This makes it just a bit easier for you to meet the people you need and get feedback more quickly as you grow your companies.
Big Picture: Built by the LabOS team, The Directory is the PL network’s main hub for information and digital networking committed to improving how network members connect with each other. The new feature will deepen not only the network’s sense of community and cohesion, but also accelerate the growth trajectory of its members.
🤝 Bagel and NVIDIA Partnership
Bagel has confirmed its collaboration with NVIDIA through the Inception Program to advance privacy-preserving AI solutions. This partnership marks a milestone for Bagel, which aims to enable secure management of machine learning resources by humans and autonomous AI agents. NVIDIA will provide compute and cloud support, integrating Bagel’s SDK to allow machine learning engineers and researchers to monetize AI creations without compromising privacy. Learn more here.
📡 Network Radar
Talent Protocol unveiled an initiative to celebrate on-chain builders by introducing Builders Day. This is a day where we honor the relentless efforts to create a more equitable future.
Molly Mackinlay, Head of Engineering, Product, & Research Development at Protocol Labs, appeared on the DeFi Decoded podcast with Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young. They discussed her journey from Google to web3, the origins and current status of Filecoin, the importance of the Filecoin Virtual Machine, and how Filecoin helps scale AI. Check it out here.
WeatherXM was recently featured in a TechCrunch interview, where the team detailed their mission and innovative approach. WeatherXM just raised $7.7 million in a Series A round led by Faction to expand operations and commercialize its offerings.
Be among the first to access Mosaia's AI assistant, designed to help you find the right auditor 10x faster. Request access and streamline your audit process here.
At the Breakthroughs in Computing series during LabWeek22 in Lisbon, Milan Cvitkovic, CEO of Integral Neurotechnologies, discussed neurotechnology's broad potential, emphasizing its role in healthcare and human enhancement. Read the full blog post here.
Don’t miss Part 2 of Bagel's series on privacy-preserving machine learning. Learn more about trusted execution environments (TEEs) and secure multiparty computation (MPC) to enhance AI safety and privacy here.
⭐ Key Event: PL Meetup @ EthCC
PL Meetup is back! Join members from the Protocol Labs innovation network during the EthCC to reconnect with familiar faces and make new connections. Collaboration is a driving force in advancing innovation, and this PL Meetup is a great opportunity to network, learn, and share knowledge.
Date: July 8, 2024
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Don’t forget to check our EthCC IRL Gatherings attendee directory to see who else will be there and to share updates.
Spotlight Q&A
This week we put a spotlight on Juan Leni, the founder of Zondax and a passionate innovator in the fields of blockchain and cryptography.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi there! My name is Juan Leni. I was born and raised in Argentina, but I've been living in Europe for the past 15 years, with the last decade spent in Switzerland. I've always been quite passionate about machine learning and distributed systems. While I had some experience with blockchain, it was in early 2017 that I made a significant career shift into this field. Shortly after, I started Zondax to focus on blockchain and cryptography work.
Driven by my curiosity, I have worked in a wide range of industries, including scientific software, special effects, medical devices, and data science. My career has indeed varied a bit, with a background in industrial engineering, an MBA, and a PhD that I ultimately decided to drop. These diverse experiences have helped shape my versatile career path. I made the choice to leave the PhD behind in order to concentrate all my efforts on Zondax.
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to contribute to the industry in various ways. With a continued passion for learning and growth, I'm excited to see how my perspective and experience can help shape the future of this industry.
How did you get into web3?
Driven by curiosity, I started collaborating and working with different teams in the blockchain and web3 world. This journey led me to work with the QRL team, where I contributed to building the foundation of their innovative blockchain platform. As Zondax began to grow, I continued exploring the industry and got involved with projects, like Cosmos and Polkadot, learning a lot and enjoying the experience along the way.
Having hands-on experience with various teams and projects truly deepened my passion for distributed systems and cryptography. It played a significant role in my journey and has been instrumental in the growth and evolution of Zondax, as I continue to navigate the ever-evolving world of blockchain and web3.
What advice would you give to someone joining web3?
Be prepared for change because things move quickly in this space! Although most of the activity takes place online, it's important to attend real-life events to network and learn from others.
Additionally, it's essential to understand that web3 is a complex concept, and there are many different approaches to explore. So, don't get discouraged if it seems overwhelming at first. Keep pushing, and you'll start to figure things out because you'll be learning and adapting as you go.
What challenges or rough edges would you like to see solved in web3?
I consider scams and fraudulent activities a major issue within the web3 community, as they not only damage the ecosystem but also harm users who fall victim to these schemes. To address this issue, I believe that education and awareness are key. There is a need for greater emphasis on best practices for security and risk management, as well as for developing better tools and processes for identifying and mitigating fraudulent activity. This requires a collective effort from all stakeholders, including developers, users, and other community members. By working together to improve education and awareness around these issues, we can build a more trustworthy and sustainable web3 ecosystem.
What are your favorite podcasts or books?
My favorite podcast is the Lex Fridman Podcast. I find the in-depth conversations and high-quality interviews with experts across various fields incredibly engaging and informative. Lex has a unique way of exploring complex ideas, and I always come away from an episode with new perspectives and insights.
Regarding books, one of the most recent ones that captivated me was Daniel Kahneman's "Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment." This insightful book delves into the concept of noise in decision-making and has had a significant impact on my thinking. It's fascinating to think about how AI-generated content might contribute to the "noise" in our decision-making. As we rely more on AI to provide us with information, it's crucial to be aware of the potential biases and inconsistencies that may arise
Tell us something you like to do for fun.
I really enjoy spending time with my 3-year-old son. We often like to play with Lego blocks or similar toys together. It's a great opportunity for us to have some quality time while having fun and getting creative.
📅 PL Events
Bookmark the PL Events page to stay up to date! Here are upcoming highlights:
July 8: PL Meetup at EthCC in Brussels, Belgium
July 8-10: FIL Brussels Network Base in Brussels, Belgium
July 10-11: Filecoin Booth at EthCC in Brussels, Belgium
July 11-13: IPFS Camp in Brussels, Belgium
📝 Tips?
Have a suggestion for the next PL Updates newsletter? We’d love to hear from you! Contact Richard Chang at richard.chang@protocol.ai.