Media Advisory: Buffalo’s first blockchain ‘buildathon’ starts Friday

BUFFALO, N.Y. — As many as 200 college students, tech enthusiasts and others will compete this weekend in downtown Buffalo to see who can make the best use of blockchain technology.

The event — organized by the University at Buffalo, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and software development company ConsenSys — is called the UB Blockchain Buildathon. Dozens of teams will compete to see who can create the best use of blockchain, which is the technology behind Bitcoin and other emerging internet applications.

The buildathon also features a keynote lecture from James A. Regenor, business unit director of transformative technologies at Moog Aircraft Group in East Aurora. In that role, he focuses on next-generation supply chain management by leveraging Moog’s converging blockchain, 3-D printing and artificial intelligence technologies.

When: The buildathon begins Friday (April 13) and will conclude Sunday afternoon (April 15) with an awards presentation.

Best times for media:

• Friday at 5:15 p.m. — Regenore’s lecture. Media wishing to interview him are asked to contact Cory Nealon at the above listed email or phone number.
• Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Teams will be working on their projects and available for interviews.
• Sunday at 3 p.m. — The top five teams will be announced and awarded cash prizes.

Where: The new downtown home of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.

On-site contacts: Sam Marrazzo, chief innovation officer at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, and Bina Ramamurthy, research associate professor of computer science and engineering, and director of the UB Blockchain Thinklab.

Why: While best known for Bitcoin, boosters say blockchain could form the backbone of a new type of internet — one that could affect banking, digital rights management, the insurance industry and many other industries. The goal of the buildathon is to bring together blockchain savvy individuals with some of the region’s most technology-oriented businesses, and brainstorm ideas on how blockchain could help solve local and global challenges.

Companies sponsoring the UB Blockchain Buildathon:

• Premiere level — Moog Inc., M&T Bank.
• Gold level — Computer Task Group, Praxair, ValueCentric, Rich Products Corp.
• Silver level — Topcoder, Helm Experience & Design, UB Blockchain Thinklab, Phillips Lytle LLP.