Ethereum studio ConsenSys opens European Hub in London

Ethereum design studio ConsenSys is expanding its global physical presence by opening a hub in London, in the heart of the technology hotbed of "Silicon Roundabout".

The London hub has space for 60 ConsenSys members and sponsored projects. The firm already has major hubs in New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Dubai, Singapore and Brisbane.

ConsenSys, which has quadrupled in size to 450 employees in 27 countries over the past 12 months, is quickly emerging as one of the fastest growing technology firms globally, driven by the rapid adoption of the Ethereum blockchain, said a statement.

Joseph Lubin, ConsenSys founder and Ethereum co-founder, said: "The European Hub signifies not only our commitment to servicing and investing in key European enterprises, governments, and partners, but also a recognition of the depth of blockchain talent and entrepreneurship in London and across Europe."

In launching the European Hub, ConsenSys is bringing each 'pillar' of its innovative mesh-services model to Europe:

• ConsenSys Labs venture studio, which incubates more than 40 Ethereum based products, tools and solutions, including Infura, Metamask, Truffle, Gnosis, GridPlus, Ujo and many others.
• ConsenSys Academy, the leading blockchain educator globally, planning to train more than 2,000 blockchain engineers in 2018 as well as offering non-technical continuous blockchain education qualifications for lawyers and business professionals.
• ConsenSys Intelligence, provider of strategic advice and ideation services, leveraging design thinking, strategic analysis and technical insight to help businesses, governments and non-profit organisations identify, select and define blockchain enabled business transformation opportunities.
• ConsenSys Enterprise provides best in class blockchain-based prototyping, implementation and due diligence services to global clients and governments such as Banco Santander and BHP Billiton.
• ConsenSys Capital operates a $50m venture arm, crypto-asset management services as well as Token Foundry services to assist companies looking to issue Ethereum- based tokens.
• ConsenSys Community engages with local blockchain communities, providing sponsorship, training and support for community events such as meetups, conferences and hackathons to promote widespread awareness and adoption of blockchain technology.

Julio Faura, Head of Innovation and Research & Development at Banco Santander and Chairman of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance said: "I am delighted to see ConsenSys' commitment to Europe. ConsenSys has been an incredible asset, both to Banco Santander and to the global blockchain community. It has been a true partnership together, and at Banco Santander we benefit greatly from working directly with the authors of many of the key Ethereum technologies and tools who reside at ConsenSys."

ConsenSys will engage with leaders of industry and government in Europe to illustrate the transformative potential of blockchain technology, develop open and enterprise ready platforms built on Ethereum blockchain technology, and provide insights as to how decentralised organisations can innovate and operate successfully.

ConsenSys Chief of Staff and Enterprise Ethereum Alliance co-founder Jeremy Millar, based in London, said: "European blockchain start-ups will have the opportunity to join the ConsenSys mesh as 'spoke projects' in our European Hub or work with ConsenSys Token Foundry and ConsenSys Ventures on developing their projects."