Lessons from Blockchain: where does all the talent go?

Well it certainly doesn’t stay it seems.

Over the past three months, a group of us have been looking at the State of the Blockchain nation in the East Midlands in the UK. Part of this has been about looking at what people learn at university or in other academic institutions, and what opportunities then exist to take those skills into the workplace. Relevant here is whether Enterprise business is still ‘playing’, still experimenting with blockchain, or whether they are now investing and deploying technology at scale.

We’ve had some fascinating, yet ultimately quite depressing conversations.

Let’s start with academia. And I should offer my thanks to all of those who have engaged with us from a number of universities in the region, and specifically Leicester University, who not only invited us to speak to them, but put on a 3-day blockchain conference in late June. There are clearly interest, knowledge, courses and talent in the region.

We see two problems.

• First, talent doesn’t stay put. The view is still that to find a role in EXCITING blockchain work, you have to go to London or beyond – ironic for a decentralised technology! But actually it’s no surprise, because –
• Secondly, where are the incubators, accelerators and start up hubs in the East Midlands? I mean … Anything. Anywhere. We just can’t find it. In a country claiming to ‘level up’, surely this is a missed opportunity.

It isn’t as though nothing is happening in Enterprise business. We’ve seen press coverage from some key organisations headquartered here. Yet we’ve not found anyone in private sector business so far happy to talk to us about their actual blockchain work. Is it because there isn’t much really there when you scratch the surface? Is it because businesses see competitive advantage in keeping quiet? Is it simply that they are too busy with the day-to-day operational challenges? Perhaps all of these things.

The other question is, well, whether we are asking the right question. Why should it matter where expertise in a decentralised technology is geographically sourced? We believe passionately that it matters to the East Midlands and the surrounding economy. We believe it’s about opportunities for the next generation coming into the workplace. And while in this case, we are looking at blockchain, we could have asked the same questions about Quantum or even AI. Our findings would probably be the same.

So, what is our ask? What can you do for us?

Prove us wrong. If you are at the heart of a community of innovative tech start-ups in the East Midlands, we would really love to hear from you. We’re here too. Based in the heart of Nottingham. If you are an Enterprise business reading this thinking, hang on … we have real credibility and talent in this space … then tell us, under the protection of an NDA if you prefer. Until some of that happens, until some of our findings change … I, having grown up and lived in the East Midlands all my life, will find this a depressing picture from the overall #StateoftheBlockchainNation … with bleak implications for the East Midlands economic outlook.