#381: George Bousis, CEO of Raise, on Blockchain Innovation in the Gift Card Industry, and The Future of Customer Loyalty Programs

George Bousis is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor at the forefront of the payments, loyalty, and blockchain industries. As the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Raise, he launched the world's leading platform for digital gift cards. Under his leadership, Raise achieved over $5 billion in sales and saved its customers upwards of $250 million.

Raise is recognized globally as a pioneer in the payments, loyalty, and blockchain sectors. George's innovation is showcased by the 30 patents he's authored. This spirit of innovation has attracted significant backing for Raise, helping the company secure over $225 million from leading institutions like Accel, PayPal and NEA.

Outside the boardroom, George's passion for startups is evident. He's invested in over 85 companies and co-founded Protagonist. Beyond business, he enjoys gaming, music, real estate, and traveling.

George's accolades include three nominations for the Goldman Sachs Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and recognition as a Crains 20 in their 20s standout.

He's also committed to giving back, serving as a board member for the Northwestern Hospitals Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation and as a member of the Young Presidents Organization, Chicago Chapter.

In this conversation, we discuss:
- Introduction to Raise
- WalletConnect & Polkadot Integrations
- Blockchain Innovation in the Gift Card Industry
- Future Vision: blockchain innovation in the consumer space
- Overview of the gift card industry
- Programming digital money to do anything
- TPS and gas fees limiting adoption in the early days of crypto
- Billions of dollars in gift cards go unused every single year
- Brands taking out the middleman
- The future of customer loyalty programs

Raise
Website: www.raise.com
X: @RaiseApp
LinkedIn: Raise

George Bousis
X: @GBousis
Instagram: @gbousis
LinkedIn: George Bousis

 
 
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