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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
In what way are certain disease processes affected by genes? Why has a new pharmaceutical drug achieved its intended effect for one group of individuals, but not for another? How might we come to understand the mechanistic underpinning of a statistically significant correlation between a certain bacterium and a certain disease? Kirk Beebe, Ph.D. Scientist and Director at Metabolon, discusses a technology that provides accurate and comprehensive answers to these types of questions for a variety of investigators across multiple research areas. At the heart of this technology and research is metabolomics: the study of all metabolites in any given biological system. An understanding of metabolism is critical to comprehending the phenotypic behavior of all living organisms. At the same time, the existence of thousands of metabolites-small, organic compounds integral to metabolic processes-has posed a level of complexity and intricacy stymying the depth of understanding that could otherwise be reached. With the technology at Metabolon, information about thousands of metabolites is acquired rapidly for in-depth analysis, leading to unprecedented levels of understanding on a variety of subjects. In collaboration with its customers, Beebe and the team at Metabolon have published over 1,000 papers to date. Tune in to learn more, and then visit metabolon.com.
John Nahas is the Director of Investor Relations and Business Development at Vaultbank, a legally compliant security token that will pay a quarterly dividend. Vaultbank converges the worlds of traditional finance and crypto-currency to create a platform for tokenizing securities and for buying, selling, and spending crypto-investments. A benefit of working towards tokenizing securities is that it will create more access to the average investor who might otherwise be unable to, due to cost or regulations. Features of the Vaultbank will include the Vaultbank token and fund, the Vaultbank exchange and wallet, and the Vaultbank debit card. The Vaultbank token represents a non-voting equity stake in the company and will be backed by the Vaultbank fund, which will consist of secured credit assets augmented by Random Forest Capital AI and machine learning. Still in development are the Vaultbank exchange, wallet, and debit card. The debit card will allow users to move their crypto-assets off of the exchange and onto a wallet. A beta version of the exchange has been released for testing and can be found at beta.vaultbank.io. Vaultbank encourages users to explore and provide feedback. To learn more about all that Vaultbank has to offer, visit Vaultbank.io.
A serial entrepreneur, Fred Krueger has started and sold nine tech companies in the last 20 years. He is particularly excited about the changes taking place via crypto-currency. Fred is the founder and CEO of WorkCoin, a crypto-currency and marketplace designed to increase transparency and identity of high-end freelancers and facilitate consumer-freelancer transactions at a significantly lower price than the existing platforms. Kory Larson is a UX specialist and the talented Chief Design Officer of WorkCoin. 40% of Americans are now freelancing and these numbers are expected to grow. WorkCoin is addressing this trend by creating a system in which freelancers can find work while building and maintaining their reputation, and consumers can search, investigate, and pay for a quality freelancer that meets their needs. WorkCoin requires freelancers to provide accurate information on their identity and qualifications, so consumers have the benefit of access to accurate and reliable information on the person or business providing the service. The bottom line is this: consumers have quicker access to a quality freelancer. Additionally, the "crypto-in, crypto out" mode of transaction eliminates hassles that may come with other payment methods, such as fraud and extra charges. By avoiding these charges, the WorkCoin platform is four times cheaper than current platforms. WorkCoin also provides a means for resolution of disputes by incorporating escrow and arbitration into the framework. To find where WorkCoin is launching their ICO and to learn more about the company, go to WorkCoin.net.
One of the more overlooked but still highly important parts of the body is the skin microbiome. Though there are less types of organisms present in the skin microbiome than in other microbiomes, it still plays a role in conditions such as acne, rosacea, detgrmatitis, aging, dandruff, and more. S-Biomedic is currently concentrating their research on the specific part of the skin biome located inside hair follicles, in order to find effective treatments for acne. Because acne is a condition that is impacted by multiple factors, current mainstream solutions are not very effective–most either rely on compounds that are overly harsh, or antibiotics, overuse of which causes antibiotic resistance. S-Biomedic is currently testing a variety of solutions, such as creams and tonics, in human trials for safety and efficacy. S-Biomedic has other projects that they are working on, in both the same field and in cosmetics, though it is still too early to release further details. Marc also discusses the differences between the microbiome in various parts of the body, and interesting trends and new information they have discovered through their research. For more information, visit www.sbiomedic.com.
Kenneth got his start with Hercules Tech after college, where he majored in mathematics and became fascinated by cryptography and its practical applications. He found cryptocurrency and blockchain, and hasn't looked back. Because the cryptospace is both volatile and has a lot of opportunity for those who are involved, Hercules Tech analyzes current technology to find the important and valuable metrics for making smart investing decisions, primarily for hedge funds, traders, and existing equities funds. Kenneth discusses his concerns on previous Bitcoin runs, driven by momentum and the multiple articles written by major news organizations on a daily basis. He believes that watching the communications from, but not taking part in, pump-and-dumps can be valuable for new investors, as it can show investors that others may be trading on information that you don't have, and ultimately make investors pause and think twice about their actions in this space. Kenneth also discusses his thoughts on Tether, and where to find great resources for new investors and other interested parties.
One of the most important questions in the blockchain and cryptocurrency spaces going forward is how to connect digital assets that are located across multiple blockchains. Wanchain offers a unique solution that allows individuals to connect to any chain in a permission-less manner while using ring signatures in order to maintain privacy, but otherwise still allow for transactions to be verified. When funds are moved between chains, they are locked by a group of validators that do not have access to those funds, and who all have an economic incentive to act honestly. Wanchain recently announced their own decentralized exchange, which has been designed to solve both technology and end-user problems. The use of an Ethereum fork allows Wanchain to use not only Ether, but also ERC20 tokens and protocol tokens. This also provides necessary liquidity pools and faster transactions. Dustin also discusses Wanchain's goal to strategically build the ecosystem further, how to appropriately scale to match the pace of the blockchain industry, and more. For more information, visit www.wanchain.org.
In order to allow products and services such as Netflix, Hulu, or games such as Final Fantasy the opportunity to reach more viewers, StormX has built a gamified microtask platform that rewards its users with cryptocurrency for engaging in short tasks from these companies. The platform is designed to feel more like a game than actual work, and the more you interact with content and different products and services, the higher your cryptocurrency rewards. By building their platform on the blockchain, StormX can reward users directly rather than going through a middleman, and can increase retention rates for advertisers. So far, they have had 1.5 million downloads of their app, and their users come from 187 different countries. They are also developing a platform that connects employers and people looking for short-time work called StormGig. This platform will allow people to do short tasks similar to tasks found on Fivrr, Mechanical Turk, or Upwork, but utilizing blockchain means reduced transaction fees that could otherwise eat away at user's income. Ultimately, StormX hopes to use their platform to make a difference in people's lives worldwide. For more information, visit www.stormtoken.com.
BitJob began as a peer-to-peer platform where students can find relevant, short-term jobs while they are still in school–allowing them to both make a small income through the platform and get the experience necessary to find a good paying job after they graduate. Users are shown jobs that meet their particular academic background and skill level, and can build a reputation through the platform. While completing their pre-sale last August and ICO last September, BitJob realized that students have more needs than just employment, and have now begun integrating the other types of services that they need in order to be successful, including banking services, insurance, and more in addition to the core employment component of the platform. BitJob has begun to network globally in order to accomplish this, and already has a partnership with Dutch universities to bring the platform to their students. Though the platform han't officially been launched yet, they have received thousands of questions about when users will be able to start working and earning through the platform. Dror also discusses what he sees as the future of blockchain in regards to how people look for and get paid for work. For more information, visit www.bitjob.io.
With a background in technology and an entire career spent in the blockchain space, Michael Gord founded MLG Blockchain in order to help provide turnkey services for ICOs and enterprise blockchain consulting, education, and development. Based in Toronto, MLG helps clients create white papers, design and launch token sales, and helps enterprise corporations successfully integrate blockchain solutions with their existing infrastructure. Education about the blockchain and cryptocurrency spaces is very important to Michael and MLG, which is why they fund a three-part competition designed to turn blockchain company ideas into successful businesses, and award their teams money and prizes. MLG Blockchain also recently launched AirDropX, a social platform designed to facilitate educational air drops. Michael and MLG Blockchain will be at the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Superconference in Dallas, Texas February 16-18, where he will give a talk on creating global network effects, how blockchain can continue to be disruptive, and recent trends in the space. For more information, visit www.mlgblockchain.com.
The idea for Bloomio came about while doing due diligence research for investors who were interested in particular coins and projects. Bloomio's founder gathered like-minded people, and came up with the idea for a venture capital fund that concentrates solely on seed-stage startups. Bloomio uses crowd-funded money to grow these startups until they reach the point where they can receive more traditional venture capital. Investments with Bloomio can be made for as little as $50 USD, which helps democratize the investment market. Bloomio also creates a token for each startup, which can be kept by investors or traded on a secondary market–because of this, Bloomio is fully compliant with AML/KYC regulations. Overall, Bloomio wants to work with startups that will create new industries, or increase scalability and transparency in currently existing industries. Though they have not had their official launch yet, they are already accepting interested startups. Max also discusses the future of regulation in the cryptocurrency space, the benefits that blockchain can bring. For more information, visit www.bloomio.com.
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