Paving The Way to a New Internet With Jonathan Manzi

"With security as a given, we can open up our devices for collaboration. Using them like threads of yarn, the dreamers among us can weave together inventions we would have never thought to conceive." - Jonathan Manzi

Who is Jonathan Manzi?

Jonothan Manzi is a co-founder of the California-based Beyond Protocol, a company developing practical technologies that enhance communication between internet-connected devices, and is regarded as a global expert in frontier technology.

Using blockchain technology, Manzi has been busy creating opportunities for machines and devices to talk and interact via blockchain, paving the way for humanity to emerge from the old internet to the new internet.

What's Possible? Manzi Demonstrates Beyond Protocol's Vision

Manzi refers to Beyond Protocol's vision as a "new internet for devices" and has recently been involved in several projects to demonstrate this vision in practical terms to the masses:

• In partnership with Rob Gronkowski and DoorDash, the Connected Athlete initiative was an event that showcased providing Patient Health Information over the blockchain for the first time. Rob Gronkowski and other NFL players had post-game food and nutritional supplements delivered to them based on the previous day's intake values and biometric data - information stored and sent through the Beyond Protocol platform.
• A partnership with Grammy Award-winning Cage the Elephant and the Vanderbilt University Center for Innovation on a prototype biometric suit for lead-singer Matt Shultz, which monitors his vitals for novel mental health applications.
• In partnership with Stripe, a global leader in payment processing, Beyond Protocol's EV charging stations solve the problem of a complicated check-out process that is too messy. To check out an EV, users need to download one of several mobile apps and tap one of several NFC cards, depending on the charging station. Beyond Protocol simplifies this process by providing a safe, autonomous payment by smart contract between the car and the charging station. In this way, Beyond Protocol's platform makes EV adoption easy and, therefore, more likely, for the end-user.

Beyond Protocol is the blank canvas that allows all smart devices to communicate and transact safely. The primary goal in developing this platform is to empower developers, technologists, and others with a robust ecosystem and toolset for Internet of Things networking and collaboration.

In an interview with BTS labs in June 2021, Manzi described Beyond Protocol's vision: "We envision a future where good triumphs over evil and technology can work for us to create an exponentially safer and more beautiful world."

Once the code is fully open to the public, it will enable them to build the next generation of mega apps as well as their own hardware and use cases for the Beyond Protocol platform. What can be constructed then is only limited by time, skill, desire, and imagination. 

Manzi Reimagines Campus Printing, Prioritizes Quality of Life for Talent

Before co-founding Beyond Protocol, Manzi left Stanford University, where he co-founded a non-profit effort to shift the way students accessed entrepreneurship on college campuses, to co-found and serve as CEO of Ink.

This Nebraska-based startup would streamline on-campus printing, taking the once 10-minute process of printing on campus and making it happen in less than a minute. Using a giant touch screen, SmartStation connects to HP printers and reduces software error rates and paper jams. In addition to improving the printing process on HP Printers, Ink employs a product called InkTouch that works with existing printers and provides students with the same cloud-based services available on SmartStation.

With just a tap of a campus ID card, students can access their Dropbox or Google Drive, or other cloud services and select documents to print. Ink then creates a keychain on the student's ID card to automatically log them in the next time they want to print. Students can also wirelessly AirPrint from iOS or macOS, a convenience unheard of in enterprise-scale printing.

Manzi's reasoning for stationing in Lincoln, Nebraska, tells of his character. After thoroughly researching and considering several options, Manzi concluded in a Lincoln Journal Star news release that "Lincoln, Neb., affords Ink with the ability to attract smart, young, loyal talent at scale and offer them a superlative proposition for quality of life."

Vintage Network: Bringing Transparency to Advertising

Before enrolling at Stanford University, Manzi had already found success with his earliest company, Vintage Network. The company developed an ethical, incentivized marketing solution, restructuring how Web-advertising companies used pop-ups and free prize offers and made Manzi a millionaire at 16 years old.

"I rearranged the structure so that people actually get their free prizes," he said when profiled by The Stanford Daily in 2010. "It's a positive, viral cycle. You only have to sign up for one offer and then refer a friend. It's much easier for the user but also easier for the advertiser." In 2008, Vintage Network grossed nearly $3.2 million.

The Manzi Signature: Finding the Benefit in the Obstacles

For all of his success, Manzi has faced his fair share of obstacles.

Early on, his user database was hacked, and external companies spammed users' e-mail addresses, causing Manzi to consider whether to keep the system or throw in the towel. Rather than give up, Manzi apologized to users by offering monetary gifts and restructured the system, a change that rewarded him with immediate results.

A Man Committed To Blockchain Education

Manzi is also an accomplished speaker, presenting his story in several speaking engagements. He is also writing a book about the power of intention.

Currently, he is committed to educating the masses on blockchain technology and the possibilities that humanity can realize through the Beyond Protocols platform.

We should keep an eye out for more use case events. "These are fun, informative, and show the public firsthand how blockchain is poised to impact all facets of their lives for the better," says Manzi in an interview with The Worth, "And we plan on having a lot of them."