Security Token Listings
CityBlock Capital – Venture Capital for the Digital Age
Who is CityBlock Capital?
CityBlock Capital is a venture capital firm that is looking to launch various geographically based funds. They believe the future is digital, and that the technology that will take us there is blockchain. With multiple high-profile partnerships, CityBlock Capital is poised to make waves in the industry in the coming years.
What is the problem?
Traditional investing in foreign start-ups is typically met with high levels of resistance. This may occur though simple accessibility, or through a lack of liquidity.
Both of these issues have a negative effect on both the investor and the start-up themselves. The investor is deterred due to the hurdles that must be cleared, and the start-up suffers because they may be passed over for another company.
Finally, money is limited. There needs to be a way to tap into a larger investment pool. If this is achieved, along with the removal of liquidity and accessibility issues, the industry’s future will look bright.
How will they fix it?
CityBlock Capital believes they have an answer to the issues raised above. The company intends to launch various VC funds targeted towards different markets. Their current flagship fund is specifically geared towards start-ups based in New York City. This fund is known as NYCQ, and totals $20million.
Through the implementation of blockchain, a simple idea is made possible. CityBlock capital is able to provide start-ups with capital to help them along their way. This is drawn from a pool of capital, globally, rather than being restricted to the United States. Those that invest and provide this capital receive a digital version of a ‘share’ in the fund. This digitized share is known as a security token.
This token provides international investors accessibility to start-ups in the United States. Investors within the United States are only required to invest $25,000 or more, while international investors can start with as little as $1000.
At the same time, investors have the luxury of high levels of liquidity. Through partnerships with trading platforms such as AirSwap, these tokens can be traded easily. This is enticing to investors, as they are not locked into their investments long term if they do not want to be.
By following these simple steps, CityBlock Capital has increased accessibility, liquidity, and appeal of their planned funds.
Team?
In the short time that the company has been around, the trio at the helm of CityBlock Capital have managed to develop partnerships with multiple high-profile companies. These range from Morgan-Creek Financial and Airswap, to Securitize. Drawing on their experiences from working at Google, practicing VC law, and entrepreneurialism, the following founders have high hopes for CityBlock Capital.
Robert J. Nance – Cofounder & Managing Partner
Jon Avidor – Cofounder & Managing Partner
Max Goldstein – Cofounder & COO
Whats next?
NYCQ is only the tip of the iceberg. CityBlock Capital has announced that this fund is only the 1st of 3 that they plan on launching before years end. Each of these funds will be targeted to specific geographical areas similar to NYCQ.
To learn details about the project, please view our CityBlock Capital Token Listing page.
What is Curf?
CURF is a specialty watersports company, based out of Germany. They are looking to develop next-gen jetboards through the integration of rapidly-developing electric motors.
Simply put, CURF has designed an electrically powered, self-propelled, surfboard with eye-popping specs.
What is the problem?
Watersports is a fascinating industry. Over the years, inventors have displayed incredible ingenuity through their creations. However, they have often been restricted by the technology of their time.
People enjoy power, speed, and convenience. These offerings are woefully scarce with personal water vehicles, unfortunately. The closest thing you will get to this is a sea-doo – not exactly cheap or convenient.
With the rise of electric motors over the past decade, has come a plethora of new applications that can benefit from it – smaller form factor, high power, efficiency, the list goes on. As a result, only now have electric motors developed to the point where their integration within a personal water based vehicle is feasible.
With new forms of technology at our disposal, who will be next in revolutionizing personal water sports?
How Will Curf Solve It?
CURF looks to bring excitement back to watersports. To achieve this they are capitalizing on the rise of new technology. The result is a self-propelled electric surfboard that looks like fantastic fun.
Just take a look at a few of the e-surfboards specifications:
Top Speed – 38mph / 61kmh
Acceleration – 0 to 30mph in 4.2sec
Usage time – 40 minutes
These boards use swappable batteries, so that there is never any downtime. When out of juice, simply swap in a fully charged battery, and get back on the water!
In addition, weighing in at only 60lbs, the e-surfboard looks to be a convenient way for anyone to enjoy water sports.
Team?
The team at Curf is small, but effective. Here are those leading the way behind the fun-loving company:
Thomas Grohnert – Cofounder / Management
Daniel Thamm – Technic and Development
Carsten Holtig – Cofounder / Product Management
Whats next?
These e-surfboards could be just the first step in a line of products. For instance, the electric motors, swappable batteries, and other technology put into them could easily be utilized in other form factors. A self-propelled kayak sounds like a fun time!
CURF is actively looking for investors. To fund the continued development of their product, the team will be utilizing NeuFund in early 2019. Through use of the NeuFund platform, CURF will hold an STO. In doing so, the team will be able to capitalize on a new means of fundraising as the digital securities market begins to boom. This STO will see investors receive equity within the company in return for their contributions.
To date, CURF has already received multiple seed investments, making the likelihood of a bright future even more probable – Dercks-Kohler is one such investor.
Commentary
“We are mastering the complex balance between motor, controller, propulsion and battery system. Therefore we are already shipping out boards. With the incredible innovation power of our team we will continue to stay ahead of the competition.” — Carsten Höltig, Co-founder CURF Technology GmbH
“I am fascinated by the acceleration and speed of CURF e-jetboards. Every ride is for me like a fountain of youth. You can leverage the CURF propulsion technology for other products such as e-canoes and e-tender boats. The founders have convinced me with their combination of long-standing product know-how and international management experience. “ — Frank Köhler, Family office Dercks-Köhler
To learn more about the safety measures, and e-surfboard ease of use, check out the CURF website HERE.
What is ‘TheArtToken’
TheArtToken is a digital security, brought to investors by FineArtDigital. These security tokens are known as ‘TAT’ – with each token representative of a fractionalized share in a piece of art.
Investors can expect stable growth through joint ownership of a professionally curated art collection, by artists such as Vivian Maier.
To fund the expansion of the collection, and the gain the much coveted liquidity that investors strive for, TAT is holding its own Security Token Offering. This offering is being hosted through the marketplace, Swarm.
What is the problem?
Art suffers from a lack of liquidity – the number one reason many are excited about digital securities. While art may represent one of the most valuable and stable asset classes in the world, it is essentially trapped wealth.
Furthermore, the cryptocurrency industry is rife with volatility. Investments can ‘tank’ or ‘skyrocket’ at a moment’s notice.
How can each of these issues be solved?
How will TheArtToken Solve it?
FineArtDigital has recognized each of the aforementioned issues, and has set out to remedy them. With the rise of digital securities, they now have the ability to do so.
With a pre-existing professionally curated $4.1million collection of art, FineArtDigital will distribute fractionalized shares, known as ‘TAT’, representing ownership of the works.
In doing so, TAT offers those investors who are interested in blockchain, the ability to capitalize on a stable asset that was once nearly illiquid. In one fell swoop, both liquidity and volatility can be remedied through TheArtToken.
This stable asset will be comprised specifically of ‘Post war’ and ‘Contemporary’ Art. This subject matter was chosen due to their average growth of over 10% per annum, for over 50 years.
For continued growth of the project, sales of TAT will be utilized to purchase further works of art. As a result, holders of TAT will see their respective shares increase in value. This increase is seen both through the natural appreciation of current works in the collection, and its continued growth.
TheArtToken has broken down the process into a few simple steps. They are found on the TAT website, as follows:
- KYC & AML approved investors buy TAT.
- Funds are changed into TAT on a 1:1 ratio. Art is then insured, and stored in a government secured warehouse.
- Upon insurance and storing, TAT are now officially backed by art.
- Holders of TAT can now profit through the natural appreciation of the art, in addition to growth in the collection as a whole
- TAT tokens can be traded at any time via secondary exchanges, bringing unprecedented liquidity.
Team?
Those behind TheArtToken are a diverse, small team, with key advisors. Below are a few of the individuals leading the way.
Oliver Roehl – Strategy & Purchase
Sey Poellmann – Business Operations
Levent Suer – Markets & Trading
This team has been able to develop partnerships with a plethora of strategic companies, ranging from the Swiss Crypto Exchange, to Christie’s, and Sotheby’s.
Whats next?
TheArtToken has already received almost $10 million in investments. With a soft cap of $16 million, they are well on their way to completing a successful STO.
Beyond their STO, the team at TAT anticipates their tokens to be listed on secondary exchanges in early 2019.
Make sure to check our token listings page for more details on TheArtToken and their security token offering.
Who is CoinMint?
Established in early 2015, CoinMint is a company looking to bring simplicity to the cryptocurrency mining industry.
It is situated on over 1300acres of land, with the facility benefiting from a dedicated hydroelectric dam 3km from site. This means that the facility is primarily powered through fully renewable energy.
They are one of the world’s largest mining facilities, as well as one of the most efficient. Through use of various sources of power, and the newest hardware available, CoinMint pushes the boundaries of mining efficiency.
What is the problem?
Cryptocurrency mining is a difficult and complex process. Although the actual act of mining might be simple, the calculations involving expenditures is not. Those interested must factor in equipment, lifespan of hardware, electricity costs, cooling measures, etc. With the massive rise seen in Bitcoin hash rates over the course of 2018, it is simply not feasible to be a productive miner on a small scale anymore.
How will CoinMint Solve it?
CoinMint looks to solve the issue by providing fractionalized ownership of the hashrate provided by their state-of-the-art mining facility located in northern New York. This facility makes use of both hydroelectric and wind power sources. In doing so they are able to efficiently run ASIC devices to mine Bitcoin. With a partnership established with Samsung to provide the hardware, the company has eliminated many of the sourcing issues that currently plague competitors.
Through their mining facility, investors interested in mining are able to take part while avoiding the following hurdles associated with the process
- Hardware acquirement and maintenance
- Run Costs
- Power requirement & delivery
- Facility location
- Cooling measures needed
These are just a few of the examples of the problems that CoinMint removes from the shoulders of would-be miners, and places on their own.
CoinMint does recognize the market interest in mining. They also recognize the shifting market sentiment towards security tokens, and the benefits that they offer. With this being the case, CoinMint feels as though they are the perfect solution for investors to take part in their operation.
By offering their own security token, investors are able to own a fractionalized share of the facilities by-product – Hash rate. Proceeds of the mining process will be broken down as such.
- 75% is divvied up proportionately among token holders
- 25% is retained by CoinMint to maintain operations and as a performance fee
To make investment more intriguing, investors will benefit from DAILY dividend payouts. This unique dividend structure makes them stand out from traditional investments that typically see investors receive dividends no shorter than quarterly.
Team?
Those behind the CoinMint project recognized the need to set themselves apart from the pack. Various mining outfits exist in North America, however none of them offer investments structured like the opportunity being offered by CoinMint. Here are a few of the minds at CoinMint that are behind the idea.
Kyle Carlton – General Counsel
Kathleen Schneider – Controller
Whats Next?
Cryptocurrency mining is not an industry where you can lay a foundation, and then sit back and relax. Being profitable requires constant upgrading of the hardware used. This means sufficient company revenue must be consistently recycled into hardware upgrades and maintenance. This is the only way to stay ahead of competitors, and remain a good investment for those that have provided funds to the company.
In addition to the constant upgrades required by the nature of the industry, expect to see CoinMint tokens on secondary markets in the near future. With many platforms being developed to facilitate secondary market trading of securities, those invested in CoinMint will benefit from levels of liquidity never seen before.
The initial distribution of their ERC-20 compliant token known as CBM is being facilitated by securities platform Securitize.
To learn details about the project, please view our CoinMint token listing page.