How to do an ICO and Kleros with Federico Ast

Leong Chung Wei Bernard -

Federico Ast, co-founder and CEO of Kleros joined us in a conversation on how to do an ICO, and the story behind his blockchain project, Kleros. He shared the backstory in how he put together a global team to build a blockchain dispute resolution layer, the decision process in doing an ICO and at the same time, explain how to engage a cryptocurrency exchange to list the token for his project. Last but not least, Federico shared his impressions on his recent trip in Asia and offered his perspectives to whether Asia is leading the blockchain space globally.

Here are the interesting show notes and links to the discussion (with time-stamps included):

  • Federico Ast (@federicoast, LinkedIn), Founder and CEO of Kleros [0:30]
    • How did you start your career? [1:08]
    • In your career journey, what are the most interesting lessons you can share with my audience? [4:14]
  • How does one do an ICO? and Kleros [6:27]
    • Before we start, can you describe your current company Kleros and what is the vision and mission? [7:06]
    • What is your role in Kleros and what is the backstory of your company? [10:42]
    • How did you put a global team to work on Kleros together? [12:00]
    • How did you start by putting an ICO together? What are the steps required? [13:40]
    • What do you need to do for Kleros to separate it from those ICOs out there who might be out to earn a quick buck or smearing the entire space as shams or ponzi schemes? [18:36]
    • How does one get their ICO into a cryptocurrency exchanges? Can you run a blockchain ICO without getting involved with an exchange?  [23:12]
    • As part of the effort to put an ICO, you came to Asia and specifically visited Hong Kong and Singapore, what are your impressions and why you have decided to come to Asia and see what is happening?  [29:02]
    • What have you learned about the regulatory frameworks in Asia and how does it distinguish from where you come from and the US? [31:38]
  • Closing [35:13]
    • Can you recommend a book, podcast or anything else that has impact to your work and personal life recently? [35:34]
      • Federico’s recommendations: (i) Ray Kurzweil, “The Singularity is Near”, (ii) Peter Diamandis “Bold” and “Abundance”, (iii) Yuval Noah Harari’s 3 books (Sapiens, Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for 21st Century), (iv) Epicenter podcast for cryptocurrency
    • How do my audience find you? [36:44]

Podcast Information:

The show is hosted by Bernard Leong (@bernardleong & weibo) and are sponsored by Ideal Workspace (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) with their new Altizen Desk (Twitter, Facebook, Medium). Sound credits for the intro music: Taro Iwashiro, “The Beginning” from Red Cliff Soundtrack.