EOS has a unique approach within the crypto world. And for us at EOS Venezuela, it’s a pleasure to know that some communities are as driven to give back to the people as we are. Some are even our collaborators, and we’re hoping to share with our community more about other initiatives in the crypto world. For that reason, we introduce you to our first EOS interview: EOS Israel. For that, we’ve contacted it’s Founder, Hernan Arber, author of what’s becoming a storm of ideas brewing in the EOS world.
Interview
1. How did you start in crypto? What was your first contact with Blockchain?
I bought my first Bitcoin back in 2014, but I was oblivious to crypto until 2016, when a friend of mine got me into my first ICO. From then on it was all the way down the rabbit-hole for me and I just went full-on crazy for blockchain and crypto.
2. What has been the most surreal experience you've had ever since jumping down the rabbit-hole? What has been your “I’ve never thought this would happen” or sincere and heartfelt “OH WOW” moment?
Building EOS Israel has been as surreal as it gets for me. I honestly never imagined it would pick up so much steam in such a short time. Just seeing how much action this system has seen in the past few months is amazing. You are interviewing me right now, right? Before EOS Israel there was no reason for any Blockchain Project to Interview me.
Now with EOS Israel we’ve become one of the focal points for community action in the EOS Ecosystem.
To put it context: on our latest Meetup we had Fred Nogueira from PixEOS flying over to Present PixEOS live on the Meetup! For us it meant something beyond the presentation itself, it meant that we’re going international.
3. What do you see as the most important fact when it comes to EOS? There’s been a lot of talk on how it came to change the game for crypto users. In your opinion, how has this platform been game-changing?
I truly believe that EOS has a real potential to bring mass adoption for the crypto space. You just need to look closely to understand the impact it had. Just look at how fast and how big we've grown since the mainnet launch! And I'm not just talking numbers here, I'm talking real user experience.
"I truly believe that EOS has a real potential to bring mass adoption for the crypto space".
Today, you can download an EOS Wallet to your Mobile, and start running Dapps like it was the Apple Appstore back in the beginning of the iPhone craze but with the slight difference that all of these apps are running Inside one app (the wallet) within one specific blockchain, and that is EOS.
4. Have you ever thought about crypto in 1, 5, 10, or 25 years? How do you think the crypto world would look like?
I think crypto, or let's say Blockchain Technology, is at a crucial point within its lifespan, or how we know it in local terms: "Money Time". After its latest boom and bust cycle, the investments that have been made into crypto need to start showing real world results, both for large investors as for small investors, as well as for everyday people.
Statistics say that 95% or more of all Crypto projects will fail, just like regular startups do. But the ones that make it will start making it very big, giving all FAANG companies (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, etc, etc.) a run for their money.
If I was to highlight specific time frames then it would be like this:
1 Year - First Blockchain real use cases with over 1 million real users, with a wide adoption rate and steady growth.
5 Years - All major countries worldwide adopt some form of cryptocurrencies into their official financial structure.
10 Years - Blockchain Tech is embedded into every aspect of our online communications and daily life.
25 Years - There is not a single transaction made in FIAT: the new generation will be looking at paper bills and credit cards and trying to understand how that was used as money back then.
5. What would be your 3 pieces of advice to anyone who's looking into the crypto world right now? Maybe as an investor, or as someone who just wants to be part of the community.
There’s a lot that comes to mind when welcoming newcomers, or assessing people’s concerns or opinions in crypto. But, as a wide guess in my personal experience, these would be three vital points for anyone:
1 - Do your Own research = Only Invest in projects you truly believe in, after assessing that with information. It’s considered best practice to really look into ALL the available information of companies or startups, and ask someone you trust (and knows better than you) for their opinion.
2 - You are still very early - Don't expect things to blow up over-night, specially the price. Most fake crypto investors try to tell you about quick bounces and they’re deceiving you. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
3 - Get Involved with the community - The economic opportunity is tiny compared to the social opportunity you may encounter in crypto. Forget for a while the potential economic return on your investment, you are about to become part of a global tribe of freedom-seekers, technological-geniuses, and open-sourced projects that are truly making a difference in people's lives.
6. On the subject of EOS Israel, what makes you proud of the project? What are its goals in your country and with your community?
EOS Israel is a decentralized community, which means that all initiatives by community members are welcomed; I may be the Founder, but I'm not the boss. The Community will take on a form of it's own as it matures and explores its own environment. Currently, my focus is on spreading the good word about EOS here in Israel, organizing great events with very interesting content both for Blockchain Newbies and for EOS Die-Hard Token holders.
A very interesting project that has been taking place is to begin creating EOS Development courses for Engineers here in Israel who want to update their skills and dig into the best Blockchain there is today. I'm also building an EOS Consultancy Team with Developers, Marketers, Designers, and other members of the Community.
7. You'd be consulting for people that want to launch EOS projects or you're venturing to other blockchain alternatives?
I think that if you’re giving instruction you’re also giving people tools to explore the world and give back to the community. That expands well beyond EOS Israel, it is something that can impact the whole blockchain community. The actual plan is to get projects that want to explore using the Blockchain to build on EOS.
As a matter of fact, the beginners course that we plan touches on other blockchains as well, and I'm open to helping other communities grow and prosper, not only EOS. At the end of the day, crypto is still a small world, so we’re not limited by just focusing on EOS tech.
8. When it comes to business, what do you think about EOS SisterChains?
I consider EOS SisterChains to be an integral part of the EOS ecosystem. The Success of the EOS.IO Sisterchains will only propel the success of EOS even further by proving other real use cases and proposing different ways of implementing the EOS Technology. This is not a Zero-Sum game, a lot of people in the community are missing the whole picture when it comes to EOS SisterChains.
This is not a Zero-Sum game, a lot of people in the community are missing the whole picture when it comes to EOS SisterChains.
9. How could you tell people to look beyond the first impression? Most people think of crypto as just Bitcoin, and some with a bit more knowledge think of EOS as just a platform for development. In any of those cases, what could you tell someone to make them understand the value of these projects and tech?
Blockchain is an Underlying technology. To put it in simple terms: think of Blockchain as the platform, such as iOS for your iPhone. Bitcoin is ONE Application for the Blockchain, one that transfers value directly from one person to another. There are MANY Applications that can be built on top of the Blockchain. EOS is similar to iOS for Blockchain Technology, because you could build all sorts of apps that run on EOS. You CAN use EOS as a currency just like Bitcoin, but it's uses extend far beyond that. And that’s what most of EOS projects, and we, would like to show first hand.
EOS Israel is a project founded by Hernan Arber, and it’s part of a worldwide effort to bring in crypto technology to people in a more personal and valuable way: through giving people education and collaboration for various projects.
Check out more information about them here:
LinkedIn: EOS Israel
Twitter: @EOS_Israel
Telegram: EOSISrael