The Chamber of Digital Commerce, a trade association representing the blockchain and digital asset industry, has partnered with technology incubator 1776 to launch the DC Blockchain Center.

The DC Blockchain Center is the first blockchain incubator in Washington, DC and represents one of many efforts being undertaken at 1776 to foster innovation around financial technology. It will serve as the entrepreneurial resource for technology providers and governments investing and innovating in blockchain-based technologies.

The incubator will help regulators and government agencies, including state, federal and international, understand the potential benefits of blockchain technology and public sector use cases. In addition, the blockchain innovation center will provide a forum for the public and private sectors to collaborate on this emerging technology.

"We strongly believe that one of the most effective forms of advocacy is for the government to utilize and implement blockchain technology, and to experience the benefits first hand," says Perianne Boring, Founder and President of the Chamber of Digital Commerce.

According to the official announcement, the DC Blockchain Center has already received requests from government agencies looking for blockchain technology resources and expects further inquiries on issues like cybersecurity, identity management and asset registry.

Founded in February 2013 by Donna Harris and Evan Burfield, 1776 is a public benefit corporation that scouts and funds high-growth startups around the world focused on solving society’s most fundamental challenges in sectors like education, energy, transportation and financial services. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional campuses in Dubai, New York and San Francisco.

"FinTech is a challenging space for governments and their constituents," said Evan Burnfield, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of 1776. "We're thrilled to welcome the DC Blockchain Center and its community of innovators to 1776. It's uniquely positioned to connect the dots for government agencies and drive massive scale success through our connections, resources and mentoring programs."