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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
For the past 7 years, the Sea Steading Institute has been promoting human habitation at sea to explore new ways of sustainable living for humanity. In 2017 they began to work on how to build the first sea-stead, and created Blue Frontiers in order to help offer returns to their investors. They have a partnership with French Polynesia to build and launch their first sea-stead, and hope to complete this within the next decade. After this is completed, they will be looking to expand their operations around the world. Their first sea-stead prototype will be a barge-like platform with several floors, will be made of specialized concrete, marine-grade stainless steel, and composite materials, and will house 200-300 people. Because many people already live near the water, Blue Frontiers believes that these types of settlements will become necessary due to rising sea levels, and can offer people not only sustainable and comfortable living, but can offer the opportunity to explore new ways to govern themselves. Due in part to the interest level by the general public, and the desire to balance the needs of the individuals and the community, an application process will be set up for interested individuals. For more information, visit www.blue-frontiers.com.
Neureal is currently building the prototype for a decentralized and open-source predictive AI machine built on the blockchain. This AI will be capable of predicting the future, from humanitarian use cases such as predicting hurricanes, and deciding on the safest evacuation routes, to the market fluctuations in the price of Bitcoin. There are major benefits to using blockchain, including accessing the amount of data necessary to train their AI program, and unlimited scalability, and in order to accomplish this Neureal is building its own blockchain for this project. There is also a token component to this project, which is intended to incentivize interaction with the platform. Neureal will open up contests where people can use their open-source code to develop their own AI machine in order to predict something. As you win contests, you will be rewarded with their token. They are currently in a pre- pre-sale for their token, with the pre-sale beginning in late 2018 O1 or early Q2. They are currently building and testing the prototype of their AI program, and are planning on a full software release in roughly two years, with the release of AI bots to follow. For more information, visit www.neureal.net.
Currently, there are many trade-offs in the blockchain space–one of the biggest is the trade-off between speed and scalability, and the infrastructure design. Cypherium hopes to create a more practical blockchain that is more efficient, has smaller transaction fees, and is more developer-friendly. In order to retain a decentralized design and have the necessary scalability, platforms will need to adopt a better consensus algorithm. Cypherium's unique consensus algorithm splits the traditional proof-of-work design and mining, which provides reduced transaction times and increases scalability. Cypherium also uses a permissionless-hybrid design, which helps keep their blockchain decentralized. They are currently working to support smart contracts on their platform, as well as work with partners to solve existing enterprise problems. Sky also discusses his thoughts on the future of blockchain and artificial intelligence, how to bring blockchain into the mainstream, and the important role that education will play in the future of the blockchain space. For more information, visit www.cypherium.io.
Both Bitcoin and Ethereum have their advantages, and Qtum is focused on combining the best of both worlds to improve decentalized blockchain applications for both mobile and IoT devices, specifically the core infrastructure of Bitcoin and the utility of Ethereum smart contracts. Qtum is currently working on a project called X86 VM, which will allow for Ethereum smart contracts to be written in mainstream programming languages such as C++ or Go, making it more efficient to run smart contracts on mobile and IoT devices, make programming simpler for those who are not familiar with blockchain, and bring stability to the space. Using the SPV protocol, Qtum can bring smart contracts to these devices without having to trust third parties. Throughout 2018, Qtum will be working on releasing the prototype for X86 VM around mid-year, continuing work on a lightning network that combines smart contracts and governance technology, and an enterprise version of Qtum. Jordan also discusses their vision of what blockchain can do in the future, and Qtum's role in 2019 and beyond. For more information, visit www.qtum.org.
There are several major problems with current professional networks, including that users have no control over their data, do not get rewarded for it when the platform monetizes and profits from their data, and that is can be hard to tell whether or not users actually have the skills they say they do. Indorse plans to solve all of these problems by creating a decentralized professional network built on the Ethereum network where endorsed skills are verified by random users on the platform. Users can participate in the platform by creating and updating their profile, uploading proof of their skills, and validating the skills of other users. For these actions, users will be rewarded with Indorse's ERC20 token IND. This rewards users for sharing their data, and keeps control of that data in the user's hands. Throughout this year, they plan on rolling out Ethereum smart contracts, working on partnerships, and starting the skills validation portion of their platform–including the ability to integrate and verify skills through other platforms such as Coursera. Gaurang will be at the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Superconference in Dallas, Texas February 16-18, and will be giving a speech on the relationship between blockchain and education, and how blockchain can revolutionize the education world. For more information, visit www.indorse.io.
Komodo is an end-to-end platform for blockchain solutions that is bringing innovation to the blockchain space. Currently they are at the forefront of bringing atomic swaps to development. Atomic swaps, the exchange of one cryptocurrency to another on a different blockchain without needing to trust a 3rd party, can solve many problems that currently exist within cryptospace, including exchange hacking and being ripped off by scams. To date, Komodo has completed over 50,000 atomic swaps, and plans to release a fully functional atomic swap exchange called BarterDEX within the near future. Completed through Ethereum smart contracts, BarterDEX assures that atomic swaps are either completed or both parties have their money returned to them. New projects are given their own blockchain, and then tied into the main blockchain, eliminating issues with applications built on existing blockchains slowing everything down, a la CryptoKitties. Komodo will be present at the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Superconference in Dallas, Texas February 16-18. For more information, visit www.komodoplatform.com.
Designed to address major concerns with cryptocurrencies that the founders have come across from being early investors in over 50 different tokens, The Lending Coin (TLC) is a real estate lending platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. TLC is fully backed by real estate, and the money spent on the TLC coin is used to refinance commercial properties at a rate 0.25% lower than the prime rate, which no bank will be able to match. They are working closely with a team of lawyers familiar with cryptocurrencies and blockchain in order to make sure they are fully compliant with SEC regulations. Despite their early challenges with regulations, they officially launch their platform in Dallas within the next few weeks, and will initially be open to investors who meet their criteria, including previous experience in real estate investing, a high credit score, good character, and more. Paul also discusses his thoughts on the regulations that are potentially coming this year, and then innovations in the blockchain space that they are excited about this year. For more information, visit www.thelendingcoin.com.
Viome was founded on the idea that we should be able to use science and technology to solve some of the world's biggest problems, and personal health is one of the biggest problems of today. Viome aims to help people take control of their own health by providing a personalized report of your biome, the collection of microorganisms that live on and in us, that work to keep us healthy. Biome health is both important, with millions of genes in our biomes that affect all areas of health, including chronic diseases, mental health, and weight loss. This report provides information about all of the organisms in your microbiome, what they are doing, and what elements of your microbiome are missing. Viome then recommends foods that you should and shouldn't eat, supplements that you should take, and a pro-biotic, if necessary, to promote better health. One reason that Viome doesn't sell products is that your biome's dietary and supplement requirements can change over time, and you need to be able to adapt to your changing health needs. Because Viome uses as AI machine to help read the results, every new sample from clients can help increase the efficacy of results for everyone who uses this service. For more information, visit www.viome.com.
Jeff Garzik has a long background in the technology field, and was deep into cloud computing and distributed technologies when he discovered Bitcoin in 2010. Though he was initially skeptical, he has since seen the all the new things that are possible with blockchain technology. He is the current head of Bloq, which provides enterprise blockchain solutions to companies around the world. They are currently working with SpaceChain Foundation to put a blockchain node in space, which will allow for multi-tenant platforms to be run on satellites. They are also working on a decentralized cryptocurrency called Metronome, a self-governing cryptocurrency that does not hold any keys. Another project that he is excited about is working with local autonomous AIs that help reduce pollution and increase energy efficiency by rewarding actions that benefit the local community and the region as a whole. Jeff also discusses who he thinks Satoshi Nakamoto is, and his thoughts on the unique position that he holds in the cryptocurrency and blockchain spaces. For more information, visit www.bloq.com.
Named for Cosimo de Medici, a pioneer, and leader during the Italian Renaissance, COSIMO Ventures looks to help fund deep technology that has the power to disrupt global markets. They got their start when Ken and a group of peers came together to discuss solutions to some of Bitcoin and blockchain's biggest problems. Currently, COSIMO focuses on assisting blockchain companies in the United Kingdom and Ireland to expand their operations to the United States, where there are more capital and larger markets. Over the next year, they are working with several projects in the digital governance realm. Ken discusses his thoughts on digital governance issues in the cryptocurrency and blockchain spaces, as well as what he thinks is coming in regards to digital governance, lessons to learn from the Bitcoin model, and where Bitcoin is ultimately headed. Ken and COSIMO will be at the Bitcoin, Etherum, and Blockchain Superconference in Dallas, Texas February 16-18, and his talk there will touch on many of these same topics and more. For more information, visit www.cosimoventures.com or feel free to email Ken directly at ken@cosimoventures.com.
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