Cultivating Tomorrow's Leaders: Serial Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, and Business Coach Alex Reinhardt Serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and business coach Alex Reinhardt aims to help people become the best version of who they may become in the future.

Running a business is always a struggle – a balancing act on the edge of potential failure," says Alex Reinhardt, a businessman, venture capitalist, economist, expert in the field of blockchain technologies and startup development, and business coach. The entrepreneurs who he coaches can often hear him saying that success is a marathon that demands consistent work, discipline, and commitment. "By fostering these qualities, entrepreneurs can navigate challenges more effectively and achieve sustainable success," he adds.

The 43-year-old German was born and raised in Siberia, Russia, but moved to his native German at the age of 15 where he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in economics from Humboldt University in Berlin and started testing the waters as an entrepreneur early on. "Even during my university years and right after graduation, I worked hard on various innovative projects and startups, helping them attract investments," Reinhardt says. "Over a few years, I helped dozens of startups in raising investments worth about half a billion euros. I have always been passionate about innovation and new technologies, and I began my professional journey by assisting startups in securing funding."

He got interested in the blockchain industry around the same time in 2011 when the encrypted, decentralized digital currency Bitcoin started gaining some recognition. "I became absolutely fascinated by it, seeing it as the future of financial technology and many other industries," Reinhardt says. "Blockchain is a fundamental technical innovation – something powerful and revolutionary, capable of competing with numerous industries. What captivated me about blockchain was its transparency, consensus-based structure, and the fact that it's not controlled by any single person. I eagerly absorbed any information I could find and invested in Bitcoin. Back then, I expected blockchain to revolutionize the financial sector and saw immense potential for its application across various industries."

Some years later, Reinhardt's enthusiasm about the new technology led him to his first project- a crowdfunding platform on the blockchain. "We faced several significant challenges. Firstly, back in 2015, finding top-tier developers who specialized in blockchain technology was still a challenge," he explains. "While it wasn't as difficult as in the earlier years of blockchain, such as 2011-2013, professionals were still critically scarce. The market was full of amateurs, so we had to form our team slowly, filtering out and nurturing professionals. We essentially grew our team from the ground up."

Launching the product proved to be another hurdle as it faced severe skepticism from the regulators. "European regulations at that time declared such activities as licensed, and the licensing process was very expensive and time-consuming," Reinhardt recalls. "We had to set aside the idea of a blockchain crowdfund- ing platform for a while and pivot to other products."

Around the same time as he was trying to navigate the regulatory landscape, Reinhardt realized that the lack of understanding and eduction about blockchain was another problem. "Between 2015 and 2017, very few people understood blockchain, especially among the general public," he says. "They didn't comprehend the advantages of blockchain, why they should engage with the technology, or how to use it. The prospects of blockchain products were unclear to most, making it challenging to promote and gain adoption for our products. We addressed this by focusing on education and raising awareness about the technology."

Source: BNC Publishing

In the ensuing years, he experimented with and created a wide variety of blockchain products, ranging from crowdfunding platforms to educational products, wallets, hardware wallets, messengers, and other tech solutions.

All of this provided the necessary learning for his current project, Smart Blockchain, that is "designed to solve the crypto market problems and provide the most stable operation of the decentralized network, as well as simplify the scalability." Reinhardt explains, "Today, we are actively working on our splitting technology within the Smart Blockchain network, which has already reached one million accounts, and the user base contin- ues to grow rapidly. Splitting is a unique blockchain technology that allows anyone, regardless of technical skills, to earn daily rewards in cryptocurrency from the blockchain. It doesn't require expensive equipment like traditional mining or special knowledge. The essence of splitting lies in a smart contract or liquidity pool – a closed, self-sustaining decentralized system where cryptocurrencies are frozen. Users simply freeze their cryptocurrency in the dedicated crypto SMART Wallet or provide liquidity to the pool and receive dailyrewards."

With splitting technology, Reinhardt also aims to address environmental issues associated with blockchain technology. "We believe that tradi- tional mining is highly inefficient, costly, and harmful to the environment due to massive energy consumption," he says. "Splitting allows users to mine coins using just their smart- phones, without consuming significant power resources or vast amounts of electricity. This approach makes the process affordable, clear, and simple for everyone, reducing the environ- mental impact and making blockchain technology more sustainable."

While working in the entrepreneurship space, Reinhardt found it impossible to overlook how much help and support new founders needed when navigating the unstable waters of business. For that reason, his other project, the Alex Reinhardt Academy, offers free pre-recorded video courses on a wide variety of topics, from education on finance and sales growth, to marketing, networking, and building an image of a leader. "Education is a key focus for me," he says. "I've written a book on leadership and run the Alex Reinhardt Academy, where I teach leadership and sales skills."

Having interacted with a huge number of entrepreneurs, he adds, he noticed that they face similar problems. "Firstly, it's lack of self-discipline and consistency. Many entrepreneurs lack focus, discipline, and perseverance. They struggle with maintaining consistent efforts toward their goals," Reinhardt explains. "Then, there's a general absence of investment in themselves – their mindset, vision for the future, and understanding of business principles. They don't study themselves or their businesses adequately. Lastly, there is a lack of strategic planning and commitment. Entrepreneurs often enter markets they don't understand, follow questionable advice, and fail to grasp what they're getting into. They don't dedicate enough time or effort to their ventures."

Reinhardt is now based in Dubai, as he considers it one of the best cities in the world "not just for living, but also for running a business, especially a blockchain business." He says, "The UAE is a wonderful country for doing business, with Dubai at the forefront of blockchain innovation. The city offers countless opportunities for blockchain projects and conferences, amazing networking, and a concentration of people who are passionate about IT and technology. These individuals are eager to build businesses and are open-minded to new ideas. It's an incredibly dynamic, powerful city that pushes you toward innovation. In my view, there's no better place to run a blockchain business than Dubai."

'TREP TALK: Alex Reinhardt advises entrepreneurs in the UAE

1. "If you're afraid, don't do it; if you've done it, don't be afraid."
This principle, taught to me by my father, has guided me throughout my life. If you are terribly afraid of something, especially the responsibility it carries, don't proceed with it. But if you've taken the step, then go all the way and commit to your goal. This is very important and applies regardless of who you are or where you come from. I believe it's a very powerful principle.

2. Pursue your dreams boldly and set high goals
Don't be afraid to chase your dreams and aim high. It's crucial to set high goals and work toward them every day without forgetting what you want to achieve. Don't give up on yourself or your goals. Dream boldly, then transition to planning and active execution. There are countless opportunities to achieve your dreams – they just need to be recognized.

3. Invest in continuous learning and personal growth
To recognize and seize the countless opportunities around you, you must constantly learn and grow. Personal growth is essential for success. By working on your mindset and expanding your knowledge, you'll unlock opportunities and be better equipped to navigate your business.