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How we built the infrastructure to make any data verifiable, trustworthy, and tamper-proof – without the blockchain complexity.

The $3.1 Trillion Problem Nobody Talks About

Every day, companies make decisions based on data they can’t actually prove is accurate. Financial reports that could be altered. Supply chain records that might be fabricated. Quality control logs that may have been tampered with.

According to IBM, poor data quality costs the US economy $3.1 trillion annually. But here’s the thing: it’s not just about bad data. It’s about the inability to prove your data is good.

I learned this the hard way.

When Trust Isn’t Enough: My Personal Wake-Up Call

Before starting Rekord, I spent my twenties building companies in robotics, manufacturing, and AI. I raised funding, landed major clients, and had several successful exits before turning 30. Everything seemed to be working perfectly.

Then came the disputes.

Client disagreements over contract terms. Regulatory questions about compliance data. Partners questioning the integrity of shared information. In multiple situations, I found myself unable to prove that specific data or files existed at certain times – or that they hadn’t been altered.

These weren’t technical failures. They were trust failures. And trust failures cost money, time, and relationships.

That’s when I realised: we’ve built our entire digital economy on data we can’t actually verify.

The Blockchain Promise (And Why It’s Still Broken)

After those experiences, I started the Block Dojo, a blockchain startup incubator. Over four years, we helped roughly 100 startups get off the ground. Most came in with genuinely exciting use cases – usually centered around logging data onto blockchain to create real business value.

But here’s what surprised me: despite blockchain being around for years, it was still incredibly difficult to use for something as basic as data logging. It wasn’t developer-friendly. It definitely wasn’t plug-and-play.

Worse, every startup was reinventing the wheel. They’d spend months and thousands of dollars building custom blockchain integrations from scratch, just to do the same fundamental thing: make their data tamper-proof.

It was a massive waste of engineering resources, and completely avoidable.

The 30 Conversations That Changed Everything

In late 2023, I went back to my contacts from the IoT and robotics world. I asked them a simple question: “How could blockchain fit into what you’re doing?”

Most conversations had very little to do with blockchain technology itself. Instead, they focused on one powerful idea: putting data somewhere that couldn’t be changed. Ever.

The logic was simple:

• If something can’t be changed, it can be trusted
• If it can be trusted, you can build on it
• If you can build on it, you can create value

After 30 of these conversations, several crystal-clear use cases emerged – scenarios where integrating verifiable data into existing workflows could deliver measurable ROI. Real time savings. Actual cost reductions. New revenue streams.

That’s when Rekord started taking shape.

Building Customers First, Product Second

I wasn’t interested in building something first and then hunting for customers. I’d seen too many startups follow that path straight into failure.

Instead, I wanted customers first. Real demand. Real feedback. Real-world use cases.

It’s the same philosophy we instilled in Block Dojo startups: don’t build in a vacuum.

By late 2024, it all came together. We officially incorporated Rekord AG, raised $4.5 million in funding, and onboarded our first customers – all within a few weeks.

What Rekord Actually Does (In Plain English)

At its core, Rekord helps you prove that your data is legitimate.

We’ve built what we call the Verifiable Data Standard – a way to turn your existing systems and data flows into trustworthy, tamper-proof records. No blockchain expertise required. No complex integrations. No technical overhead.

Here’s How It Works:

Make Your Data Immutable: Once data is recorded through Rekord, it’s provably unchanged forever. No exceptions.

Automate Compliance: Audits become straightforward when you can instantly prove data integrity over time.

Integrate Seamlessly: Our APIs are designed for speed and security. Most integrations take days, not months.

Share Data Confidently: Provide third parties with access to verifiable records without exposing sensitive information.

Eliminate Data Disputes: Say goodbye to arguments over “who changed what, when.”

Real-World Applications:

Financial Services: Prove transaction records haven’t been altered for regulatory compliance.

Manufacturing: Verify quality control data throughout the production process.

Healthcare: Ensure patient data integrity for clinical trials and regulatory submissions.

Supply Chain: Create tamper-proof records of product provenance and handling.

Legal: Establish verifiable timestamps for contracts, evidence, and documentation.

The Problems We’re Still Solving

Building verifiable data infrastructure isn’t just about technology – it’s about changing how organizations think about data integrity.

One challenge we’ve encountered is around chain of evidence: ensuring that data hasn’t already been tampered with before it reaches our system. As any data scientist knows, garbage in means garbage out.

We’re developing solutions that address this from multiple angles:

• Hardware-level data capture verification
• Integration with existing security protocols
• Real-time integrity monitoring
• Automated anomaly detection

Why This Matters More Than Ever

On a personal level, I’ve been in situations where I really wished I could prove that certain data or files existed at specific times – and that they hadn’t been altered. But I couldn’t. I can’t go back and change that.

What I can do now is build something that helps avoid those scenarios in the future – for myself and for others.

Think of it as insurance for your data. In some cases, it literally can be insurance. Having provable, tamper-proof data can mean the difference between settling a dispute in minutes versus months.

That kind of confidence should be built in from the start, not bolted on after the fact.

The Future of Trust

We’re still refining one of our key messages: “the future of trust is proof.”

It feels like an oxymoron – if you have to prove something, does trust even exist anymore? Maybe we just have to accept that inherent trust is becoming obsolete, and proof is all we have left.

I’m not sure I like the sound of that. But I’m sure about this: in a world where data can be altered instantly and invisibly, the ability to prove data integrity isn’t just valuable – it’s essential.

What’s Next for Rekord

Despite this article’s title, Rekord isn’t in the slow lane anymore. We’re entering our scaling phase:

• Growing our engineering team
• Expanding our API integrations
• Onboarding new customers across multiple industries
• Exploring vertical integration through strategic acquisitions

The groundwork has been laid carefully. Now we’re building momentum.

Ready to Make Your Data Verifiable?

If your business relies on data (spoiler: it does), and that data needs to be trusted by someone else – customers, regulators, partners – then Rekord can help.

We’re not selling blockchain. We’re not selling complexity. We’re selling something much simpler: the ability to prove your data is real.

Ready to see how Rekord works with your existing systems? Schedule a demo with our team.