Humaniq at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018: how we cashed in our Top Pick nomination

If you were following Humaniq social media, you might have noticed some posts and pictures from TechCrunch Disrupt SF, a conference held on September 5–7 by the leading tech industry news site. We didn’t just buy a pass to join: we were selected by TechCrunch itself as a Top Pick in Blockchain, a prestigious recognition given to only 5 startups in each technology field.

Humaniq VP Technology Anton Mozgovoy together with Margaretta Colangelo, Humaniq Advisor, represented us at the conference.

Let’s dive into the main happenings at the event!

How we got to TechCrunch Disrupt

The nomination of Top Picks is a very serious and complex process, and in order to be considered for it, we needed to submit our application well in advance. There were a total of 53 Top Picks divided into 12 technology sectors as varied as AI, Blockchain, Biotech, or even Space. Each spot was fiercely contested, but in the end, we were among the ones who prevailed.

What does it mean to be a Top Pick? First and foremost, it gives special perks to companies, such as a free pass to the event and a spot at the Startup Alley exhibition, the use of CrunchMatch, and a special 3-minute interview with TechCrunch itself.

Immaterial gains are sometimes even more valuable though, and that is exactly the case here: receiving this award is an amazing confidence boost, showing that our company is trusted and respected.

We may never know why TC chose us, but there are some objective factors that must have played a role — for example, we operate in the field of financial inclusion, often touted as one of the main use cases for Blockchain technology, and we are leading the competitors in terms of user base and adoption.

The event itself

The venue chosen for Disrupt SF was the Moscone West center, a true Mecca for the tech industry — it’s enough to mention that the original iPhone was presented here.

During the first day, we held our booth in the Startup Alley, where Anton spoke with representatives from the other Blockchain companies present at the event — notably fellow Top Picks Airfox, Zeehaus, Omega Grid and LifeBank, as well as with another important industry player — SONM.

Disrupt SF included companies from many different backgrounds, and of course we didn’t limit ourselves to speaking with just Blockchain companies. We were particularly impressed by Byton, a competitor to Tesla, and Infostellar, a satellite antenna sharing platform.

Following the exhibition, Anton engaged with the various funds and investors present at the conference, taking full advantage of CrunchMatch. Overall, he had a staggering 22 meetings and conversations with investors.

Investment funds were particularly interested, due to our leading position in the young but promising financial inclusion market. Curiously though, some investors are still very cautious t to devote themselves to projects operating in Africa, showing that progress still needs to be made to increase the continent’s appealingness to worldwide capital.

Speeches were a whole different beast. While Anton wasn’t able to attend all of the almost 200 presentations held by as many speakers, it was still a sight to behold. He was really impressed by Michael Arrington, co-founder of TechCrunch, with whom he shared a panel during the Humaniq Challenge event in Palo Alto. Priscilla Chan’s vision of the future of education was one of the most emotionally open speeches we’ve seen, and we were also inspired by Dropbox’s path from startup to the post-IPO stage, as told by Drew Houston.

So many interviews!

Sprinkled throughout the event were many occasions where Anton was able to talk about Humaniq, exposing our vision and providing opinions on recent events.

The first one was with Galvanize, who embarked on the gargantuan task of interviewing 100 startups:

But the most important one was definitely the 3-minute interview dedicated for Top Picks, where Anton delivers the Humaniq vision and anticipates some important features such as LocalHumaniqs:

Many people may not even know about the struggles in the developing parts of the world, and financial inclusion is often taken for granted. With his presence, Anton has introduced a large and varied audience to the Humaniq vision, and we are definitely glad to have been part of this amazing conference!

Did you go to the event? Share your opinion with us on Twitter!