Fergus Parkinson

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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: It's VanCoovers Podcast on the Canada's Podcast Network.
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[01:17] SPEAKER_00: Hello, this is Robert Smigel coming to today with a Vancouver Entrepreneur.ca where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen here in British Columbia.
[01:24] SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you've heard about blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
[01:28] SPEAKER_00: Well, today is a special episode and we are going to talk about the rapid growth of blockchain technologies in Vancouver and an event you can attend to learn more.
[01:39] SPEAKER_00: Today we have Fergus Parkinson. He leads acquisitions and strategic partnerships at Glance Technologies.
[01:45] SPEAKER_00: He has a background in strategic advising and management consulting for startups in Toronto, Vancouver and Silicon Valley.
[01:54] SPEAKER_00: He holds a Masters of Finance from the Rotman School of Management at U of T.
[02:01] SPEAKER_00: Well, Fergus, welcome to the show. Thanks for taking the time today to be here for all our listeners.
[02:06] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for your much and I'm excited for this all week.
[02:09] SPEAKER_00: Okay, now how do blockchain and rewards work?
[02:14] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, we know right away that there's a significant amount of value in return customers.
[02:20] SPEAKER_01: New customers cost somewhere between five and 25 times the price of a returning customer and returning customers also seem to spend more each time they visit.
[02:30] SPEAKER_01: So there's a significant benefit to retaining people as they come.
[02:34] SPEAKER_01: So when we look at the current system for rewards and loyalty, there are some hiccups.
[02:42] SPEAKER_01: You know, we have these complicated structures, which means that about 30, 40% of all loyalty rewards that are issued never get used or redeemed.
[02:53] SPEAKER_01: You have problems like people not knowing how or why to redeem them.
[02:58] SPEAKER_01: Structures like you can only execute on certain dates and they're just very complicated.
[03:04] SPEAKER_01: When we use something like blockchain, you can set these things in advance. They always behave the same way.
[03:10] SPEAKER_01: We can build them into smart contracts that are repeatable, dynamic, interoperable between different customers and merchants.
[03:20] SPEAKER_01: We can even set things up like peer to peer.
[03:22] SPEAKER_01: So if you wanted to transfer them to your mom or something like that, you'd be able to...
[03:26] SPEAKER_01: We also are able to remove intermediaries.
[03:29] SPEAKER_01: So things like hotels, travel companies, airlines, these guys pay billions to air miles and price line and things like this.
[03:38] SPEAKER_01: With the peer to peer network, we eliminate a lot of the third parties and it sort of runs itself.
[03:43] SPEAKER_00: Okay. Now, is Vancouver a good place for blockchain tech?
[03:48] SPEAKER_01: Vancouver has a lot of really, really capable people here.
[03:53] SPEAKER_01: There's some cool companies, one of my favorites that's coming out right now is Event Chain.
[03:57] SPEAKER_01: If you've ever run an event right now, as you know, and so we have to go through things like Eventbrite.
[04:04] SPEAKER_01: And so it's very complicated to do ticketing and things like that.
[04:07] SPEAKER_01: So these guys are revolutionizing it with blockchain.
[04:10] SPEAKER_01: We have some really interesting companies that sort of advise on how to apply blockchain technology,
[04:16] SPEAKER_01: go up blockchain assembly here.
[04:19] SPEAKER_01: I comply vanbex.
[04:21] SPEAKER_01: We've actually got one of the founders of vanbex speaking in our conference.
[04:25] SPEAKER_01: We've got ether party here, the Aaron Tomlinson.
[04:29] SPEAKER_01: It's also going to be speaking in our thing.
[04:31] SPEAKER_01: They have some really interesting crowdfunding platforms.
[04:34] SPEAKER_01: As well as good funding for blockchain ideas.
[04:38] SPEAKER_01: Shiffon Diamond to Janney is here.
[04:40] SPEAKER_01: Out of Victory Square, he's probably one of the leading blockchain investors in the entire world.
[04:47] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, there is a tremendous amount of capital and experience here.
[04:52] SPEAKER_01: That said, there's a tremendous lack of programmers and experience.
[04:58] SPEAKER_01: Particularly for programmers, salaries are quite depressed.
[05:01] SPEAKER_01: There's a failure to track top talent and good talent in the city is being poached.
[05:06] SPEAKER_01: If you can make 80K, being a blockchain programmer in Vancouver and 250 in San Francisco,
[05:12] SPEAKER_01: you're probably going to go to San Francisco.
[05:14] SPEAKER_01: So it's not all sunshine and roses.
[05:16] SPEAKER_00: Okay, what are the prospects for blockchain in Vancouver?
[05:20] SPEAKER_00: What does that look like?
[05:25] SPEAKER_01: There's a lot going on, there's a lot of really smart people and a lot of good ideas.
[05:30] SPEAKER_01: If we can start keeping an attracting talent, building new talent,
[05:33] SPEAKER_01: we've got great schools.
[05:35] SPEAKER_01: BCIT is throwing a lot of weight behind training new developers.
[05:40] SPEAKER_01: UBC has just recently opened up sort of a blockchain think group.
[05:47] SPEAKER_01: That's supporting a lot of research and grant money into developing the talent here.
[05:51] SPEAKER_01: But again, if the companies aren't going to pay what the programmers are needed,
[05:55] SPEAKER_01: what's required to retain the talent, they're going to go elsewhere.
[06:00] SPEAKER_00: It always seems to be one of these things where it's the cost of living in Vancouver and things like that
[06:05] SPEAKER_00: and paying them what they're worth and things like that is always a balancing act, isn't it?
[06:11] SPEAKER_01: We're always willing to take a cut to live in such a beautiful city,
[06:14] SPEAKER_01: but San Francisco is pretty too.
[06:17] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
[06:18] SPEAKER_00: Okay, what is Glands technologies?
[06:20] SPEAKER_00: What do they do?
[06:21] SPEAKER_00: What do you do there?
[06:22] SPEAKER_01: Glands technologies is a mobile payment company.
[06:27] SPEAKER_01: We've designed a number of technologies around transferring cash between individuals as well as companies.
[06:35] SPEAKER_01: It was founded by Desmond Griffin, who if you've ever used pay-by-phone,
[06:41] SPEAKER_01: pay for your parking in Vancouver or London or New York or...
[06:44] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, use it all the time.
[06:46] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
[06:47] SPEAKER_01: It's one of those apps that if you live in a major city, it's in your phone.
[06:52] SPEAKER_01: So we've come from a really strong pedigree and it's about developing technology based on that,
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: particularly around security, privacy, effectiveness, and expanding it out.
[07:04] SPEAKER_01: So right now, what we've got is a very successful restaurant app called Glands Pay.
[07:10] SPEAKER_01: In Vancouver, Toronto, some down in San Francisco now,
[07:14] SPEAKER_01: you're able to go onto your phone, find restaurants that are around you,
[07:18] SPEAKER_01: see what kind of rewards promotions they're willing to offer, pay right through your phone.
[07:22] SPEAKER_01: It's really fast, really convenient.
[07:25] SPEAKER_01: The restaurants love it because they have better turnover on tables, the servers love it because people are in and out.
[07:32] SPEAKER_01: There's no friction waiting for the bills and things like that or waiting for terminals to get passed around.
[07:37] SPEAKER_01: It's just one of those things that's really revolutionizing how people interact with restaurants.
[07:41] SPEAKER_00: Okay, what is Glands doing with blockchain?
[07:46] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so Glands has a couple different lines in the water for blockchain.
[07:51] SPEAKER_01: Of course, as we discussed earlier, we're doing a lot of research and exploration into loyalty rewards and things like that.
[07:57] SPEAKER_01: We've also developed a white label messaging app with things like a crypto wallet,
[08:04] SPEAKER_01: so things like Ethereum, Bitcoin, whatever cryptocurrencies you want to transfer,
[08:10] SPEAKER_01: you can send those back and forth through a messaging app that would be something similar to Slack or maybe a WhatsApp.
[08:17] SPEAKER_01: But with more of a point on P2P functionality, so it's peer to peer,
[08:23] SPEAKER_01: there isn't a centralized server on it or there is but very small components of it.
[08:27] SPEAKER_01: It's a much more secure way of messaging back and forth and you don't have a Mark Zuckerberg read in your messages or anything like that.
[08:35] SPEAKER_00: Okay, now why has Glands technologies decided to run a blockchain event and what is the vision?
[08:42] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, really what we're trying to do is highlight what's going on in the blockchain crypto world today and then bring it to focus on Vancouver.
[08:49] SPEAKER_01: So we're getting experts from around the world to meet with people who are here to share ideas.
[08:54] SPEAKER_01: Basically just get a bunch of great minds in the room to share their ideas and projections for the future of the technology as well as synthesize some new ideas.
[09:02] SPEAKER_01: And to share that with an audience here in Vancouver is something that we'd love to do.
[09:07] SPEAKER_00: And there'll be a lot of Q&A as well.
[09:09] SPEAKER_00: So people who don't know too much about blockchain and cryptocurrencies that come to the event will, you know,
[09:13] SPEAKER_00: try to learn more, will be able to ask these guys questions I imagine as well, right?
[09:17] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we've set it up in such a way that people can tweet their questions at them and we'll draft responses,
[09:22] SPEAKER_01: we'll record videos and we'll get back to them.
[09:25] SPEAKER_01: You know, it's just sort of getting, making sure that people get their responses and the answers that they need to see and learn and develop their skills.
[09:34] SPEAKER_01: We've kind of, we've got a bit of everything in there.
[09:36] SPEAKER_01: So we're talking about blockchain applications in a wide range.
[09:40] SPEAKER_01: So we've got Anke Petra is talking about its applications in healthcare.
[09:45] SPEAKER_01: We've got a panel on Ragtack and its uses for blockchain.
[09:49] SPEAKER_01: And we've also got what I think is one of the only ones that I've ever even heard of about blockchain and fine arts,
[09:56] SPEAKER_01: which is hosted by Kathleen Killing, who is a lawyer with fine arts backgrounds and NIA Yates,
[10:03] SPEAKER_01: who has a background in curation and art sales.
[10:07] SPEAKER_01: And just talking about how blockchain is being leveraged in something as kind of artsy and as the fine arts world.
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: Okay, so what is really different or interesting about this event compared to other blockchain events that say people could go to in Vancouver?
[10:24] SPEAKER_00: Why is this something you feel that would be, this is a must-go-to place?
[10:29] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think, as I was mentioning earlier, just the broad range of topics that are going to be covered and interesting things.
[10:35] SPEAKER_01: Of course, getting all these great experts in a room is something that we really value and think that there's a lot of value in.
[10:43] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's just mostly about synthesizing new ideas by having great people in the room.
[10:49] SPEAKER_00: Who are these great people? Who are the speakers and why did you want them at the event?
[10:54] SPEAKER_01: So we've got a number of speakers from around the world, particularly from the world of ICOs and blockchain.
[11:04] SPEAKER_01: We've got Dennis Garda, who's probably the third and fourth highest ranked blockchain influencer in the world.
[11:11] SPEAKER_01: We've got Darren Kagg, who has a very strong focus on the redistribution of wealth and equality and serving the underbanked through blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
[11:24] SPEAKER_01: I mentioned Kathleen Killan, she's a lawyer based in Toronto with a very strong background in how blockchain can be used in fine arts as well as in illegal citizens.
[11:35] SPEAKER_01: It's a pretty diverse and interesting crowd.
[11:39] SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, the Vancouver Entrepreneur.C podcast has a broad spectrum of entrepreneurs that listen to this podcast and they range from everything from stores to real estate graphic designers, just a wide range of real estate you name and there are.
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: Who should attend this event and why would you recommend they go?
[11:58] SPEAKER_01: You know, if you've heard of blockchain and you're wondering about it, you should come and turn up and hear all the different ways that it's being used.
[12:08] SPEAKER_01: We kind of catered it to be something that's directed at professional applications.
[12:12] SPEAKER_01: We want to give people applicable insights to how their businesses can operate and what can be leveraged.
[12:17] SPEAKER_01: You can also meet some of the local talent that we've got here with God guys.
[12:24] SPEAKER_01: This is Matthew Under, who is the CEO of Icomply.
[12:28] SPEAKER_01: He's basically started a consultancy at a Vancouver to help people with ICOs.
[12:32] SPEAKER_01: So if you're an entrepreneur who's looking for funding and you think an ICO might be a great route.
[12:36] SPEAKER_01: Well, that's a great way to do it.
[12:38] SPEAKER_01: I mentioned Aaron Tomlinson from Ether Party.
[12:41] SPEAKER_01: They've got a really interesting way of leveraging blockchain technology for crowd funding.
[12:48] SPEAKER_01: And as well, we've got a regulatory panel just talking about how blockchain technology can be used for ICOs and more traditional sources of market funding.
[12:58] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, for the entrepreneurs out there, you know, there's going to be a lot to learn.
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: A lot can take away from this podcast.
[13:04] SPEAKER_01: So, yeah.
[13:06] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I think there's a lot of obviously listeners that are, you know, may have some background in it.
[13:12] SPEAKER_00: So I think this would really up their level as far as leveling up and getting some really good insight into the blockchain and how it could help even their business.
[13:21] SPEAKER_00: So that would be something I think would be good.
[13:23] SPEAKER_00: So what are the next steps?
[13:25] SPEAKER_00: Will we see more events from glass technologies or is this the final one?
[13:30] SPEAKER_01: No, no, we're planning on doing it semi-annually right now.
[13:33] SPEAKER_01: You know, as right now, we're grows and we're starting to attract more and more interesting people.
[13:38] SPEAKER_01: And of course, as the talent pool here in Vancouver and the number of people who are interested in Vancouver continues to grow, we're hoping to do more and more of these.
[13:46] SPEAKER_01: So our next event is going to be in November.
[13:49] SPEAKER_01: If you didn't get tickets to this one, don't worry. We'll be doing it again.
[13:52] SPEAKER_01: And we're looking forward to seeing all of you out there.
[13:55] SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, I want you to give us the details on this.
[13:58] SPEAKER_00: How can our listeners sign up or register for the event?
[14:00] SPEAKER_00: I want the time and I want the start dates and all the details how they can register and get to this event.
[14:07] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it's buy tickets. Just go to glance.techslashblogchain.
[14:12] SPEAKER_01: That's glance.techslashblogchain.
[14:15] SPEAKER_01: We have a website up there. You can go through event right and purchase tickets.
[14:19] SPEAKER_01: We have early grid tickets on sale now, but they're coming off sale shortly.
[14:23] SPEAKER_01: So I highly recommend that you get on there now.
[14:25] SPEAKER_01: The event is Tuesday, May 8th. That's not this Tuesday, but the following.
[14:32] SPEAKER_01: And it's at the the annex, which is 832 Seymour, Seymour and Robson, I believe.
[14:40] SPEAKER_01: Right next door to the dance.
[14:42] SPEAKER_00: Okay, great. And I guess you'll be there so people can come ask you for if they have any questions since you've been on the podcast.
[14:48] SPEAKER_00: They mean want to come say hello and absolutely please come find me.
[14:53] SPEAKER_01: I'm also on Twitter at Fergus Parkinson's.
[14:58] SPEAKER_01: So please shoot me a message if you have any questions about the event or if you need anything.
[15:03] SPEAKER_01: You can also reach out. We've got a really, really good marketing team here.
[15:06] SPEAKER_01: So you can reach out to our Twitter at at glance pay.
[15:10] SPEAKER_01: We're also on Instagram also at glance pay and Facebook.
[15:14] SPEAKER_01: We've got an account under a glance pay.
[15:15] SPEAKER_01: So do check that out. Also, please check out our app.
[15:19] SPEAKER_01: You know, if you're a foodie in Vancouver or if you're into the restaurant scene, I highly recommend it.
[15:24] SPEAKER_01: It's really, really changing how people go to restaurants.
[15:28] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just like you guys changed how people park.
[15:30] SPEAKER_00: I mean, like I said, I use it all the time.
[15:32] SPEAKER_00: So I just what you tell told me about this new app is I think I'm going to get it.
[15:36] SPEAKER_00: I think I'm going to do that too.
[15:37] SPEAKER_01: You got to do it. You got to do it.
[15:39] SPEAKER_01: Good.
[15:41] SPEAKER_01: Let's grab lunch sometime.
[15:42] SPEAKER_01: I'll show you how it works and you know, we can go from there.
[15:46] SPEAKER_00: Great. Okay. Fergus. Thank you for coming on the show.
[15:48] SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot about you and Glance and the blockchain event.
[15:51] SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure our listeners have as well.
[15:54] SPEAKER_01: Great. Well, thanks for having me.
[15:56] SPEAKER_01: And again, I'm really enjoying the podcast.
[15:57] SPEAKER_01: So looking forward to seeing when you knew who you're interviewing next.
[16:00] SPEAKER_00: Thank you. Okay. We'll see you next time.
[16:03] SPEAKER_00: Have a good day.
[16:04] SPEAKER_00: Hey there. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the Vancouver.ca podcast.
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[16:25] SPEAKER_00: See you next time.
[16:39] Speaker UNKNOWN: See you next time.