‘Count of Monte Crypto’ Dustin Plantholt talks using blockchain for good on CoinGeek Backstage

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Digital currencies and blockchain have become mainly avenues for quick riches, exit scams, rug pulls, and more. But Dustin Plantholt believes that blockchain can be used for good, and as he told CoinGeek Backstage in Dubai, he’s pushing for blockchain to go beyond the hype and bring a world of good.

CoinGeek Backstage host Becky Liggero caught up with the editor for digital asset news at Forbes Monaco on the sidelines of AIBC Dubai, where he moderated a few panels to talk about his take on the state of the industry.

Dustin has come to be referred to as the ‘Count of Monte Crypto.’ As he revealed, the title was given to him in November 2021 after he hosted the first-ever Forbes Monaco Art & Crypto Gala, where he raised money for local charities. Monaco is known for its lavish wealth, with one in three of its residents being millionaires. These high net-worth individuals are pretty curious about digital assets and are interested in adding them to their portfolios, although Dustin said he has observed that most of the news and information outlets these people rely on are misleading them. 

The Count of Monte Crypto has met some of the blockchain industry’s brightest minds, he said. This includes Ayre Ventures and CoinGeek founder Calvin Ayre and Dr. Craig Wright, the man who invented Bitcoin, both of whom he met at CoinGeek London. He acknowledged that the two get a lot of negative press from some major publications, and with most people never having met them in person, they have no way of knowing what’s true and what’s not.

“I find Calvin to be one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met. I look at what he’s done to impact lives around the world, and the amount of charities he has supported,” he noted. As for Dr. Wright, Dustin believes that nobody can leave a conversation with him without saying, “Wow, you’re brilliant.”

Dustin is also the founder of Crypterns.com, a company that connects blockchain talent with the leading firms for internships and even full-time jobs. 

“I believe that for us, our legacy will be to leave this world far better than we found it,” he noted.