11 Blockchain Startups to Watch in 2018

TechRecaps
4 min readJan 6, 2018

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Despite its nascency, the blockchain industry is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2024. What this figure does not reflect, though, is the total market cap of cryptocurrencies which recently crossed $700 billion. Cryptocurrencies, as an asset class, are typically built on a blockchain foundation utilizing a distributed ledger.

Moving into 2018, it is important to realize the full power of blockchain startups. Not only will it change the world as we know it, it is extremely diverse in its applications. Many if not all industries could benefit from enhanced security, safety, transparency and the removal of unnecessary intermediaries or inefficiencies.

Below are eleven diverse blockchain companies that are all out to solve different issues in the world, whether humanitarian or private sector.

1. elastos

Started in 2000, elastos makes up one of China’s G3 blockchain companies, along with NEO and Bitmain. With over 10,000,000 lines of code and their own blockchain, elastos is creating a secure new operating system to make digital assets scarce, identifiable and tradable. The elastos platform will be targeting decentralized applications (Dapps) that run on a peer-to-peer network with no centralized control. This will revolutionize how we access movies, images, and other digital assets.

2. UBIQUICOIN

UBIQUICOIN is a new decentralized global currency for everyone, regardless of geography, income, or nationality. Backed by a financial guarantee, UBIQUICOIN has a two-coin ecosystem immune to volatility. The Transaction Coin will be stabilized and used for transactions, and the Progressive Coin used as an investment vehicle. This ecosystem is designed for revenue sharing with coin investors while drastically helping provide access, agency, and transparency to unbanked consumers globally.

3. auditchain

Auditchain is the world’s first decentralized accounting, audit and real time reporting ecosystem for enterprise and token statistics. Equipped with a world-class team, auditchain is also the founding member of the DCARPE alliance, a non-profit designed to gather members of the investment, accounting, audit, legal, and financial reporting community. By creating a real-time reporting protocol, auditchain could, in theory, help prevent the next global financial crisis or corporate collapse due to fraud.

4. ExsulCoin

ExsulCoin is using blockchain technology to help solve the global refugee crisis. Their fully-developed platform, ExsulChain, will drive refugee-led projects by allowing holders of the ExsulCoin cryptocurrency to nominate, vote for, and fund projects. It will also tie user reputation to identity to ensure trustworthy transactions and interactions. This means more vetted opportunities, education, and solutions for refugees around the world. All of this will be powered on the blockchain and launch later this month.

5. Puregold.io

Puregold is the first payment gateway (PG_PAY) using a cryptocurrency supported by gold. Established in 2010, Puregold’s team expanded a successful ecommerce gold business onto the Ethereum blockchain to create a network of gold-supported cryptocurrency. This includes Gold ATMs, payment terminals, and mobile transaction solutions. You can read more about the full scope of the project in their whitepaper.

6. FarmaTrust

FarmaTrust is using blockchain technology to solve the global counterfeit drug problem, a $200 billion industry. By using immutable records to monitor a medicine from the point of origin through the point of consumption, FarmaTrust will help save lives and eliminate inefficiencies in the pharmaceutical industry. As a regulatory agnostic platform, FarmaTrust can be used by global stakeholders who can leverage the power of artificial intelligence, blockchain tech, and big data to save millions of lives per year.

7. JoyToken

JoyToken is a blockchain-based platform and protocol that forms the foundation for a “trustless” gambling ecosystem. Smart contracts are used to reward developers for creating new games and to safely guarantee, record, and audit each transaction. JoyToken’s greater aim is to further the growth of the gaming industry by creating entrepreneurial opportunities for game developers who otherwise may not have access to a large audience. The team includes former PokerStars and Bet365 executives.

8. CoinLION

CoinLION is building a cryptocurrency exchange that is centered around information sharing, risk management, and portfolio management. Users will be incentivized to share their trading strategies and help educate other traders. Also, for the first time traders can execute multiple cryptocurrency trades with the single click of a button. CoinLION’s focus on community engagement within the platform makes them a promising option for the wave of new traders entering crypto for the first time in 2018.

9. Sparkle Coin

Sparkle Coin is part of a three-company ecosystem that involves a currency, exchange, and online mall that focuses on the power of cryptocurrency as a real-world transaction mechanism. By connecting existing B2B and B2C businesses with blockchain technology, Sparkle Coin is improving the global cryptocurrency adoption rate and bridging the gap between traditional companies and cryptocurrencies. They are also the first ICO to have a double-digit token valuation and be tradable the day after an ICO.

10. MEVU

MEVU is built on the Ethereum blockchain to facilitate peer to peer wagering using smart contracts and MVU tokens. Blockchain technology ensures all wagers are locked, accurate, and secure during the course of an event. Players also have the chance to set their own challenges or odds, allowing for fair and transparent transactions. One interesting aspect is that players can bet on virtually anything, eliminating the need for third party intermediaries and their associated costs.

11. RepuX

RepuX is a protocol level framework on which various types of immutable data can be commoditized and exchanged among different corporate and individual collectors, developers and users. This marketplace model allows small and medium sized businesses to sell anonymized data to developers in exchange for Repux tokens. The data is then utilized by developers to train machine learning algorithms that can be later sold back to businesses as adapted intelligent applications.

Thanks for reading!

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