CLEVELAND, Ohio – There may be no return for Blockland Solutions, a blockchain conference launched in 2018 aimed at making Ohio a leader in blockchain technology.
The conference was part of a plan by a civic group called Blockland, led by entrepreneur Bernie Moreno. Moreno, a luxury car dealership that launched a blockchain-based business called Ownum, said the conference had lost $ 100,000 in the first year but reached breakeven in 2019 when more than 1,000 people gathered in downtown Huntington Convention Center.
Destination Cleveland has hosted the conference for the past two years, but is now looking for another organization to take over. Moreno said the organizers had asked local civic leaders to help him, but no one agreed to attend the conference.
“Destination Cleveland is not the right person to do it, it is not their role,” said Moreno. “We thought hey, they did it once, they did it twice, let’s find the right fiduciary or partner organization that would take the financial risk. We still have to find out who it is. We can’t organize the conference before finding someone to do it. “
The Cleveland destination could not immediately be reached for comment.
Blockland Solutions has been funded by both private companies and the government. The City of Cleveland approved $ 50,000 for last year’s conference, the county invested $ 100,000 in it, and the Cleveland Foundation and JumpStart also contributed. Moreno said the group had $ 1.1 million in private investment.
More Blockland coverage:
– Second year of Blockland Solutions conference to attract 1,500 people, even as the blockchain hype cools down
– City Block reinvents Tower City, with innovative parks and workspaces
– The Blockland Solutions conference is over: what is the next step for the blockchain in Cleveland?
