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>> NOTRE DAME BLOCK TRAIN
START-UP SIMBA CHAIN CONTINUES
TO INCREASE ITS FOOTPRINT IN THE
GROWING TECH SECURITY SPACE. THE

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COMPANY RECENTLY CLOSED ON A
$1.5 MILLION SEED ROUND FROM
INDIANA INVESTORS INCLUDING
ELEVATE VENTURES AND PIT ROAD

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FUND. AND, SIMBA CHAIN IS NOW
DOING BUSINESS WITH THE U.S. AIR
FORCE TO SECURE ITS SUPPLY
CHAIN.

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JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S
FUELING THE COMPANY'S SUCCESS IS
SIMBA CHAIN CEO, JOEL NEIDIG.
JOEL, AS ALWAYS, WELCOME TO THE

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PROGRAM. CONGRATULATIONS ON ITS
SUCCESS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> TRUE TESTAMENT, WHEN WE TALK

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ABOUT BLOCK CHAIN TECHNOLOGY,
EVERYBODY READS ABOUT IT, SEES
IT, TALKS ABOUT IT, BUT I DON'T
THINK MANY PEOPLE EXACTLY KNOW

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WHAT IT IS. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
BLOCK CHAIN TECHNOLOGY, WHAT IS
IT ALL ABOUT?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATE IT

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WITH CRYPTO CURRENCIES, THE
UNDERLINING TECHNOLOGY OF WHAT
CRYPTO CURRENCY IS. BLOCK CHAIN
KEEPS EVERYTHING IN ORDER, LIKE

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YOUR DEBITS AND CREDITS IN
ACCOUNTING. WE'RE SUPPLYING
SECURE AUDIT TRAILS TO THE U.S.
AIR FORCE AND OTHER CUSTOMERS.

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>> YOU HAVE NUMEROUS CUSTOMERS,
I MENTIONED THE U.S. AIR FORCE,
THAT'S A SUBSTANTIAL DEAL FOR
YOU.

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>> REALLY SUBSTANTIAL. WE HAVE
MULTIPLE CONTRACTS WITH THE
NAVY, AS WELL. WE'VE REALLY
DIDN'T ORIGINALLY FOCUS ON THAT.

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THAT IS HOW IT ALL CAME ABOUT,
OUR TECHNOLOGY IS SO WELL SUITED
FOR KEEPING COMPLEX SUPPLY
CHAINS SECURE.

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>> IN ADDITION TO CONTRACTS, AND
GETTING SEED FUNDING, THE MIRA
AWARDS, TECH POINTS, REALLY THE
ACADEMY AWARDS OF TECH, IF YOU

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WILL, YOU WON BEST NEW TECH OF
THE YEAR IN INDIANA, WHICH IS A
GREAT HONOR, AS WELL. TALK ABOUT
SIMBA CHAIN, YOU STARTED AT THE

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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, THE
IDEA CENTER, RIGHT?
GIVE US THE THUMBNAIL SKETCH OF
SIMBA CHAIN?

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>> I GOT WITH ONE OF THE
PROFESSORS AT THE UNIVERSITY,
CENTER FOR RESEARCH COMPUTING,
TWO DOCTORS, MY CO-FOUNDERS, AND

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HAD THIS PROBLEM THAT DEFENSE OF
RESEARCH PROBABLE NEEDED AN
APPLICATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT
TV DEFENSE, AND THAT'S HOW THE

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COMPANY STARTED, WE REALIZED IT
WAS DIFFICULT TO BUILD BLOCK
CHAIN APPLICATIONS, AND WE
WANTED TO MAKE IT VERY

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SIMPLISTIC WHERE YOU HAD REALLY
NO CODE KIND OF PLATFORM FOR
PEOPLE TO JUST GO IN THERE AND
DRAG AND DROP.

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>> HOW IMPORTANT TO START THIS
COMPANY, TO GROW THIS COMPANY,
HOW IMPORTANT WAS NOTRE DAME TO
THAT PROCESS, AND THE IDEA

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CENTER, BECAUSE NOTRE DAME HAS
BECOME SO ENGAGED IN THE TECH
ECOSYSTEM AND THE MOVEMENT AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOO.

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>> YEAH, I MEAN, THE ACCELERATOR
THERE, BRIAN RICHIE, AND THE
NOTRE DAME TEAM THERE AT THE
IDEA CENTER, REALLY HELPED

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OUR -- FROM AN ACCELERATION
STANDPOINT PRECEDE, WE ARE ON
OUR PRECEDE ROUND, HELPED US DO
MARKET STRATEGY, HELPED BUILDING

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FINDING WHAT CUSTOMERS NEED THE
SOLUTION, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE
THAT.
ALL THAT KIND OF HELPED. AND

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ALSO, WE HAVE OFFICE SPACE
THERE, AS WELL, THAT WE'RE ABLE
TO LEASE AT A VERY NICE RATE FOR
SUCH A SMALL BUSINESS AND A

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START-UP
>> VERY GOOD, AS YOU LOOK GOING
FORWARD, OPPORTUNITIES, GOT A
LOT OF MOMENTUM, MENTIONED THE

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SEED ROUND OF FUNDING, AND KIND
OF THE NOTORIETY THAT GOES ALONG
WITH GETTING THE BEST TECH
PRODUCTS AWARD. WHAT'S NEXT?

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WHAT DO YOU SEE AS REAL
OPPORTUNITIES?
>> WE'RE GOING TO BE EXECUTING
ON GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS OVER THE

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NEXT YEAR, REALLY GROWING OUR
ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS, WE'RE WITH
MICROSOFT NOW, MICROSOFT START
UPS, WE GO TO ALMOST ALL THEIR

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TRADE SHOWS WITH THEM AND
PROVIDE OUR SOLUTION WITH
MICROSOFT AZURE. THERE IS A
MASSIVE JEDI $10 BILLION PROGRAM

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THEY WON WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE. WE'VE REALLY INTEGRATED
WITH THAT.
>> GROWING THIS KIND OF

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TECHNOLOGY, HIGH-LEVEL
TECHNOLOGY, DOING IT IN INDIANA.
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
>> FEEL COMFORTABLE.

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>> IT'S PART OF ME.
>> VERY GOOD, JOEL NEIDIG, CEO
OF SIMBA CHAIN BASED IN NORTHERN
INDIANA, NOTRE DAME'S IDEA

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CENTER CONTINUES TO DO GREAT