Theta Labs Inc., Silicon Valley-based blockchain-powered media network startup, has teamed up with South Korea’s top engineering school Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to run new courses teaching the application of blockchain technology.

Theta Labs recently signed a memorandum of understanding with KAIST on launching a blockchain curriculum. Under the agreement, Theta executives will teach a graduate-level credit course in blockchain development at K-School, KAIST’s special master’s degree program for entrepreneurs, and sponsor a student club on blockchain development. As a start, the American tech venture will conduct an introductory seminar on Friday.

“Blockchain is like the internet in 1997,” said Mitch Liu, co-founder and CEO of Theta Labs during an exclusive interview with Maeil Business Newspaper on Tuesday. “It’s in the very early state. So there’s an opportunity to educate, innovate, and build learning and insights together.”

The company bets high hopes on its new venture in Korea where interest in blockchain technology is so high in line with active trading of cryptocurrency.

“We can probably learn from smart students at KAIST as much they can learn from us,” said Wes Levitt, head of strategy team at Theta Labs, who joined Liu on sharing their vision on the partnership with KAIST. “It’s more like we’d like to push this together,” Levitt added.

Theta Labs, a subsidiary of e-sport live streaming platform SLIVER.tv, is building a peer-to-peer video delivery network that will use its own cryptocurrency to reward users who share their extra computing power and memory storage for helping relay video stream to others. It recently joined hands with two Korean media companies - Maekyung Media Group and CJ Hello - to introduce its decentralized video-streaming services to wider audiences.

By Shin Hyun-kyu and Cho Jeehyun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]