Last updated on February 4th, 2018 at 08:37 am
The Bitcoin rush is underway. From the the inexplicable to the blatantly commercial, cottage industries and derivatives are springing up everywhere. Who is innovating fastest and who is selling pickaxes to the miners?
Here are 5 companies to watch:
1) Our pick: Ethereum, headed by Vitalik Buterin, a Torontonian, cousin of Wild Apricot co-founder Dmitry Buterin, and Peter Thiel mprize-winner.
Why it’s on the list: Ok, we’re not mindless sheep, but Peter Thiel is a big deal. Reddit also loves Vitalik and Reddit is also a big deal.
2) Our pick: Sidechains. Companies can ‘peg’ to Bitcoin in much the same way that national currencies can peg themselves to the US dollar. Sidechains facilitates this for commercial purposes.
Why it’s on the list: Backed by Zero Knowledge founder and smart VC, Austin Hill, proven entrepreneur. Not to mention Fred Wilson. TechCrunch background on significance to encryption
3) Our pick: Dogecoin: You gotta love humanity. Satire and takeoff bitcoins are everywhere, the most notorious and shockingly successful of which is Dogecoin.
Why it’s on the list: Legitimized the Doge meme, finally putting internet dogs on equal footing with Internet cats.
4) Our pick: Namecoin. The first Bitcoin ‘fork’ beyond currency.
Why it’s on the list: Namecoin’s key difference from Bitcoin is that it can also store data on its blockchains.
5) Our pick: Alternet, leading the B2B charge.
Why it’s on the list: Recently established the first global B2B Bitcoin payment network and debit card. What that actually means is anyone’s guess, but the B2B payments potential for Bitcoin could be enormous.
