Big Ideas is a monthly series of talks from leading entrepreneurs, creative and other thought-leaders in the San Gabriel Valley, sponsored by Idealab and Innovate Pasadena. Our first talk was with Brock Pierce: The Future of Virtual Currencies and Online Gambling. Brock is a 9x entrepreneur best known for pioneering the market for virtual currency in online games. He has founded nine companies, acquired more than 30 others, and closed more than a dozen corporate finance transactions, securing more than $200 million on behalf of his companies. He is currently Executive Chairman of Playsino, a Managing Director of the Clearstone Global Gaming Fund, and sits on the boards of IMI Exchange, Xfire, Five Delta, EverTune, and Spicy Horse Games.