Blockchain Beyond the Hype

We’re past the point when blockchain monopolized our conversation and everyone wanted in on the #HODLGANG. So where do we go from here? As the dust settles and the number of effective use cases grows, blockchain is becoming more valuable. To help you navigate what is still in many ways the wild wild west, this month we explore the questions companies should be asking to achieve their blockchain dreams (or not).

Next Edition | March 4, 2019

Rethinking the Pipeline Problem

In This Edition

Each edition explores a facet of the digital economy and investigates the forces transforming it.

01
Is your company ready to buy into the “blockchain” buzz?
- Digital Infrastructure
Before your company decides how to leverage blockchain technology, you need to do your homework. Well — actually — the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH) has already done it for you. LISH advises businesses to consider what their real problem is first.
02
How blockchain can help marketers build better relationships with their customers
- Innovation & Disruption
Listen up, marketers and advertisers. Blockchain may rock your world after all — eliminating the need for middlemen in advertising, reducing fraud and spam, and monetizing media consumption. What does this all add up to? Better results for companies and for customers.
03
Blockchains are a bad idea: more specifically, blockchains are a very bad idea
- Digital Infrastructure
Hype and overuse go hand-in-hand. Professor James Mickens from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering outlines the all-too-common disconnect between the properties of blockchain and the business applications it is being asked to address. He challenges companies to resist the urge to put everything on the blockchain.
04
What blockchain can’t do
- Digital Infrastructure
How do you evaluate blockchain business models? Start by understanding the technology’s limitations. Founders of the MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab, Catherine Tucker and Christian Catalini, dig into the last-mile problem that blockchain applications tend to find themselves up against.
05
Blockchain revolution without the blockchain
- Digital Infrastructure
To get the best value and use from blockchain technology, think separately and selectively about the elements you implement. According to Hanna Halaburda from the Bank of Canada, the true value of the technology isn't found in the totality of blockchain, but lies in choosing the parts — security, automated contracts, distributed ledgers — that make the most sense for your business needs.
06
Why you should still care about blockchain
- Fintech / Digital Currencies
Think of blockchain in its current state as a "version 1.0" with more versions to come. Professor Ramana Nanda encourages companies to take a long game strategy when weighing the potential of blockchain technology. Meaningful and enduring development takes time, and we’re only in the early stages.

Events

Feb 23 2019

2019 Blockchain & Crypto Club Conference: The Path Forward

Bringing together thought leaders, founders, investors, and other prominent figures in blockchain and crypto to discuss the current state of the industry.

The HBS Blockchain and Crypto Club invites you to a one-day conference to discuss blockchain and crypto through the lens of mainstream adoption.

More Details

May 2 2019

Business of Blockchain 2019

Influencers

James Mickens

James is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences and “Authority on all Things.”
Ramana Nanda

Ramana is the Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he teaches Entrepreneurial Finance in the MBA program and in executive education offerings.
Hanna Halaburda

Hanna is a Senior Economist at the Bank of Canada and a Visiting Associate Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business.
Christian Catalini

Christian is the Theodore T. Miller Career Development Professor at MIT, and Associate Professor of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management, MIT Sloan School of Management.
Catherine Tucker

Catherine is the Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management Science and Professor of Marketing at MIT Sloan School of Management.