The Distributed Lounge: Meeting with Dr. Milly Perry

Ever wondered who are the people behind a lot of the Blockchain and Distributed Ledger journeys? As one of the most recent challenges, I wanted to introduce some of the ground-breaking entrepreneurs driving the changes in Digital and, more particularly, Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology, regardless of the company they work at.

It might not sound like such a tall task until you consider that most of us work for specific companies with particularities and guidelines. Luckily, the community, inspired by new ways of working, jointly developing technology, helping each other, and the co-creation of solutions, has adopted an open mindset itself.

I’m therefore thrilled to introduce a series of articles where I interview some of these entrepreneurs based on ten questions. If you feel like being part of this endeavor, you know where to find me.

This time I take a virtual coffee with a real Blockchain Research Leader: Milly Perry, BUG Blockchain University Global and DAO 4 DAOs Institute Chair. Her focus is on researching, contributing, helping, and informing governments, organizations, and people on the various paradigm shifts caused by Blockchain. She is probably the most dedicated ‘DAOist’ I have ever met. I’ll let her explain. Enjoy!

1. So, what's your story? What do you do today?

I can characterize my work as a multi-disciplinary oriented, layers-rich and focuses on people. I am very curios person, intrinsically motivated, very persistent in learning new attitudes and innovative ideas, and introducing them to the organizational ecosystem. Some people preserve it as a “trouble maker” some preserves it as disrupting leadership. I am an active expert at the EC ERC-PoC in which I gain thorough understanding about innovation, economy, strategy and management, those are people oriented systems too, much of them are psychology process and human nature in which collaboration play a major role.

Nowdays I am engaged in projects of expert groups in the WEF World Economic Forum , ISO Blockchain and the EU innovation experts group dealing with governance, change management and implementation of blockchain nationally and worldwide., she is the head of blockchain Excellence Center, the founder of DAO4DAOs Institute and BUG Blockchain University Global and I am the author of the book "Blockchain – Turning egosystem to ecosystem", which includes a variety of use cases, blockchain principles, and practical ideas. The book facilitates and elaborates blockchain new paradigm implementation in society, business, companies, and governments. I consult start-ups and investors operating in the blockchain world, I am part of an Identity start-up team, an NFT one, involve in CBDC project, financial startup and other aspects of blockchain tools and practices.

2. How did you get into the innovation/technology space?

As my bio testifies, I got into the Innovation arena in a variety of ways. I had my MA in technologies in education and was a change agent in the Tel Aviv municipality project in which we were implementing technology in to the largest education system in Israel. I believe I earned my first major insight there. People are the main issue in any technological change. No technology can change a single thing without people.

I served as a research director at The Open University of Israel and CEO of its Technology Transfer Company which takes the knowledge from research to the industry by patents and IP. My first Ph.D. is in Information Science, specializing in KM in Higher Education and Technology and Innovation. My second PhD, in dealing with the art market. I was a board member at EARMA (European Association for Research Administration).

3. What technology absolutely excites you right now?

I strongly believe in DAO. Vitalik Buterin in ‘DAOs, DACs, DAs and More: An Incomplete Terminology Guide’ (May 6, 2014) said: "It is safe to say that “DAOism” is well on its way to becoming a quasi-cyber-religion " Once in a while, the introduction of a new technology or paradigm shift enables the reduction of coordination cost, pushing up efficiency of organizations to new levels. It trigger transition in the landscape of work and business, and thereafter a social change too, as was exactly the case with the invention of crowdsourcing and the Internet itself. I am a believer in DAOism. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) utilize blockchain and smart contract technology to create better organizations, falter and more moral and democratic agile organisations, meritocracy-based governed by code. DAO has no physical borders, no central authority and no one-point of failure. We are aiming at a swarm-like organization, an harmonize and orchestrating millions of individuals.

DAO is the 21th century tool for managing in the Blockchain era.

We could not keep the old management methods. In a Co-opetition blockchain ecosystem we ought to adopt innovative management tools that are Blockchain-Native like DAO. It could be useful for governance of the whole ecosystem or for specific process.

We have to Walk-the-Talk. Blockchain essence is community oriented, we preach for decentralization and transparency we ought to implement these values and transfer the organizations hierarchal governance methods aka boards, directors, senior managements into a sovereign community and self-management methods. DAO apply these ideas in blockchain ecosystem, open networks or corporates, in to open and transparent business communications leveraging cooperation and co-opetion.

4. If you had the opportunity to meet one person in the technology space you haven't met who would it be, why and what would you talk about?

I am intrigued by Hal Finney’s character. He was credited as lead developer on several console games. He also was an early bitcoin contributor and received the first bitcoin transaction from bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Maybe his tragic death puzzled me, or the role he had at the inception of Blockchain. He presided as a puzzle to me.

5. When and/or how did you first learn about DLT/blockchain?

I stumbled into blockchain in my research periods at Erasmus University in Rotterdam and my visit period to Science-Po in Paris, dealing with the international art market and in my search for a policy vehicle to manage Free Port for Art ( a free zone for international commerce dedicated to art storage). I felt the important ideas of democracy, transparency, peer-to-peer transitions, economic efficiency, disintermediation, trust and user empowerment, can practically change global economy and our society. It seems to me we got a second chance to conceive better internet (We failed to create a democratic social network and communication at the first time).

6. What’s a project DLT/blockchain you’ve worked on that made you proud?

I am not sure I can answer really this question, I am involve with a few projects, I am proud of all of them!

7. What book, whitepaper, post, tweet, etc. has influenced you the most in the last year?

Vitalik Buterin on May 6, 2014 DAOs, DACs, DAs and More: An Incomplete Terminology Guide. Not from the last year, but very influential. “Blockchain the Next Everything” by Stephen P Williams. Humbly, if I may say, I believe my book ‘Blockchain Turning Ego system to Ecosystem’ brings new flavors and concepts, other authors did not. This book is a ‘dynamic’ book, to which articles in a variety of topics will be added from time to time. The book is intended for open sharing of ideas, for expanding knowledge, for promoting understanding of technology and strengthening the Blockchain ecosystem

 8. What's the most important thing people should know about you? What’s your vision?

I believe a person in a very complex entity, one character cannot describe it’s essence. This is the beauty of human nature. I am a people person. People are the cause for creating, achieving, dreaming and collaborating. A community, ecosystem and collaboration are the bright side of humanity. The technology is here to help, not to replace human.

 9. What do you think is the driving force in your professional life?

My driving forces are curiosity, intrinsic drives to improve and bring new ideas to the world, a bit of perfectionism and competiveness nature entangled with love of people and collaboration. I strongly believe in learning as a way of life and knowledge mastering as a way of intellectual and personal fulfillment.

10. Any magical closing words?

I am fully convinced Blockchain is changing the world. DAO is the Blockchain killer app. It will no doubt be its most influential innovation.