Check out our slide deck as we work on creating a Graduate Blockchain Society at the University of Texas. Our mission is to educate the UT community, collaborate with local businesses and other programs, and provide a foundation to pursue a potential career in blockchain.

1. Graduate
Blockchain Society

2. Blockchain Timeline
August 2017
Cryptocurrency market
cap reaches $150B
(Bitcoin over $72B)
October 2008
Bitcoin is introduced as
the first application of
blockchain
November 2010
First Bitcoin purchase is
made – 10,000 BTC for a
pizza (equal to ~$43M
today)
March 2013
Bitcoin market cap
exceeds $1B
December 2013
Ethereum Project is
launched to provide a
platform for decentralized
applications
September 2016
Over 40 major financial
services firms invested in
blockchain or Bitcoin
startups since 2014
Blockchain: A distributed ledger for maintaining a permanent and tamper-proof record of transactions. 2

3. Blockchain for Business
A few examples of industries that will be disrupted by blockchain applications
Blockchain is a new way of managing trust
and can be used to verify many types of
data in insurance contracts, such as the
insured person’s identity
Insurance
Creating an immutable, publicly-viewable
ledger of recorded votes would be a
massive step toward making elections more
fair and democratic, significantly reducing
bureaucracy and increasing security
Voting and Government
Operating like a public ledger for a large number
of devices, blockchain would eliminate the need
for a central location to handle communications
between them
Networking the IoT
All kinds of data can be
verified and encrypted making
it less prone to getting hacked
or changed without
authorization
Cyber Security
Blockchain will do to banking what the
internet did to media by adding
efficiency and removing the need for
multiple intermediaries
Banks and Payments
The distributed ledger can also be used to verify
the authenticity or fair trade status of products by
tracking them from their origin
Supply Chain Management
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4. Mission
Our mission is to promote blockchain technology across
the University of Texas and greater Austin community by
navigating through the complexities of the various
applications; collaborating with Texas programs, local
businesses, and national industry leaders; and providing
a sustainable culture to encourage participation and
advancement within the blockchain environment in the
future. Perpetuate
Collaborate
Educate
4

5. Blog Current Events
Maintain an updated blog with the latest news and
evolving technologies to ensure we stay up to date with
the most current developments.
Create Education Material
Build an educational curriculum and organized
talks/lectures that will allow all club members to master
various aspects and increase interest in the subject
matter.
Discuss Implications
Understand the potential societal implications of
blockchain technology and discuss how it relates to the
material we are learning in other classes.
Create Resource Database
Develop a structured database of trusted and organized
material to efficiently navigate the immense amount of
available information.
Educate
Explore use cases, discuss economic
implications and develop a deeper
understanding of the technology’s potential
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6. Faculty and Alumni
Reach out to faculty and alumni for insights and support
in order to establish longevity for the club.
Other Business Schools
A few top business school programs, including HBS and
MIT Sloan, already have established blockchain clubs and
may be able to provide us with guidance.
McCombs Clubs
Partner/collaborate with Venture Fellows and the
Entrepreneur Society to brainstorm potential applications
and ideas that have not yet been established.
Other UT schools and programs
Engage with professors and students in other departments
to gain insights into use cases and applications of
blockchain technology beyond business.
Discuss industry specific use cases with other
organizations, UT and non-UT affiliated,
McCombs faculty and alumni
Collaborate
6

7. Host Events
Host blockchain events on campus to help draw attention
to McCombs and UT as forward thinkers.
Blockchain Trek
Visit companies already developing, using or investigating
blockchain technology (IBM, Deloitte, Microsoft, etc.) to
see it in action.
Connect with local and national companies
Bring in local and national business leaders for insights
into their operations as well as for business development/
networking.
Tools & Skills
Provide club members with the necessary skill set to start
a career in blockchain after graduation.
Network with industry leaders and startups
and in order to prepare club members for
blockchain related roles
Perpetuate
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8. Why Now?
Maintain a competitive advantage on comparable graduate schools and a
reputation as a truly forward thinking program
As blockchain technology continues to
permeate through all major industries, it
will be critical to keep McCombs’ students
informed of the latest developments to
ensure understanding of the dynamic
technology that is transforming the
business world.
Several top-tier graduate business programs across
the country have established clubs and/or courses to
educate its students on the ongoing developments in
the blockchain space. It will be critical for McCombs to
be a leader, not a follower, in the Blockchain business
industry as it continues to expand.
Let’s keep McCombs ahead of the trend.
Highly reputable companies are investing significant
capital into the exploration/implementation of
blockchain technology. The cryptocurrency market alone
has seen its market cap increase from $60B to over
$155B during the last 3 months.
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9. Founding Members
Background & Focus
Gordon Bowman
With an engineering and
real estate development
background, Gordon is
primarily interested in
blockchain smart-contract
applications and looking to
explore a role as a
blockchain technology
implementation consultant.
Anthony Santaga
Anthony began his career
working in the towel and
tissue industry, whilst
founding his own digital
services startup. He plans
to continue exploring the
potential blockchain
solutions for business.
Pat McAneny
Having worked in
commercial real estate
finance prior to McCombs,
Pat is interested in
investigating applications
of blockchain technology in
real estate development/
operations as well as other
service-based industries.
.
Dan Ben-Nun
Dan is an accomplished
entrepreneur who has
founded and sold three
companies, two of which
were focused on the futures,
commodities, and currency
trading markets. He plans to
launch his next venture in
the blockchain sector.
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10. Please contact us with any questions or for
further information.
Gordon.Bowman@mba19.mccombs.utexas.edu
Anthony.Santaga@mba19.mccombs.utexas.edu
Patrick.McAneny@mba19.mccombs.utexas.edu
Dan.BenNun@mba19.mccombs.utexas.edu
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Graduate
Blockchain Society