A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS
- ChronoBank, a Blockchain-based Labour-backed currency system, secured $5.4M in a combination of ICO and strategic investment from AXL Strategic Partners. Link
- Storj, a distributed, shared and incentivised cloud storage, secured $3M funding in a Seed round. Link
- Wirex, a Blockchain-based personal banking platform, secured $3M funding in Series A round from SBI Holdings. Link
- Coinfirm, a Blockchain AML/KYC risk and compliance platform, secured $747k funding in Seed round from Lumia Ventures. Link
- Maersk Line, the world’s largest ocean container shipper, has partnered with IBM to create a supply chain using blockchain technology. Link
- Internet of Coins has launched an inter-systemic and cross-blockchain token called a ‘hybrid asset’. Link
- 47 Japanese Banks have completed money transfer pilot using Ripple, a blockchain-based cross border payment solution provider. Link
- Northern Trust and IBM have developed a platform using Hyperledger’s Fabric code base, running the world`s first functioning private equities blockchain. Link
- DigixGlobal, an Ethereum tokenization startup, has partnered with Monolith to produce a new version of the world’s first gold-backed Blockchain debit card. Link
- World’s first bitcoin dedicated bank called Bitcoin-Bank, has opened in Vienna, owned by a Berlin-based blockchain startup, Bit Trust Services. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Babb App (2016, London) – A bank based on a “permissioned” blockchain implementation of a distributed ledger using Ethereum Smart Contracts.
Electron (2015, London, $505k) – Ethereum blockchain platform for smart grid.
LEADER BOARD – BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS
Financial Services
Circle (2013, Boston, $136M) – Digital currency wallet and international money transfer service provider. Backed by Accel Partners, Goldman Sachs, Baidu, General Catalyst Partners, IDG Capital Partners, Oak Investment Partners, CICC, CreditEase, China Everbright, Fenway Summer, Breyer Capital, Pantera Capital, Wanxiang America, Digital Currency Group.
Ripple (2012, SF, $90.5M) – Open source payment protocol. Backed by Standard Chartered, AME Cloud Ventures, Seagate, CME Group, IDG Capital Partners, RRE Ventures, Venture 51, Core VC, ChinaRock Capital Management, SBI Holdings, Route 66 Ventures, Camp One Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Santander InnoVentures, Digital Currency Group, Tusk Ventures, CRCM Venture Capital, SCB Digital Ventures.
Digital Asset Holdings (2014, NYC, $67M) – Blockchain-based trade settlement solution provider. Backed Accenture, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, CME Group, BNP Paribas, ABN AMRO Bank, Australian Securities Exchange, PNC Financial Services Group, Deutsche, DTCC, ICAP, FinTech Innovation Lab, Santander InnoVentures.
Enterprise
Filament Networks (2012, Reno, $21M) – A decentralized Internet of Things stack. Backed by Techstars, Crosslink Capital, Resonant Venture Partners, Samsung Venture Investment, Pantera Capital, Bullpen Capital, Verizon Ventures, Digital Currency Group, Working Lab Capital, Zenstone Venture Capital, VTF Capital.
Keybase (2013, NYC, $11M) – Identity mapping service via a public key encryption tool. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Corazon Capital.
Technology
Blockstream (2014, SF, $76M) – Provides sidechain solutions to improve blockchain. Backed by Khosla Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Data Collective, Horizons Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Real Ventures, Digital Garage, DG Incubation, SK Ventures, Future Perfect Ventures, Maiden Lane, Mosaic Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Digital Currency Group, AXA Strategic Ventures, Seven Seas Partners.
BitFury (2012, SF, $95M) – Full-service blockchain techno
Chain (2014, SF, $44M) – Provider of blockchain networks and applications to businesses. Backed by Capital One, VISA, Nasdaq, SV Angel, Khosla Ventures, Thrive Capital, RRE Ventures, Betaworks, Homebrew, Fiserv, Orange, Firestartr, Pantera Capital, Citi Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Digital Currency Group, BoxGroup.
Consumer
FirstBlood Technologies (2016, Boston, $5.5M) – Blockchain-based eSpo
Augur Project (2014, SF, $5M) – Decentralized prediction market based on Blockchain.
Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
For latest update, visit Blockchain Applications feed.