I posted last night that I was at an event hosted by @etch. I heard about this via @ultravioletmag (Sarah) who I met at a Steemit meetup recently. I didn't do a long post from there as it's fiddly on my phone.
Etch are building payroll systems for those on hourly rates. The idea as I understand it is to get the money to them quickly. The example given is that you could buy lunch with what you earned that morning. A lot of people in such jobs are shut out of the regular banking system and may have a pay a premium to get the services they need, such as sending money to their family. This is another example where new models can reduce the friction of finance to empower the less well off.
We had an introduction from CEO Euros and then 'futurist' John took us through their vision. They are still in their early stages, but it's an exciting project.
Meetup says 114 peopl went, but it was probably more like 30 to 40. I was able to talk to a few of them afterwards over drinks and nibbles. It's always fun to talk to people in this field as you get all sorts of different viewpoints. I had the opportunity to introduce some of them to Steemit. Sarah has put @etch on here so you can follow them to see what they are doing.
The venue was Rocketspace where Etch have their office. This seems a fairly typical London startup incubator with lots of cool stuff to keep the geeks happy. It's an old bank that still has the vault with the massive doors. There's meeting areas and a pool table in there these days.
There's also a relaxation area for people to recharge their personal batteries.
Here I am chilling with @ultravioletmag under one of many slogans painted on the walls.
I will try to get to some of the other events down there. It's an easy trip into London from where I work. My next crypto event is Steemcampuk in Birmingham in a week. The week after that there is the London Cryptocurrency Show, but I'm not sure if I'll get to that. This is all just a hobby for me and I've got other things going on.
I can recommend getting to events like this. If there's nothing on near you then why not organise something yourself. It could just be a meetup at a pub or cafe. You never know where it may lead.
Steem on!
I'll buy guitar picks for Steem Dollars
If this post is over seven days old you can vote up one of my newer posts to reward me.
Spam comments may be flagged. Beware of the Commentphant!
Awesome,hope to attend some of those when the summer comes
We hold several events over the year you can follow our page for info on the next one in April :)
@etch sounds like an interesting project.
Going to events like this is a great idea, keeps your ear to the ground and who knows it may turn out to not be a hobby in the end 😊
Love the relaxation area, just two hammocks?
I think there's a Coinfest coming up shortly in Manchester, not quite the same as this but related. Wondering whether to go and have a look and drag my coin-crazy 3d printer friend too.
Had any others heard of Steemit when you asked? @etch looks like a new account.
They had some beanbags too and stars on the ceiling.
I have a few events I go to including one that's right next to work.
Some of those I spoke to had heard of Steemit. I had a long chat to one guy who had worked in the financial world and was fairly new to crypto. It's fun trying to describe the concepts. I still struggle with that.
Really interesting, particularly this observation (which I agree with)
'A lot of people in such jobs are shut out of the regular banking system and may have a pay a premium to get the services they need, such as sending money to their family.'
It seems those with the least pay the biggest fees. Things like this may help.
Great reporting! Have fun!
Good post