Blockchain: How Cryptocurrencies are Changing our Digital Economy
Wendy Glavin, Founder & CEO, Wendy Glavin AgencyOn July 11, 2019, I participated in BitAngels New York City’s July meeting, hosted at Ideanomics. The morning was an action-packed pitchfest.BitAngels was hosted by blockchain industry leader Michael Terpin. The event included Rajesh Anandan, Co-Creator of UNICEF Kid Power and presentations by Benjamin Kaplin, Co-CEO of Prometheum, Adryenn Ashley, Founder and CEO of Loly Labs, Inc., Assaf Ben-Or, Founder and CEO of Greeneum, Ivan Likov, Founder of Phoeneum, Ken Kruger, Founder and CEO of Moon, and Archna Desna, Head of Americas at Lympo.The company founders have created blockchain companies and apps to enable the sharing of value without going through a third-party or intermediary. Blockchain’s core tenets are to build trust, security and privacy through a digital currency that gives people control over their personal data. In our digital world, data is considered an asset. Here’s how these companies are driving blockchain adoption into the mainstream.
Empowering Children to Make a Difference
UNICEF Kid Power’s mission is to help every child realize that they have the power to make a difference in the world. It’s new model of providing free Kid Power Ups to every classroom in the world. Launched in May 2019, the first-of-its-kind Kid Power Exchange gives children the opportunity to give back to important causes in the U.S. with Kid Power Coins.In April 2019, Fast Company named UNICEF Kid Power Ups as a World Changing Idea in its Education category. It gets students moving in the classroom, teaches social emotional learning, and helps them forge deeper connections in the world. Kid Power launched protein packets. Through dancing and movement kids have fun brain breaks and for every ten power ups completed packets are unlocked and delivered to malnourished children in underdeveloped countries.The UNICEF Kid Power Band model KPB03 launched in 2018 is tested by TUV SUD to be approved for their Wearable Technology program. The band and free app tracks children’s daily activities without GPS tracking. Available on IOS and Android, it’s free to use without data fees or in-app purchases. Kid power coins complies with the limits of a Class B digital device by FCC Rules and Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standards.
Automating Trading Backed by Smart Contracts
The Prometheum Network uses smart contracts to automate back office functions, reducing overhead costs. Crypto securities will be issued and traded on its network and maintain their utility value on the blockchain. Crypto securities are immediately tradable after distribution, are available to retail investors, have integrated escrow and banking services with compliant building blocks for required Smart Security Tokens (SST) functionality.Prometheum is registered with the SEC and is in the process of registering with FINRA. Once a company is qualified by the SEC, Smart Security Tokens (SSTs) can be offered through Prometheum’s online issuance platform called a Smart Security Offering (SSO). SSTs clear and settle as securities and custody using cold storage. Prometheum’s blockchain integrates security, reconciliation, decentralization and data storage.“After cracking down on ICOs, the SEC just okayed the first two Reg A+ tokens that offer an alternative way for anyone to gain a financial stake in a company, even unaccredited investors. Blockstack got approved for a $28 million digital token sale to raise money, while influencer live-streaming app YouNow’s spin-off Props received a formal green light for a consumer utility “Howey” token users can earn to get loyalty perks in multiple apps.” TechCrunch, July 11, 2019.
Finally, an Online Dating Platform Where a Yes Means Yes
Built on the blockchain, Loly is helping to redefine the world of online dating for singles to find matches nearby. Using augmented reality, geolocation, a patent-pending AI “Heat Index” and a blockchain smart contract, Loly is protecting users’ privacy, security and certainty.Redefining the meaning of consent, a “yes” stays a “yes.” The “Kevin Exception” applies to users who are too drunk to take the online test. In these cases, both users must take a video, read the test from a teleprompter which determines how drunk people are.Currently, one in three dates, relationships, and marriages begin with a dating product. The $2.5 B US online dating market has been expanding 5% annually. Internationally, the market in China alone was estimated to have reached $1.6 Billion in 2018. Augmented reality is now readily available in over 380 million iPhones and is expected to increase with new android smartphones entering the market. Loly is poised to be the first AR dating app in the market. With its AI matching back-end and the AR enhanced front-end, Loly founder anticipates creating more successful relationships than the other 100’s if not 1000’s of global online dating brands and apps.Loly won an award in San Francisco and placed third in Silicon Valley this year.
Incentivizing Carbon Emission Reduction and Renewable Energy Transactions
GREENEUM Global Energy Networks leverages artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, blockchain technology, IoT and smart contracts to create and grow a decentralized sustainable energy market for Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy transactions. With blockchain, the origin of the energy is guaranteed, certifies that the energy produced is renewable, maintains historical records of ownership, confirms emission allowances and monitors the metering and billing of consumption.Real-time energy tracking is delivered to utility companies, grid operators and users and global trade markets receive data-driven insights, smart predictions and forecasts throughout the entire global energy lifecycle using SaaS and API’s.GREENEUM issues smart contracts based on Ethereum (ERC20) GREENEUM tokens, called Green tokens (ERC20) as the medium of exchange and rewards for the global community of GREEN supporters. Green tokens are used to purchase products and services from the marketplace which focuses on sustainability. Clean energy use contributes to the global carbon problem. For every megawatt hour generated, GREENEUM rewards users with Carbon Credits and Green Certificates.GREENEUM is contributing to innovation in developing markets, such as Latin America, India, Africa, Southeast Asia.
Building Our Global Digital Community Through Gaming
Phoneum is a mobile-only cryptocurrency with customized algorithms and APIs used on a blockchain platform that’s specifically designed for technical and tech newbies. Developed across multiple mobile platforms, its built-in wallet monitors balances in real-time across all games and apps in the Phoneum ecosystem available on Android and iOS.In April 2019, Crypto Treasures was officially released. The game enables players to go on a wide variety of journeys, play trivia and mini games to unlock Gold (in-game currency), treasure chests, collectables, and various cryptocurrencies including the featured Phoneum token-PHM, an ERC20 compliant token initially built on the Ethereum (ETH). Another game, Cannon Blast is a mini-game that augments the Crypto Treasures experience. Per the game, the more points you get, the more Gold you’ll earn at the end.The same month, PHM was listed in LATOKEN which enables money and assets to be exchanged worldwide. Phoneum provides the ability to earn PHM cryptocurrency in the cloud. Gaming and app developers can easily deploy PHM into their projects.Cloud-Earning PHM provides average earning statistics and tracks earning progress. Notifications are sent 20-hours in-advance once the learning process starts for it to extend into the next 24-hours.
Shop Anywhere Online with Cryptocurrency Instantly, Securely and Without Fees
Moon is a crypto payment-processing start-up that works by allowing Lightning Network-enabled wallets to be used through Moon’s browser extension. This enables shoppers to connect their cryptocurrency wallet, such as Coinbase to pay for goods with Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum or Bitcoin cash.After installation, U.S. shoppers can make purchases on Amazon using crypto and the company is working to expand to Amazon shoppers worldwide and working on adding top-50 US ecommerce brands soon. However, Moon doesn’t integrate directly with Amazon and doesn’t require merchant integration.The transactions are handled by exchanges and financial institutions that convert the bitcoin into fiat traditional currencies. Also, integrating with Visa and MasterCard, Moon gets a small amount of the exchange fees. Moon is planning to join with eBay, Etsy, Target, Domino’s and AliExpress. e-commerce crypto payments have been increasing exponentially.
Need Motivation to Exercise? Why Not Earn Crypto While on the Treadmill?
Lympo is a free app that allows people to earn money just for walking or running and to incentive people to be healthier and more active. In November, 2018, Mark Cuban owner of the Dallas Maverick’s announced the official launch of Lympo, the nation’s first blockchain fitness app and first-of-its-kind crypto token rewards that hold monetary value that can be exchanged for premium products with its own in-app Lympo Shop.“Lympo is all about making positive changes by taking small steps towards a more active lifestyle,” says Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. “Lympo doesn’t require you to drastically change your daily habits, but it’s a great incentive to gain real rewards, like Mavs tickets and gear, for fitness efforts. Lympo offers a great opportunity for partnering businesses by increasing brand awareness through sponsored challenges, while opening a direct channel of communication with niche sports, health and fitness enthusiasts.” The Dallas Mavericks are Lympo’s founding U.S. partner and will engage fans through unique challenges and rewards through the app.Daily, people find new walking, running and exercise challenges (even on the treadmill) with Lympo’s app or other apps like Google fit, I Health and others. Income is safely stored in its in-app digital wallet. Lympo uses data on our phones and wearables to reward users for the lifestyle goals they achieve.LYM is a crypto (utility) token, a central part of the Lympo ecosystem, used to reward users for their fitness efforts. The LYM token is also a new means of payment, allowing its users to monetize their fitness efforts and data. LYM is based on the Ethereum blockchain platform, which ensures the security and the technical stability of the token. A broader range of healthy lifestyle products and services from Lympo partners will become available, such as personal training sessions or gym memberships, diet and exercise plans and the latest workout accessories. User-generated and user-controlled data drive the app’s functionality.With the help of blockchain technology and fitness gamification, users are rewarded with LYMcrypto tokens through the Lympo app for completing simple fitness challenges. These tokens have monetary value and can be used to purchase sports and fitness products by today’s leading brands in the Lympo Shop – the first online store to accept fitness token payments.Lympo is developing the option to sync data with various fitness and health tracking apps and wearables to help analyze and evaluate activities while offering personalized health and fitness advice and bespoke services to the user.Lympo has been actively forming partnerships with elite athletes, including current World Champion discus thrower, Andrius Gudžius, as well as with the top-ranked female tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki, both of whom are Lympo brand ambassadors.The pitches were educational, engaging, thought-provoking and inspiring. After all, these founders created new ideas to solve problems or provide entertainment. To me, they’re all visionaries. Regardless of size or budgetary constraints they’re willing to make mistakes, learn from others, take risks, change the way people live and love, and are courageous.
About the Author: Wendy Glavin is Founder and CEO of Wendy Glavin, a NYC full-service agency. Wendy is a 20-year veteran of corporate, agency, consulting and small business ownership. She specializes in B2B2C marketing communications, PR, social and digital media. Her website is: https://wendyglavin.com/. Contact her at: wendy@wendyglavin.com.
