Alex Tapscott is a Canadian entrepreneur and business writer known for being one of the most recognizable influencers in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space.^[1][2] He is the author of the book, Blockchain Revolution, which was co-written with his father, Don Tapscott.^[3]

He is the Chief executive officer of NextBlock Global. He is also the Co-Founder of Blockchain Research Institute along with his father.^[4]

Early Life

Tapscott is a native of Toronto, a place where he continues to live and work at.^[5] He is an alum of Upper Canada College.^[6]

Education

Tapscott committed to Amherst College where he received his Bachelor's degree in Law, Jurisprudence and Social thought. He graduated Cum Laude in 2008.^[7]

Tapscott represented Canada as a member (and captain) of the Canadian Men's Rugby Under-21 Team in numerous tournaments in 2006 and 2007.^[8]

Research Fellow

For the Martin Prosperity Institute, he authored the White paper "A Bitcoin Governance Network" which proposed a comprehensive blueprint for a multi-stakeholder governance network for Bitcoin.^[9]

Career

After college and representing his country as the captain for the national rugby team, Alex became the Director of institutional equity sales for Canaccord Genuity Inc.^[10] He managed a diverse client base of value, growth, long/short equity, merger-arbitrage and activist investors, including many of the largest asset managers in Canada and some of the largest hedge funds in New York. He was at the company until 2015.^[11]

CAMH Engage

Alex is the founding member of CAMH Engage, a fund-raising platform at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, focused primarily on the application of technology and social media.^[12]

Advisory Board

• Elections Canada
• Paycase
• YouBase
• Nuco^[13]

Blockchain Research Institute

Alex, along with his father, are the founders of Blockchain Research Institute. The organization conducts the definitive study of the impact of blockchain technology on business, government and society.^[14]

Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies Is Changing the World

*Along with his father, Don Tapscott, Alex is the co-author of Blockchain Revolution*. The book is considered one of the definitive studies and researched works on Blockchain technology and has become a best seller since its release.^[15][16]

In the Media

ICO Controversy

On November 5, 2017, he announced that NextBlock was forced to scrap IPO plans due to being dropped by their underwriter, CIBC, after the company is reported to have made false and misleading statements in its marketing materials.^[17]

They were to raise $100 million CAD ($77 million USD), and they falsely named four blockchain influencers as advisors in an investor document. Alex opted to return funds to investors.^[18]