South Carolina Blockchain

What South Carolina Blockchain does

South Carolina Blockchain is a Charleston, South Carolina-based non-profit community organization founded in 2020 that promotes blockchain technology adoption through education, events, and ecosystem development. It originated from sister organization PalmettoChain Inc., which had planned to host the state's first blockchain conference in March 2020; when COVID-19 forced postponement, the content evolved into a dedicated virtual platform at SouthCarolinaBlockchain.org. The organization is legally operated under South Carolina Emerging Tech Assoc. Inc. and is co-founded by Mark Driver and Dennis Fassuliotis, with Brent Zionic serving as CIO and a volunteer advisory board including Jessica Baker, Matt Sofley, Jonathan Dunsmoor, and Craig Ratliff.

The organization's deliverables are educational rather than commercial: the Blockchain for Legislators seminar series, the Resilience SC 2020 Virtual Blockchain Conference, the annual SCBlockchainWeek (with SCBlockchainWeek 2024 held April 24-26, 2024), and the South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge offering up to $6,000 in prize money. Programming focuses on Bitcoin as a Layer 1 protocol, the Lightning Network as a Layer 2 transaction protocol, and Layer 3 applications with relevance to South Carolina industries including supply chain, agriculture, real estate, transportation, law, and digital currencies. Students from the University of South Carolina and Clemson University participate through co-sponsored challenges.

The business model is sponsorship-driven and non-commercial. Events are offered free of charge to participants and are funded by co-sponsors including PalmettoChain Inc., the McNair Institute at the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, SIMBA Chain, Kaleido, StartupWind, Agengo, Kings Distributed Systems, the SC Council on Competitiveness, and the SC Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. The organization has no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, and operates with 1-10 staff and volunteers. A 2023 Letter of Intent with El Salvador signaled the first outward international expansion beyond regional advocacy.

Name

South Carolina Blockchain

Legal name

South Carolina Emerging Tech Assoc. Inc.

Website

https://southcarolinablockchain.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Carolina Blockchain is a Charleston, SC-based non-profit founded in 2020 that promotes blockchain technology through free educational events, legislator seminars, and an entrepreneurship challenge, serving South Carolina entrepreneurs, students, and policymakers via institutional sponsors and academic partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Event Sponsorships: The organization recruits presenters and sponsors for online content and live events including virtual conferences, seminars, and educational videos. Sponsors support the free events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

South Carolina Blockchain is a non-profit community organization that promotes blockchain technology adoption in South Carolina through education, events, and ecosystem-building initiatives. The organization runs free virtual conferences, educational seminars, the annual SCBlockchainWeek flagship event, the South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge with cash prizes, and the Blockchain for Legislators seminar series, and works with sister organization PalmettoChain Inc. on legislative advocacy for blockchain-enabled technologies.

Product overview

South Carolina Blockchain is an advocacy and educational organization rather than a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The organization focuses on fostering a blockchain ecosystem through educational initiatives including the Blockchain for Legislators seminar series, the South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge (a competition with $6,000 in prizes), and the Resilience SC 2020 Virtual Blockchain Conference. It also provides original content explaining Bitcoin as a Layer 1 protocol, the Lightning Network as a Layer 2 protocol, and blockchain use-cases relevant to South Carolina industries. The organization partners with PalmettoChain Inc. and the McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism & Free Enterprise at the University of South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SCBlockchainWeek
• Resilience SC 2020 Virtual Blockchain Conference
• South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge
• Blockchain for Legislators Seminar Series

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PalmettoChain, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Sister organization and co-sponsor of the South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge. PalmettoChain focuses on advocacy and legislative initiatives to promote a conducive regulatory framework for blockchain-enabled technologies in South Carolina.
• McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism & Free Enterprise at University of South CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Co-sponsor of the Inaugural South Carolina Blockchain Entrepreneurship Challenge. Provides faculty leadership and academic resources for blockchain education and entrepreneurship programs.
• Clemson UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Sponsor of Resilience SC 2020 Virtual Blockchain Conference. Academic partner in South Carolina's blockchain ecosystem development.
• Kings Distributed SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Sponsor of Resilience SC 2020 conference. CEO Dan Desjardins presented on AI, Edge Computing, and the Future of Work and Education.
• SIMBA Chain (Event Sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Sponsor of Resilience SC 2020 conference. Provided live demo of their blockchain platform during the event.
• SC Council on CompetitivenessminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Sponsor of Resilience SC 2020 conference. Director of Technology and Cybersecurity Initiatives participated in sessions on tech initiatives.
• SC ACFE (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Sponsor of Resilience SC 2020 conference focused on blockchain applications in compliance and fraud prevention.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Bitcoin Policy Institute: Research and policy organization focused on Bitcoin. Comparable in combining Bitcoin-focused education with policy advocacy, similar to SC Blockchain's Bitcoin-as-Layer-1 framing.
• MIT Digital Currency Initiative: Academic research and education initiative on digital currencies and blockchain. Comparable in the educational and ecosystem-development function, anchored to a leading university rather than a regional trade group.

Broad incumbents

• Web3 Foundation: Swiss-based foundation funding research, education, and ecosystem development for decentralized web technologies. Comparable in nonprofit, ecosystem-building and education mission, though focused on a specific protocol stack.
• Blockchain Association: U.S. trade association representing blockchain companies on policy and regulatory matters. Comparable industry-association structure and policy advocacy function at national level.
• Coin Center: Non-profit focused on U.S. crypto policy research and education for lawmakers. Comparable in its nonprofit, education-to-legislators model, though federally focused rather than state-focused.
• Chamber of Digital Commerce: Largest U.S. blockchain industry trade association advocating for digital assets and blockchain policy. Comparable mission of ecosystem development and legislative education, but at national scale and with broader membership base.
• Crypto Council for Innovation: Global alliance advancing the role of crypto and blockchain through education and policy engagement. Comparable in convening industry, policymakers, and educators around digital-asset adoption.

Regional players

• The Bitcoin Association: Switzerland-headquartered industry association promoting Bitcoin and BSV adoption through education and events. Comparable event-driven advocacy model but operates in a different geography.

Direct peers

• PalmettoChain, Inc. Sister organization co-founded with overlapping leadership that focuses on blockchain advocacy and legislative initiatives in South Carolina. Most directly comparable entity given shared founders, mission, and regional scope.

Others

• Clemson University Center for Corporate Learning: Academic partner of South Carolina Blockchain and co-sponsor of Resilience SC 2020. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler that bridges education, research, and blockchain entrepreneurship in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/scbc2020
• Facebookfacebook.com/southcarolinablockchain
• Instagraminstagram.com/southcarolinablockchain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-carolina-blockchain

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Carolina Blockchain