These Blockchain Investment Houses Are Banking on a Decentralized Future

The total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies is about $250 billion, with the all-time high surpassing $800 billion. But this figure only represents capital which has been invested directly into digital assets.

There’s an entire industry springing up around blockchain technology. And while cryptocurrencies are great, finance is only one of many areas of human discourse which can be improved by blockchain technology.

Blockchain investment houses breathe life into blockchain.

There are countless blockchain-related endeavors being forged by various business entities around the world. Investing capital in this area is crucial for the continued development of the blockchain sector.

Here are five blockchain investment houses which are banking on the future of decentralized tech.  

1) Pantera Capital

Founded in 2013, Pantera Capital is the first U.S.-based blockchain investment firm.

The team at Pantera Capital is experienced in both cryptocurrency and traditional finance. The firm focuses 100-percent of its efforts on blockchain. Pantera prides itself on building a diverse portfolio, and aspires to become the “catalyst for widespread blockchain adoption and innovation.”

Pantera foresees cryptocurrency and blockchain tech as having a more mainstream and accepted place within the global economy in the near future. Many other participants in the blockchain community likely agree.

2) Block Asset Management

Block Asset Management is the “world’s first fund of funds” when it comes to blockchain investment houses. Their investing strategy focuses on five main pillars:

1) Expertise – Their team consists of experienced experts from relevant fields.

2) Diversification – Utilizing a “multi-strategy approach” provides maximum rewards, while reducing risk and volatility.

3) Regulation –Block Asset Management is registered with the CSSF, Luxembourg’s regulatory authority.

4) Risk Management – The fund uses risk assessment models which have been custom-tailored to the cryptocurrency asset class.

5) Scale – Investor returns grow in tandem with that of the fund itself, rather than being limited to owning a single asset.

3) Applied Crypto Ventures

Applied Crypto Ventures is unique in that it has a broader focus than most blockchain investment houses.

Rather than limiting itself exclusively to blockchain technology investments, ACV is focused on several other areas of next generation fintech as well, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and Internet of Things devices. These are referred to collectively as “Fintech 4.0.”

Led by a team that spans three continents and has over 20 years of combined experience, ACV is a blockchain investment house in a league of its own.

4) Invstur

Invstur focuses on all things blockchain. Their main interest at present is on creating high-output bitcoin mining farms.

Mining is intended to be the backbone for further growth, since Invstur is one of the younger blockchain investment houses on the list.

5) Pangea Blockchain Fund

Pangea Blockchain Fund and its partners operate from the perspective that blockchain technology might very well become “the greatest driver of value creation in our lifetime.”

Pangea focuses its investments on four primary areas:

1) Value-Chain Investments – specific areas that fiat currency meets cryptocurrency; financial intersections that generate revenue by way of fees and could therefore see significant returns on an ongoing basis

2) Tactical STOs – investments made in startups during the private phase, or at discounted rates

3) Industrial Applications of Blockchain Technology – could help give existing companies a competitive edge

4) Ticino Labs – a Ticino-based incubator soon to be launched by Pangea, which will help new blockchain innovations grow, while providing for unique investment opportunities

A decentralized future is on the horizon.

These blockchain investment houses are helping to build a decentralized world. In addition, investors who don’t want to hold cryptocurrencies can gain exposure to the market through organizations like these, bringing additional capital to the sector.

All things considered, it’s firms like these which will help blockchain continue to grow and build new decentralized structures within society.

[Originally posted on Block Pulse: https://blockgroup.global/2019/06/24/these-blockchain-investment-houses-are-banking-on-a-decentralized-future/]

Inside The Last Book Store LA

Steemit & Dtube: Social Networking, Blogging, and Video Sharing in the Blockchain Era

Mainstream social media networks have devised an ingenious yet insidious business model.

It involves having users generate content and data that then gets collected and monetized by the network. You spend lots of time posting photos, writing comments, liking/sharing content created by others…and you do it all for free  

Users do all of the work. Corporations reap all of the profits.

As the world becomes more decentralized thanks to blockchain technology, however, arrangements like this one start to look less and less appealing. One day, we may look back on them and think, “how did anyone think this was cool, and why did anyone participate?”

The New Model: Steemit Rewards Users

The introduction of Steemit in 2016 was a hallmark moment in social media history. For the first time, users could be in control of their content.

On Steemit, no one owns or controls the network. Just like everything else built on blockchain, Steemit is decentralized.

How does it work? Steemit rewards users with STEEM for participating in the community. Create valuable content that others enjoy while being a positive member of the community, and you will earn STEEM.

The more upvotes your content gets, the more you earn. You also get STEEM when you upvote posts created by others.

Upvotes by veteran users with more STEEM Power generate more STEEM than upvotes by newbies. There are three things you can earn on Steemit:

– STEEM, which is the cryptocurrency that can be traded on exchanges,– STEEM dollars, a debt-like instrument that promises the holder $1 for every Steem dollar at some point in the future,– STEEM Power, which gives you greater influence over post payouts  

You can choose how you want your rewards distributed. The default is 50/50 STEEM tokens and STEEM dollars. Another option is to convert all of your STEEM and STEEM dollars into STEEM Power, a process called “powering up.”

Voting, sharing, and commenting all represent transactions in the STEEM blockchain. They can’t be reversed by anyone. While this is a great anti-censorship feature, it may annoy some users (think twice before you post anything embarrassing or compromising – there’s no “delete” button). That holds especially true for the video-sharing element of Steemit.

Video Sharing with Dtube

Dtube is Steemit’s video sharing platform. It’s like YouTube combined with Steemit. Users get rewarded for the content they create on Dtube in the same manner as Steemit.

When you share a video on Steemit, it will be posted to Dtube. Your Dtube account is connected to your Steemit account. You will need a separate password to log in, but other than that there’s little difference between the two.

It’s elegantly simple and ridiculously rewarding – both in terms of crypto and user experience.

Steemit and Dtube Represent a New User Experience

Steemit is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Still, by participating in the community, you can:

– Have an independent platform free of censorship– Be a part of crypto social network history– Have fun with other users experiencing the new paradigm

There is a slight learning curve when it comes to getting used to the way Steemit works. Users of Reddit may find the user-interface intuitive while others may struggle to adjust.

Thankfully, the Steemit FAQ answers most of your questions.

Blockchain technology has ushered in a new and exciting era of social networking.

Crypto Social Networks are the Future

Imagine what the future can hold for a decentralized crypto social network.

Everyone will be rewarded for sharing photos of their dog and what they had for dinner last night. Funny video of something that happened when you went out for drinks the other night? Share it! You could earn something from it on a crypto social network like Steemit.

And keep in mind that there are plenty of other crypto social networks out there. Steemit is just the first and is currently the most popular.

A new era of editorial freedom is also upon us. It’s not just about profit sharing with users. It’s about user empowerment.

Those long-winded political rants or controversial blog posts won’t get your account banned. Previous posts won’t be censored – everything will be secure and immutable in the blockchain.

While there are a few bots that patrol the Steemit community watching for spam and plagiarized content, there are a lot fewer trolls and almost zero censorship. Compared to what has become of the more mainstream networks, Steemit feels like a breath of fresh air for most users.

Once you go Steemit, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

[Originally posted on the BlockPulse blog: https://blockgroup.global/2019/06/16/steemit-dtube-social-networking-blogging-and-video-sharing-in-the-blockchain-era/]