Blockchain is the new black. Or, maybe we should say “pumpkin spice.” Translation: It’s everywhere. And that’s great news for consumers who are going to be the beneficiaries of these groundbreaking advances.
In a previous post, we introduced you to Long Blockchain Corp, formerly known as Long Island Iced Tea Corp. The name change sent its stock into the stratosphere, but also ushered in the dread of a world full of companies adding “blockchain” to their names to build instant credibility.
Don’t worry: The concept of indiscriminately adding that moniker hasn’t caught hold as a trend. But fortunately what has caught on is the concept of blockchain itself. We’ve rounded up the “new nine,” of promising companies in the blockchain space that you’ll want to keep your eye on.
The Most Promising New Companies In Blockchain
1. Medicalchain
It seems like the healthcare industry has been promising electronic records forever—a convenience that means if you wind up at the hospital or in a specialist’s office they have access to all your history right away in a secure format rather than being faced once again with endless forms. However, that doesn’t seem to have come to fruition as seamlessly as we had hoped.
But Medicalchain is hoping to bring this to reality by using blockchain technology to create a platform that digitizes and securely stores electronic records, making them easy to share. The UK-based company has a pilot underway in England and in June entered in an agreement with the Mayo Clinic in the United States to explore new options in record storage. The company has also developed MyClinic.com, which allows patients to conduct video consultations with doctors and pay using blockchain tokens.
2. BitTicket
Ever bought a ticket to an event and worried that it was fraudulent? BitTicket is a blockchain startup that is able to trace tickets to ensure their authenticity. It creates an identity to keep the ticket secure, but allows you to transfer a ticket by submitting a video image and ID.
You can also store BitTickets in a virtual wallet using a QR code, no matter what provider it was purchased from. Just show the QR code and ID for easy entry. The Edinburgh-based company has more than 100 events on the blockchain and is moving into the festival market.
3. PeerTracks
Feel like artists are getting a raw deal on many streaming sites? PeerTracks uses blockchain to ensure that artists are paid the royalties they deserve every time you listen to a song on the streaming site. The company claims that it will enable artists to recoup 90 percent of their sales income, rather than the approximately 15 percent they currently get from existing services.
But the good news is that it’s free for listeners. It uses the SOUNDAC open database which has a royalty pool from which it pays out all copyright holders, distributing funds based on what all users on every streaming platform connected to SOUNDAC have been listening too. Artists can add music here, and music lovers can start listening in here.
4. AidCoin
As we enter the season of giving, it’s the perfect time to look into AidCoin, a blockchain company that aims to making donating to charity more transparent. The company is comprised of three parts that work together—AidCoin, which is a ERC20 token that you donate through the Ethereum blockchain; AidChain, which is a platform that allows transparency and traceability of donations; and AidPay, which is a payment gateway that allows nonprofits registered with AidChain to accept different cryptocurrencies on their website that can be converted to AidCoin, allowing them to manage all their donations in a single wallet.
5. ShelterZoom
Real estate transactions are complicated; there’s no two ways about it. ShelterZoom aims to make them a little less complex via its online platform that uses blockchain technology to make the process more transparent and efficient. The online platform streamlines the buying and renting transaction by managing all aspects of the offer and acceptance process.
It’s a win for everyone involved in the transaction: Brokers and agents can list and sell properties more easily; sellers gain access to global buyers; and buyers can use the platform to place and confirm offers or complete rental applications in a secure, transparent environment that removes the layer of overwhelming paperwork. It also gives buyers visibility into the complete process once their offer is submitted, whereas before they had to trust that everyone was working for their benefit.
6. Qiibee
This might just be the next big thing in loyalty programs. Qiibee allows businesses to issue loyalty tokens that are stored on the blockchain in a single wallet to be traded or redeemed. Customers can transfer them to friends or family members or use them for any loyalty program within the quiibee wallet.
While it’s currently only being used in Europe and Asia, it has partnered with 900 brands, including household names like Domino’s, Subway, Burger King and HelloFresh and has a San Francisco office, which means that a move stateside could be not far off. (And we can’t help but remark on what a fantastic word it would be for Scrabble.)
7. Shopin
Browsing clothing websites can be arduous; too many choices, too many ads for the wrong thing. But what if your browser only displayed items that were absolutely suited to you—the right size, the right style, the right price? That’s the goal of Shopin—to simplify the online retail experience by using blockchain to store your shopping profile data that you can grant access to retailers as you wish.
Once consumers create a Shopin profile, they can store preferences, sizes, purchase history and other information that will help machine learning give improved personalized recommendations for items to buy. It then acts as a wallet; they can make purchases using Shopin Coin, which is an ERC20 utility token. Participating retailers benefit from access to a robust shopper profile, increased ROI on marketing through more targeted offers and ideally fewer returns.
8. Nuggets
Sick of passwords and logins? So are we, and yet, strong systems are imperative to protect your data. Enter Nuggets, an e-commerce payment and ID platform that stores your personal and payment data in the blockchain so no one sees it—not even Nuggets. And while that’s good for you, the company points out that it also frees companies from having to store and protect millions of customer records—and then worry about potential hacks or data breaches.
Once customers set up the app (currently in pilot phase), they can use Nuggets to securely pay. A “rewards” program adds Nuggets Tokens to your account with every transaction, which can then be spent with any merchant on the Nuggets platform.
9. Ripe.io
Unless you grew your vegetables in your own backyard, you have no way of knowing where your food has been before it hits your plate. That’s why Ripe.io is cooking up transparency, using blockchain technology to offer an inside look at the food supply chain—starting with producers, then distributors and finally consumers. Farmers can use IoT and sensor data to automate their processes and also gauge demand for their crops; distributors can be assured of food safety as they track their products through every stage of delivery; and consumers can get a snapshot of where their food came from and its journey to their shopping cart.
It also have some tax system like others Crypto Taxes and Accounting so use any Crypto tax service to calculate your Crypto Taxes and Accounting.
When you consider that these nine companies span industries ranging from entertainment to real estate to retail to food—and of course, finance, it offers an exciting glimpse at the state of blockchain today and the fascinating future that’s right around the corner.
