DownUnder The Cloak: Volume 01, Issue 02



When you’re given a stage, perform.

My second month as the Australian Coordinator for CloakCoin has presented some fantastic opportunities and allowed me to keep the momentum rolling. I’ve been fortunate to further develop my own profile within the crypto space while meeting some amazing people that I’ll be working with in future.

This month I hustled, grew my network, featured on a popular podcast, took to the stage and built strong relationships with exciting future prospects. So lets dive into month two of my journey as a podcaster, privacy advocate, cryptocurrency coordinator, and now firmly placed blockchain public speaker.

Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference — Sydney

Although CloakCoin was not exhibiting at this event, I found it worthwhile to go along and do some networking. I saw a few familiar faces and connected with some fantastic business people.

Being a Tuesday, this event was very much only for ‘industry people’ so the turnout was modest.

Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) on Sydney’s iconic Darling Harbour, the visitor’s certainly had plenty to hang around for.

Quick look at the different projects I got to speak with

One key takeaway that I found really exciting was how the Australian government, and our country as a whole, are so progressive in terms of blockchain, distribute ledger technology and cryptocurrency.

We lead the Global ISO Blockchain Standards Committee and are the second largest alternative finance country in the world. With that in mind, I was really excited to meet people from the govrsome of the team from the Blockchain Centre

Looking back at the ICC (to left of Sofitel) from the Pyrmont Bridge

Vivid Festival was in full swing, so a bunch of us went for a drink after the conference. The view was breathtaking to say the least.


Trader Cobb Crypto Podcast — Impeccable Timing

On the Friday night before I boarded my flight to Melbourne, I got a notification on my phone. What an exciting moment, the interview I did on the Trader Cobb Crypto Podcast dropped.

**Find where to subscribe here - https://www.tradercobb.com/podcast

I’d been eagerly anticipating its arrival since recording with Craig Cobb on the Tuesday prior.For those of you who are unaware, Craig Cobb is a very popular trader who has been trading full time for about 12 years.



More recently he has dedicated himself to cryptocurrency and has one of the top podcasts globally in a number of categories.

I was truly honoured to be on the show as I’m a big fan of Craig’s work and he has interviewed some of the biggest names in blockchain.

Bitcoin and Blockchain Fair — Melbourne

A mentioned in Issue 01 of DownUnder The Cloak, I was invited by the Australian Business Forum to be their Master of Ceremonies for Bitcoin and Blockchain Fair. Of course I jumped at the chance and promptly booked flights to Melbourne and a haircut. If you’re on stage, you gotta look sharp!

This is not only great exposure for CloakCoin, but it proved that it pays to ask. Back when we were looking into exhibiting at the Sydney leg of the event, I spent some time negotiating and asked if there were any roles that needed filling for the event to run smoothly.

It just so happens that the Australian Business Forum were in need of someone to moderate panel discussions.

Master of Ceremonies — Bitcoin and Blockchain Fair

One thing led to another and CloakCoin has been fortunate to get the exposure of exhibiting at zero cost due to my role as MC for the Bitcoin and Blockchain Fair.

In fact, we were front and center as I introduced every single speaker during the weekend and even had a seat on a panel discussion around privacy. Once the video of that is made available, I will make sure to include it in this post.



The best part about being on deck throughout all of the presentations is that during the short breaks, audience members approached me with loads of questions.

Nick Byrne, CEO and Co-Founder of TypeHuman — An inspiring individual, can’t wait for our catch up!

I had some great discussions and made some fantastic business connections with some really inspiring people. Some of which I will be meeting with in the coming weeks to discuss opportunities for Cloak.

The Crypto Scene In Melbourne Is Thriving

I knew that Melbourne was a hub for blockchain startups and home to some of Australia’s most promising crypto minds. But what I didn’t realise was how many crypto enthusiasts would make their way along to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.



Despite the pouring rain and freezing cold temperatures, the event was a huge success. Both the forum and exhibition floors were buzzing with loads of enthusiastic people.

I was excited to meet heaps of innovative business people looking to learn more about blockchain and see how they could better serve their clients with new technologies. I really love meeting innovators who are one step ahead, it’s no wonder their companies are so successful.

CoinSpot Leading The Way — Australia’s Largest Selection of BlockChain Assets

Got to spend some time with the CoinSpot team who are killing it right now. Such a great bunch of people and I’m glad I got to catch up with management for a discussion about CloakCoin.

Looking forward to promoting CoinSpot and working with them more in the future.

As usual I took advantage of the free coffee they have on offer at events like this one. Thanks so much for keeping me energised for such a busy weekend on stage. Made sure the blood levels in my caffeine system didn’t get too high!

Although I got very little time to make my way around the exhibition floor, my regular dashes to the barista allowed me to bump into plenty of passionate community members for a quick snap.

I’ve Found My Feet Presenting… And I LOVE It!

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6414392186871390208

When I first got the opportunity to step up in front of a crowd, I knew it was the right thing to do. But if I denied being nervous, I’d be lying. The first time round in Sydney got off to a shaky start, and I’m certain that was because of overthinking. Trying too hard to be prepared.

I’m a natural communication and really like to improvise, do what feels right and go with the flow. To be recognised by some really inspirational people who I admire in the crypto space, has been amazing.

Not only have I had the chance to connect with like-minded people who love crypto as much as me, I’ve made new friends! Plenty of positive feedback has come my way and it reassures me that I have made the right decision in risking it all on a career in crypto.

Me, Leon Gerard Vandenberg, Jacqueline Therese Plunkett and Nick Byrne — Privacy & Identity Panel Discussion

The level of enjoyment and fulfillment I’m finding is this work is second to none. My dedication and enthusiasm is opening doors that I never knew existed and I’m looking forward to sharing these with you all in later issues of this publication.

All Roads Lead To PRIVACY During an action packed few weeks, I’ve made some really strong connections with others who care passionately about privacy. In the coming months, I’ll be working on some major projects that complement CloakCoin and the broader ecosystem that respects our right to privacy.

Privacy Is My Passion I’ve found that what drives me most is educating others on the huge invasions of privacy that we all put up with on a daily basis. Then discussing with them the possibilities that blockchain technology presents us with. Ash Hoey, the CEO of RapidID and another privacy advocate — Really looking forward to working together! Regardless of the topic, I’m finding that most presentations, at least at some point find their way to the topic of privacy. Whenever there’s a panel discussion, or audience involvement, the topic that encourages passionate debate is also, you guessed it, privacy. In this attention hungry world of new technology, there’s a common theme that really worries me.

We trade our privacy for convenience.

Along with helping drive CloakCoin forward, I will be conducting and documenting a number of social experiments regarding privacy. In fact, the core focus of HODLcast won’t just be introducing newcomers to crypto, it will also be privacy.

Moderating a panel discussion with Karen Ho, Jacqueline Therese Plunket, Dr Chris Berg and John Bassillios.

Privacy will become the central focus of everything I do. As I develop more into this role of helping advance the adoption of cryptocurrency, I can see that it’s a natural progression for privacy to further makes its way to the forefront.

Great hanging out with Vivian Michael who is a lawyer for startups, venturing into blockchain.

I can confidently say I’ve landed right where I want to be, working for a cause I care for very deeply. As I tackle each new challenge, my commitments seem to reveal more and more synergies. The future looks brighter every day.

BONUS: Quick tip for those who value privacy

This month I started using Brave Browser on my iPhone and it is awesome. I was really proud to see through using it, that CloakCoin’s website doesn’t incorporate any trackers or advertising scripts.

If you’re yet to use it, please go ahead and download it. Any sites that do have trackers or advertising, load heaps faster because Brave block all the ads etc.

The screenshot below from my iPhone 7 Plus shows what I mean about CloakCoin.com — what a lovely sight to see.

Lese alles