Nikunj Jain is an Indian entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He had founded now-defunct video microblogging platform frankly.me, [1] which helped in connecting public users with public figures, [2] [3] but it got closed after the pre-series A funding round. [4] [5] [6] He had also co-founded Inoxapps, [7] Zohem, Darwin labs and LedgerFund. [8] He is also investor in multiple startups like Routofy, [9] Tripoto, [10] .. etc.
Microblogging is an online broadcast medium that exists as a specific form of blogging. A micro-blog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregated file size. Micro-blogs "allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images, or video links", which may be the major reason for their popularity. These small messages are sometimes called microposts.
Routofy.com is an online travel portal headquartered in New Delhi, India, operated by the parent company Routofy Services Pvt. Ltd. The service compares and combines various travel methods to provide end-to-end connectivity to its users down to the local and less-travelled areas, in one search.
He was arrested by Government of India because of his connection with Amit Bhardwaj's 300 million USD cryptocurrenccy ponzi scheme , through which he had defrauded thousands of people, for a 20% cut. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] After the arrest, the police also seized 43.225 Bitcoins ($384,269.60), 79.949 Ethereum ($50,403.04), cash worth $49,831 (INR 33 Lakh). A bloomberg profile [18] lists him as a co-founder of GBMiners, which is the company behind the cryptocurrency fraud scheme.
Amit Bhardwaj is an Indian investor known as the founder/CEO of GB Miners.(who allegedly duped thousands of Indian citizens by hatching bitcoin-based Ponzi schemes)
A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses strong cryptography to secure financial transactions, control the creation of additional units, and verify the transfer of assets. Cryptocurrencies use decentralized control as opposed to centralized digital currency and central banking systems.
A Ponzi scheme is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from more recent investors. The scheme leads victims to believe that profits are coming from product sales or other means, and they remain unaware that other investors are the source of funds. A Ponzi scheme can maintain the illusion of a sustainable business as long as new investors contribute new funds, and as long as most of the investors do not demand full repayment and still believe in the non-existent assets they are purported to own.
30 under 30 [19] [20] [21] Forbes Asia 2018: Finance and Venture Capital
Forbes 30 Under 30 is a set of lists issued annually by Forbes magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries each. Asia and Europe also each have ten categories for a total of 300 each, while Africa has a single list of 30 people. Forbes hosts associated conferences and a section of its website called 30 Under 30.
Wenceslao Casares, also known as Wences Casares is an Argentinian technology entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Bitcoin wallet provider, Xapo, and founded Internet Argentina, Wanako Games, Patagon, Lemon Wallet, and Banco Lemon. Casares sits on the boards of PayPal, Endeavor, and Coin Center.
Chris Dixon is an American internet entrepreneur and investor. He is a general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and previously worked at eBay. He is also the co-founder and former CEO of Hunch, a website.
Coinbase is a digital currency exchange headquartered in San Francisco, California. They broker exchanges of Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and Litecoin with fiat currencies in approximately 32 countries, and bitcoin transactions and storage in 190 countries worldwide.
Charles Shrem IV is an American entrepreneur and bitcoin advocate. In 2011 he co-founded the now-defunct startup company BitInstant, and is a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation, formerly serving as vice chairman. In December 2014 he was sentenced to two years in prison for aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business related to the Silk Road marketplace. He was released from prison around June 2016. In 2017, he joined Jaxx as its director of business and community development. Later that year, he founded cryptocurrency advisory CryptoIQ.
Circle is a peer-to-peer payments technology company. It was founded by Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville in October 2013. Circle's mobile payment platform, Circle Pay, allows users to hold, send, and receive traditional fiat currencies. In September 2015, Circle received the first BitLicense issued from the New York State Department of Financial Services. In April 2016, the British government approved the first virtual currency licensure to Circle. Circle is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Satoshi Citadel Industries is a financial technology startup company building blockchain services and products for the purpose of financial inclusion in the Philippines. It was founded by Filipino entrepreneurs John Bailon, Miguel Cuneta, and Jardine Gerodias in March 2014, and is headquartered in Makati in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is responsible for the establishment of multiple products and services in the Philippine blockchain and bitcoin industry.
Veem is a global payments platform, using SWIFT, treasury and cryptocurrency, typically bitcoin. It was formerly known as Align Commerce, changing its name on 8 March 2017.
Kraken is a US-based cryptocurrency exchange, founded in 2011. The exchange provides cryptocurrency to fiat trading, and provides price information to Bloomberg Terminal.
Impact Guru is a donation based crowdfunding platform that offers global crowdfunding solutions for NGOs, social enterprises, startups and individuals. It was launched by Maneka Gandhi, Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development, Government of India in September 2015.
BHIVE Workspace claims to be one of the largest coworking spaces founded in Bangalore, India. It was established in 2014 and currently operates 11 centres with around 250,000 square feet of co-working space in Delhi and Bangalore. Its current co-working spaces in Bangalore are located in HSR Layout, Domlur, Residency Road, Koramangala, Indiranagar, Whitefield and Gurgaon. BHIVE Workspace conducts events like BuzzFest, BHIVE Bash, SheTalks and Funding 101. In 2015, BHIVE Workspace raised around $1 million in funding from Blume Ventures. In 2017, BHIVE raised another $1.2 Million in funding from Blume Ventures, Ramesh Aravind, Meera Reddy and others.
An initial coin offering (ICO) or initial currency offering is a type of funding using cryptocurrencies. Mostly the process is done by crowdfunding but private ICOs are becoming more common. In an ICO, a quantity of cryptocurrency is sold in the form of "tokens" ("coins") to speculators or investors, in exchange for legal tender or other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. The tokens sold are promoted as future functional units of currency if or when the ICO's funding goal is met and the project launches. In some cases like Ethereum the tokens are required to use the system for its purposes.
Bitcoin is a digital asset designed by its inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, to work as a currency.
Bitconnect was an open-source cryptocurrency that was connected with the high-yield investment program bitconnect.co. After the platform administrators closed the earning platform on January 16, 2018 and distributed users funds in BCC, confidence was lost and the value of the coin plummeted to below $1 from a previous high of nearly $500. The coin value collapse is one of the largest in the history of cryptocurrency.
Unacademy is an educational technology company based in Bangalore, India. Started in 2015, it is a platform that offers online education in India. Unacademy educators consist of either students who have cleared various exams or mentors who have teaching experience. It provide's online coaching for various exams of India like IIT JEE, NEET, UPSC.
Furlenco is an Indian online furniture rental platform that was incorporated in 2012.
Truebil.com is a Mumbai based virtual marketplace for trading used cars in major Indian cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, launched on 13 March 2015. Truebil uses AI algorithms to predict the ideal price of used cars based on various parameters like the condition of the car, geographical and seasonal factors.
Kairos is a U.S.–based private company that builds startups that are focused on affordability of everyday services via a US$25 million venture capital fund. These services specifically address problems experienced by five different demographic groups: graduates with student loans, home buyers and city-dwellers struggling to afford housing payments; parents with high living and childcare costs; unemployed workers in need of job training; and retirees managing healthcare costs.