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Ushnish Sengupta has taught business related courses at post-secondary institutions and at community based organizations. In addition to his academic experience, he has worked in various private sector and public sector organizations including Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Cedara Software Corp, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, OntarioMD, Ontario Telemedicine Network, and eHealth Ontario. Ushnish has worked in different roles including Project Manager and Product Manager, and is currently researching Blockchain, AI, entrepreneurship and the social, environmental, political and cultural impacts of technology. Ushnish is a recipient of the Seymour Schulich Teaching Excellence Award for 2019.
Recent Publications
Sengupta, Ushnish and Henry M. Kim (2021), "Meeting Changing Customer Requirements in Food and Agriculture Through the Application of Blockchain Technology", Frontiers in Blockchain.
KeywordsAbstract
This research summarizes the implementation of blockchain technology in the food and agriculture industry in Canada. Our research indicates that blockchain solutions are an existing and proven set of technologies. We also describe how blockchain based supply chain traceability information has many more benefits than its current use for food safety and product recalls. We recommend that costs for development of blockchain based solutions should also be distributed across stakeholders, and apportioned by the relevant industry associations. Our research indicates that adoption of blockchain technology in agriculture will achieve critical mass earlier when the industry applies a consortium approach, in a regulatory environment that is supported by government. This report also makes recommendations relevant to the integration of blockchain for end consumers of food.
Kim, Henry M., Ushnish Sengupta, and Marek Laskowski (2021), "Business in the Front, Crypto in the Back: How to Be a Blockchain Startup in Finance", International Review of Entrepreneurship, 19(1), 117-36.
Abstract
We present the journey by which Novera, a blockchain start-up, partnered with CompanyX, an SME investment firm actively looking for opportunities to leverage disruptive technologies. We believe that the key to this journey is expressed in Novera’s “Business in the front, crypto in the back” perspective. Finance is highly regulated and conservative. So, Novera would not have been able sell its concept for a novel bitcoin tracking fund that received over $1M in venture capital without its corporate ethos: Novera would be able to walk into any boardroom and clearly demonstrate compliance to regulations, and moreover show that their business practices would meet stringent expectations of large financial institutions. At the same time, it is Novera’s vision to innovate beyond the fund to a blockchain-based token platform that keeps its team of technologists motivated and forward-looking. We advise others weighing investment in blockchain, especially SME’s and start-ups in finance, to understand and manage this dichotomy.
