QUINCY – Kilroy Square downtown will play host to CEOs, reporters, hackers and other technology experts starting Wednesday as Quincy-based QUBIC Labs draws industry leaders for Boston Blockchain Week.
More than 500 people are expected to come to the city for three days of events hosted by the start-up incubator, which was founded in 2020 by Quincy City Councilor Ian Cain.
He and Mayor Thomas Koch will welcome guests at noon Wednesday, followed by several days of panels that will feature speakers ranging from local company founders and executives to public officials and reporters. The event will culminate in a two-day “Hack Boston” at Harvard University in Cambridge on Saturday and Sunday.
New: Luxury apartment complex approved for West Quincy, includes below-market units
A look back: 10 modern-day Quincy buildings that used to be something else
Boston-based Pillar VC, which hosted the series of events in the past, did not re-up it’s commitment to host blockchain week this year. Instead, Cain latched onto the idea and planned a week that will involve live music, networking and pop-up events at local businesses in addition to the scheduled panels, including a Women in Blockchain event at 16C.
Cain has long said his goal with QUBIC Labs is to draw the high-tech industries that thrive in other cities to Quincy.
“There’s no reason that Quincy, with its access to the Red Line and its thriving business community, can’t be a destination for startups,” he said in 2020.
QUBIC was chosen as the first grant recipient under the state’s Technology & Innovation Ecosystem Awards program and received nearly $2 million to help foster growth in blockchain technology.
Blockchain refers to the technology behind cryptocurrency and other online transactions. The blockchain allows for secure peer-to-peer transactions using a decentralized network of computers, along with a record of anonymous users.
For more information or to register for Boston Blockchain Week, visit bostonblockchainweek.com.
‘To protect the neighborhood’: Quincy councilor pushes to turn bus depot into open space
Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.
Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.