Corporate Vision Issue 8

6 CORPORATE VISION / Issue 8 2018 , The Vanbex Group, is a full stack end to end professional services and development company that specialises in blockchain technology and the overall industry. We spoke to KevinHobbs as we seek to gain an insight into the success of the company and its achievements. Empowering Bold Ideas Founded in 2013, the Vanbex Group has achieved sustained growth. The Vancou- ver-based company has also made strides in develop- ing its own blockchain solutions through its Etherparty team, who has just launched Rocket, a smart contract product designed for ICOs. Etherparty is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Vanbex Group lowering the barrier to entry into the blockchain space by simplifying use of the technology and its applications. Kicking off the discussion, Kevin outlines the firm’s overall mission and describes what steps he takes in order to achieve this vision. “Here at the Vanbex Group, our mission is to further the educa- tion and adoption of blockchain technology around the world. To achieve this objective, we have built our specialisations within blockchain development, industry research, marketing commu- nications, and more to be able to guide, instruct and teach the various aspects of the industry.” When undertaking a new project, it is vital to the Group’s success that the team adopt the right techniques and methods which will ensure that the company achieves the overwhelming success. “Here at the Vanbex Group, we follow an established framework that looks at three key aspects: value proposition, token econom- ics, and the founding team and its supporting cast, if there are any. We built a unique question- naire that speaks to these core areas in detail, and allows us to better serve our clients. Once we understand client needs and their general circumstance, we can then plan and execute on a specific campaign built around the clients to help them achieve their goals.” Differentiating the company from its competitors are two factors, the expertise and knowledge that the team has, as well as its ability to be versatile and adapt each solu- tion to suit the individual client, as Kevin is keen to point out. “Marking ourselves out as the best possible option for clients, we are a full stack end to end solution for blockchain companies. We have experts in all aspects of this industry to give deep insight and strategy to help our clients reach their goals. Also, we have been in the industry since 2013 and have built up our knowledge and base from the grassroots level.” Providing us with a brief overview of the industry in the region at present, Kevin explains what specific challenges he and his team are having to deal with, and he outlines what techniques the company will employ in order to overcome these issues. “With an emerging industry—and technology—there are always growing pains and legislative as well as legal challenges. The big- gest hurdle, or at least grey area in our industry, is regulations in and around cryptocurrency-based fundraising, or initial coin offerings (ICOs) and the general legality of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. “Domestically, Canada seems to be on a path to progressive and open regulations when it comes to blockchain technology and the various applications around it. The Ontario commission for instance, approved its first ICO back in November, while the B.C. commission issued a statement earlier this year that iterated it too was looking to better understand and so to properly regulate the industry, providing greater protec- tion to those looking to invest in blockchain projects.” Furthermore, there are certain techniques which the team must employ in order to stay ahead of emerging developments, and these present a different challenge in themselves, but also allow the company to explore other opportunities. “Research and meetups. Critical to staying ahead of the curve is to relentlessly consume and review blockchain projects that exist as well as those up-and-coming. The open source sentiment that per- meates this industry leads to pro- 1806CV41 jects being forked and advanced upon, so new iterations, versions and adaptations surfaces almost on a weekly basis. “Consuming credible industry news sources and attending local meetups are also good ways to stay abreast of information and news that is just breaking. Mainstream business, finance and technology media outlets are slowly covering more and more industry topics as well.” Internally, Kevin explains what methods and tools he adopts which help him ensure that all of his staff The Vanbex Group are motivated to do the best that they can, and subsequently deliver the best results and service to clients. “At the Vanbex Group, process and project requirements are con- stantly at the top of our minds. We have a culture where people are encouraged to share their talents and build on their skills together, this ultimately helps our people efficiently grow in a fast-moving industry. The team then reviews against benchmarks and client re- quirements. Clients often request changes which we work with to ensure they are happy with the results.” With the internal culture in mind, we asked Kevin what his and his team’s approach is to hiring staff, enabling the business to attract the best talent in the industry to the company.