Launching Sprinter in Crypto Valley
Building a Blockchain Company @ CV Labs
An American in Switzerland
On April 28th I arrived in Crypto Valley to begin the CV Labs Incubation Program. We’re here to launch Sprinter: a new software platform to help entrepreneurs and innovators source, manage and operate remote technology teams using smart contracts and distributed ledger technology.
What is Your Product?
Sprinter is a platform designed to accelerate innovation by reducing friction throughout the product development process. The Sprinter platform quickly connects entrepreneurs and business owners with the qualified technical talent they need to accelerate product development on a single software platform, unlike existing tools that only provide partial solutions.
Who Is It For?
Sprinter was engineered for organizations in need of an efficient, trusted and transparent means of securing technology solutions. This includes startups, small businesses, and enterprise technology teams. The Sprinter Network is a distributed member-governed community of vetted technology solution providers engaging with their clients through the Sprinter Platform. Solution providers may include development shops, design firms, and marketing agencies that can all use Sprinter to manage their client engagements and their complete project lifecycle.
What Makes Your Product Special?
Advances in distributed ledger technology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence allow for a new business model to capture global opportunities driven by increased automation in a shrinking world. Sprinter uses an integrated smart contract escrow to streamline cashflows and increase efficiencies so you can leverage the superior economics of working with remote teams while eliminating execution risk and information asymmetry with an unimpeachable audit trail recorded to the blockchain.
How Did You Get Started?
We started our company Coder Inc. back in 2015 working with entrepreneurs and small businesses to help them launch new technology ventures. We saw first hand the complexity and friction that comes with working with distributed technology teams and serving a global client base. We tried several third party softwares and project management tools but they only provided partial solutions and there were still gaps in the process. We decided to build our own solution solve the problem not only for us, but for everyone else looking to build, grow, and scale new technology companies.
How Did You Find Out About CV Labs?
We first connected with CV VC in the early fall of 2018 and made an initial trip to Zug for the CV Summit in November 2018. I was able to meet several members of the CV VC team at the conference and tour the CV Labs space in Zug. The energy and excitement for the future of blockchain in the community was clear and we jumped at the chance to participate in the first cohort of the CV Labs Incubation Program.
What Has Been Your Experience with the CV Labs Incubation Program?
We’ve been very impressed with CV Labs. The whole CV VC team is super cool and they’re passionate and dedicated to leading this industry into the future. The Incubation Program started off with a two week ‘bootcamp’ phase focused on business model optimization, pitching, and storytelling. Since then we’ve had workshops lead by mentors and experts from across Switzerland and Europe covering a range of topics including legal and compliance, token economics, cryptography, design thinking, and digital marketing.
We’ve been able to meet leaders in the blockchain industry from TrustSquare and CryptoEcon in Zurich and protocols such as Tezos, Polkadot, IOHK, Adjoint, and Aeternity, as well as hear from professors and academics at top-tier universities including ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, and Hochschule Luzerne. We learned about the ins and outs of KYC, AML, and CFT as well as the international sanctions environment from the director of compliance at the Lykke Exchange and the complications of cryptocurrency banking from top European Private Banks and investment firms including Zarrattini & Co., Bank Frick, and Bitcoin Suisse. We met with the Department of Economic Promotion for the Canton of Zug and we’ve learned from experts and investors including Dan Ram, Dianne Schepers, and Manuel Stagars. We’ve made new friends with the founding teams of startups from around the world like Tezsure (India + the Netherlands), PocketJam (South Africa), BitFreezer (Ukraine) AdHash (Bulgaria). It’s been awesome to see the evolution of the other startups throughout the program.
The Road Ahead
It’s been an incredible experience and we’re excited about the opportunities presented by participating in the CV Labs Program. We’re looking forward to establishing our headquarters in Zug and continuing on with our fundraising and product development. We’re raising capital to provide us the runway and working capital we need to launch our next generation platform and scale our member network. We’re also looking for strategic partners and ambassadors who support our goal of launching our network in multiple major markets so that we can reduce friction in product development and accelerate innovation around the world.
If you’re interested in learning more about what we’re doing or want to join us on our journey please contact us as team@sprinternetwork.io.
