Ardent Blockchain Education (ABE) - May 2026 Update

May Highlights at a Glance

• Meeting Marko
• Hillsborough Happenings
• Blockchain Association Recognition
• The Road to Bitcoin & Beyond on YouTube

#Meeting Marko

Marko Suvajdzic, Director, UF Blockchain Lab

While attending Consensus in Miami at the start of the month, a friend I ran into at the event suggested I meet and speak with Marko, knowing I spearhead the ABE initiative’s outreach and partnerships. As it so happened, both of them would be sharing the stage to talk about art being on the blockchain, and when their panel was over, Scott introduced me to Marko. I gave him a short overview of ABE, what we have accomplished so far, and asked how we might be able to work together with the University of Florida. We quickly exchanged contact information and will connect again in the near future to discuss the ways in which UF Blockchain Lab’s and ABE’s respective missions align.

#Hillsborough Happenings

Kelly Brennan, Social Studies Supervisor, 9-12

Nearly a year since our initial meeting, when I first told my friend and former colleague about the Ardent Blockchain Education initiative, our Curriculum Architect Erin Haczynski and I met with Kelly to show her all that we have built since last July. I walked her through our professional development seminar, told her about our recent success with Sarasota Schools, and showed her the resources folder on the ABE website. Erin talked to Kelly about our pilot lesson unit and took her through the full F4 curriculum she is building. Kelly was incredibly impressed and appreciated that everything we have created so far “always has the teacher in mind.”

We walked away from our meeting with three exciting future opportunities: 1) for me to present in person on July 21st for Hillsborough district high school educators who are currently teaching Personal Finance and Money Management; 2) for me to present again at the Social Studies Professional Development Day on August 3rd; 3) for ABE to be introduced to her friend who oversees free courses for interested adults at the Stavros Center at the University of South Florida. I’m sure there will be more to share in the coming months as these events help us generate even more momentum.

#Blockchain Association Recognition

ARK Ecosystem recognized at the Blockchain Association’s May Monthly Members Meeting

Last month, Mara Abiera from The Blockchain Association reached out to us to coordinate our formal recognition during May’s meeting. Each month, the BA staff chooses one member company from the association to profile and highlight the good work being done on behalf of the blockchain industry. Ardent is a software development company based in the United States, yet it is a subsidiary of the parent organization, ARK. Originally called the Ark Blockchain Education initiative, we pivoted to the Ardent name in early 2025 to alleviate any confusion as well as use the U.S.-based entity for our conversations with lawmakers.

During the meeting, Mara highlighted our educational efforts here in Florida, showcasing our continuing conversations with school districts and legislators from around the Sunshine State. She let me share a few words, and we closed this section of the meeting by inviting other interested BA members to work with us on bringing blockchain education to classrooms. While Florida is the first place to receive ABE’s efforts, we envision a future in which our curriculum could be adapted by other states here in the U.S.

#The Road to Bitcoin & Beyond on YouTube

Our professional development seminar now available on demand

After the initial success with Sarasota Schools, the ABE team knew we wanted to ensure anyone who wanted to learn about the history of digital assets could do so without waiting to coordinate a presentation through us in a virtual or live setting. To achieve this, I recorded myself going through the introduction and five modules in just over an hour, thereby trying to replicate what it would be like to attend a virtual meeting for the seminar. For anyone who is interested in watching the seminar on our YouTube channel, you can click this link to go straight to the playlist:

The Road to Bitcoin & Beyond: A Brief History of Digital Currency

As always, stay tuned for our next update. We will have more great news to share, including our upcoming meeting with Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation as we map out our collaborative blockchain education seminar for state legislators!