Who is CurioInvest?

CurioInvest is a young company, operating out of Zug ‘Crypto Valley’, Switzerland.

The team behind the project is comprised of car and blockchain enthusiasts, which have set out to combine their passions. Above all, they state that their mission is to enable,

“…everyone to invest in and profit from collectable cars. By using a crowdfunded, community-based investment model, CurioInvest will open up the collectable car market to millions of new investors.”

What is the Problem?

Vehicles are much more than simply a means of transportation. They are pieces of art, which speak to the person driving them. Values are driven by rarity, quality, functionality, beauty, and more – each creating differing levels of market demand.

Unfortunately, the upper echelons of the collectible car sector is typically out of reach for most. This is due to a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:

Expense

Truly collectible cars are not a small investment. Good examples will range anywhere from six to eight digit values.

Select sales straight from the factory

It is commonplace for manufacturers, such as Ferrari, to essentially interview individuals before selling them a vehicle. Even if you can afford the product, these limited edition vehicles only find their way in to the hands of a select few.

On-going maintenance

You do not buy an exotic car, and simply tuck it away in a garage while it increases in value. Sitting idle is not good for mechanical devices, and they require constant care and upkeep. When dealing with exotic cars that are very unique in nature, this task becomes even harder, as specialized skillsets are needed to care for each vehicle.

For those that do not find these hurdles as an issue, the asset class represents a highly lucrative one. CurioInvest indicates that for over a decade, collectible cars have outperformed gold, S&P500, etc.

How will CurioInvest Solve it?

In their attempt to build on their passions, the team at CurioInvest has developed a platform facilitating access to the asset class for a broader range of investors.

To achieve this, CurioInvest will strategically invest in exotic vehicles which are anticipated to grow in value. They intend to solve all of the discussed issues which plague such assets through the use of blockchain technologies.

More specifically, the team at CurioInvest will be hosting an STO, which will give accredited investors the opportunity to purchase security tokens. These tokens can be used to invest, through fractionalized ownership, of a curated collection of vehicles. The tokens impart their holders with rights to a proportionate share of profits, when vehicles from the collection are sold for a profit – no less than 120% of purchase price.

By using this tactic, CurioInvest opens the possibility of investing in such assets to an entire new group of investors that could not previously afford to do so. Furthermore, the use of a security token should allow for investors to experience increased liquidity, through the ability to enter and exit positions on secondary markets.

Commentary?

We reached out to CurioInvest for further comment on the nature of their plans.  CEO, Fernando Verboonen, took the time to share the following insights.

Q: Other projects such as ‘TheArtToken’ have set out to democratize investing in traditionally expensive assets such as fine art. What about exotic cars make them an ideal asset for tokenization?

A: Classic & hyper cars are the perfect wedge: big audience, scarce supply, willingness to pay, emotional asset. Furthermore of the 10 asset classes Knight Luxury Investment Index (KFLII), classic cars performance in terms of price over the past decade has been staggering. CurioInvest.com brings an additional degree of independence by tokenizing assets individually. This means you now to get pick which asset to acquire – this was simply not economically feasible in the past and it’s a great example of how STOs may well disrupt the status quo.

Q: What factors come into play when deciding on an appropriate vehicle to purchase for investment? Rarity? Vintage or New? Past growth? Current Market trends?

A: Provenance and state of the asset are extraordinary relevance. However, latest market trends and overall social media sentiment play an increasing role. Ultimately, an investment in a collectable automobile touches the passion on an individual’s own experiences – making of collecting an exciting experience.

Q: Can you speak on the structuring of the upcoming security token? Do holders have voting rights? Will they be available on any exchanges which support digital securities? Are these ERC-20 based tokens?

A: Whats most fascinating about our product is that it was design with the holder in mind, hence the structure may evolve as we get further feedback from our customers. From the very beginning we pursued a non-voting right that would enable management to remain agile when exiting the asset. This means as well as the sale triggers are laydown beforehand in a transparent manner. As of today the tokens are ERC20 and as far as we know are the world’s first tokens that back a collectable car and come together with an ISIN

The Team

Boasting professional resumes which include years of experience in exotic car investing, and FinTech, the following two find themselves at the helm of CurioInvest.   Under their watch, CurioInvest has as good a chance of succeeding as possible.

Fernando Verboonen – Chief Executive Officer

Valerie Halter – COO

In Other News?

As indicated above, there have been other companies which have taken similar pathways. ‘TheArtToken’ is an example of this, as those behind the project hope to use blockchain as a means of bringing access and liquidity to an asset that traditional has lacked both of these qualities.

TheArtToken : Preserving Wealth on the Blockchain – With ART

Interview Series – Oliver T. Roehl, Art Strategist and Purchaser

Who is EZ365?

Operating out of, self-titled, ‘blockchain island’, Malta, EZ365 is a newly developed digital asset ecosystem. EZ365 also maintains ties to Canada, as this is where most of the founding team calls home.

The company indicates that their goal is to ‘facilitate the mass adoption of cryptocurrency’. They intend to achieve this through various services, made possible through the use of, both, utility and security tokens.

What is the Problem?

Cryptocurrency for all. Many individuals and companies have promised this, but in reality, the blockchain industry has yet to deliver. This was recently highlighted, as this promise was called into question as Circle CEO, Jeremy Allaire, spoke on the technology in a Senate Hearing.

Service providers within the industry need to provide a platform that is geared towards more than only die-hard blockchain enthusiasts. It needs to be intuitive, and engaging, to users of any ilk.

How will EZ365 Solve it?

EZ365 has recognized the aforementioned hurdles, and has set out to develop a cryptocurrency platform that addresses various hurdles on the way to total inclusion.

Their approach has been to develop a trio of services in the form of gaming, trading, and education.

EZ Win

This service is essentially an online casino, which allows for users to bet on traditional games and sporting events, through the use of stablecoins.

Users will be able to gain access to eligible stable coins through the company’s integrated cryptocurrency exchange.

EZ Exchange

Underpinning and facilitating the EZ Win service will be the EZ Exchange. Above all, this exchange will provide platform users with payment gateways, and the ability to actively trade a variety of cryptocurrencies (which can be used within the EZ Win platform).

While this service is key to EZ Win, users do not need to take part in gaming to make use of it. It functions as a standalone service, catering to expert and novice users, alike.

EZ Academy

For those interested in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, education is key. For the average-joe, there is a plethora of terminology and services which needs to be understood. While there are many striving to simplify their platforms, eliminating the need to be educated on the subject matter, knowledge is power.

To address this, EZ365 will be rounding out their trio of services with the EZ Academy. This is a subset of their larger platform which is geared towards providing its users with the necessary knowledge to understand and be successful within the industry.

*EZ365 notes that all of their services will be secured through the use of various measures including the following.

• KYC
• AML
• Server Redundancy
• Hacker Testing
• Fault Tolerance

Utility to Security

What makes this platform intriguing to us at securities.io is the company’s intent to convert utility tokens, issued through their upcoming IEO, to security tokens.  They have indicated that in Q1 of 2020, token holders will have the option to do so, providing a different set of benefits.

We reached out to EZ365 for comment on how this transition will take place. CEO, Russell Korus provided the following insights.

Q: Can you elaborate on the structuring, and benefits to converting the EZZ365 utility token to a digital security?

A: “Our intention is to provide token holders the opportunity to convert their EZ365 utility tokens into fully compliant security tokens, by working with jurisdictions that provide an operating regulatory framework. This conversion to a security token instrument will confer significant benefits to token holders, including equity, profit-sharing, full disclosure and transparency. This allows EZ365 to comply with securities regulation, while offering clients enhanced levels of digital security and consumer protection.”

Team?

The individuals behind this company bring a wide array of experience to the table. This experience ranges from venture capitalism, law, IT, publishing, and more. Ideally, this diverse grouping of experiences will, hopefully, allow them to develop EZ365 into the platform which they have envisioned. The following are those at the helm of EZ365.

Russell Korus – Cofounder & Chief Executive Officer

Eddie Kotler – Cofounder & President

Michael Caravetta – Chief Technology & Information Security Officer

Jim Harris – Chief Disruption Officer

P.B Stanton – Chief Legal Counsel

Commentary?

EZ365 CEO, Russell Korus, took the time to comment on the platform announcement. The following is what he has to say on the matter.

“The real magic of EZ365 is the approach we are taking to unleash the vast potential of the blockchain iGaming industry and the cryptocurrency world. We are doing this by bringing together a digital asset exchange and cryptocurrency casino that share the same exceptional user experience and support, along with fiat and credit card integration…By eliminating the challenges typical of cryptocurrency exchanges in use today — such as complexity, poor user experience, and lack of customer support — we will break down the barriers to mass adoption.” 

Whats Next?

To facilitate the continued development of the platform, EZ365 is hosting an upcoming Initial Exchange Offering (IEO).

Beyond raising capital, EZ365 is in the midst of attaining ISO-27001 certification. This will ensure that standards surrounding asset security are up-to-par, and maintained.

These steps, in conjunction with various service rollouts, mean that EZ365 will be working non-stop in the coming years.

What is Blue Hill Mining?

Blue Hill Mining is a Swiss company, looking to disrupt the mining industry through the use of blockchain and tokenized securities.

The company derives its name from the unique geological features of the region which will be mined. With the area showing rich copper reserves close to the surface, the resulting colouring of the area is tinged blue – a natural result of high copper content.

What is the Problem?

Mining is an expensive endeavour. While the company has spent the last 8 years developing their plan of attack, only 10% of the land has been surveyed. This 10%, however, has demonstrated enough potential to put boots on the ground, and begin operations.

With increased scrutiny being put on the mining industry, regarding how raw materials are sourced, new technologies are needed to ensure full transparency of operations.

Blue Hill Mining needs to find a way to, not only raise capital, but to bring efficiency and transparency into their project.

How Will Blue Hill Mining Solve It?

To facilitate the continued exploration and mining of Blue Hill, the company will be hosting a security token offering.

This offering will see the creation, sale, and issuance of security tokens known as BHM. These tokens cumulatively represent 30% ownership of, both, the Blue Hill Platform and Blue Hill Mining.

It is expected that beyond trading these tokens through exchanges, investors will benefit through an eventual buy-back program. This is expected to take place after 2022, when the underlying value of each token is greater than $30 USD. It is intended that buy back will take place through a stock market listing.

Beyond raising capital through an STO, Blue Hill Mining is actively developing a blockchain based platform. This platform is intended to serve as a means for efficient, transparent activity and communication between the various parties involved throughout the mining process. By providing this, the transparency afforded will assure that all materials involved are fairly, and ethically, sourced.

Team?

The project is being spearheaded by a trio of accomplished professionals. The following group boasts a cumulative 90 years of relevant experience to the project.

CEO – Dr. Kurt Becker

With over 2 decades experience in both financial and capital markets, Dr. Kurt Becker is a perfect candidate to ensure the success of Blue Hill Mining

CFO – Eng. Franz-Josef Leps

Boasting over 4 decades of experience in the mining industry, Franz-Josef Leps is a key addition to this next-gen mining project.

COO – Eng. Olav Haseler

With over 3 decades of experience building machinery for the mining industry, Olav Haseler is uniquely qualified to act as COO.

What’s Next?

Looking forward, beyond the scheduled STO, the company has a busy roadmap. The team has indicated that, not only do they expect their tokens to be traded on various exchanges, but that their ground operations will see expansion. This will occur through the addition of another drilling program.

For more information on the project, and to learn the finer details, visit our token listing page HERE.