Crypto
How Niche Businesses Quietly Unlock Massive Growth Potential
This post explores how niche businesses can achieve significant growth by focusing on a specific area of expertise.
December 9, 2024
Tokenization of Assets Spotlight:
The Top 32 Influencers You Need to Know
Over the last few months, I've been immersing myself in the world of tokenization.This concept, built on the backbone of blockchain technology, is revolutionizing the way we view assets and financial markets. It's a game-changer, folks, and I've been thrilled to dive in and learn more about it.
Now, tokenization isn't just theoretical; it's happening in real-time. Real-world assets (RWA) are being tokenized, and this process is reshaping decentralized finance (DeFi) in unprecedented ways. I've been watching players like Goldfinch, Clearpool, Maple, Teller, and Polytrade closely. They're doing some fascinating work in this space, tokenizing everything from money market funds to private equity fund shares. I've been debating whether tokenization will truly come alive with assets that are already liquid or if it'll make a substantial impact on traditionally illiquid assets like real estate and trade finance. Trust me; it's a hot topic worth watching.
But let's get down to business. I've been doing my homework, researching, and reading up on the big movers and shakers in the tokenization world. I've been so impressed by their content, and I believe you'll find their insights as enlightening as I do. So, without further ado, here are some of the people you should be following:
- Luis Miguel Aleixo: Luis is the Managing Director & Co-Founder of BRIKbc Projects. This man is the real deal, making Australian luxury investment properties accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world, through tokenization.
- Nathan L. Allman: The Co-Founder and CEO of Ondo Finance, Nathan is bringing security tokens to market. His background in cryptocurrency market services at Goldman Sachs and ChainStreet Capital makes his insights particularly valuable.
- Tron Black: Tron is the lead developer and co-founder of Ravencoin. If you're interested in the future of decentralized assets, Tron's your man.
- Douglas Borthwick: As Blu Canary's Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Douglas is determined to bring tokenization to the mainstream and into compliance. He’s even been involved in the launch of the first IPO of an SEC-Registered Security Token at The INX Digital Company.
- Douglas J. Pepe: Founder of Mango Farm Assets and Ravencoin IPFS, and co-founder of IP Assets, Doug provides tools for tokenizing real-world assets and NFTs on the blockchain. His work in the Ravencoin ecosystem is worth checking out.
- Claus Skaaning: Claus is the founder of DigiShares, a FinTech tokenization software company. His work in tokenized securities and his publications on blockchain technology make him a must-follow in this industry.
- Edward Nwokedi: is the Founder and CEO of RedSwan CRE, a marketplace platform for tokenizing commercial real estate. He is a prominent innovator and tokenization leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the capital markets and has performed over $3 billion in transactions acquiring and disposing of multi-family properties. Follow him on Twitter to learn about tokenization projects for commercial real estate assets.
These are just a few of the innovators and influencers in the tokenization industry who have caught my eye. The rest of the equally impressive list is below. Don’t forget to check out their bios below, and each has a social link under their name.
I can't stress enough how valuable their contributions are to this rapidly evolving field. So, if you're as fascinated by tokenization as I am, I highly recommend checking out their work and giving them a follow.Remember, the world of finance is transforming before our eyes, and the future is looking increasingly tokenized. Let's stay informed and keep learning together!
Meet our Must Follows:
#1 - Luis Miguel Aleixo
Managing Director & Co-Founder
Brikbc Projects
As the Managing Director & Co-Founder of BRIKbc Projects, Luis is providing access to tokenized Australian luxury investment properties to anyone from anywhere in the world. Follow him on Twitter to discover how tokenization makes it possible to access the benefits of a fraction of an Australian residential real estate property.
#2 - Nathan L. Allman
Founder & CEO
Ondo Finance
Nathan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ondo Finance, a platform that enables the issuance and trading of security tokens, with both TradFi and DeFi experience. Previously, he created cryptocurrency market services for institutional investors at Goldman Sachs, and he ran a quantitative cryptocurrency hedge fund at ChainStreet Capital. Follow Nathan to stay abreast of US Treasuries and institutional-grade bonds being brought on-chain.
#3 - Milind Bansia
Head of Strategy, Business
Polytrade
Milind is an experienced investment banker, venture capitalist, and entrepreneur who's heading up strategy for PolyTrade, a lending platform for underwriting Real-World Assets using stablecoins. Follow his tweets to learn about sustainable yields for the permissionless ecosystem, with stablecoin holders now able to lend against tokenized exposure a range of RWAs, including most recently U.S. Treasuries.
#4 - Mike Belshe
Co-Founder & CEO
BitGo
Mike is the San Francisco-based CEO and co-founder of BitGo, a crypto wallet, custody, and security company. Previouslym, Mike was one of the first engineers dedicated to building the Chrome browser at Google, and he was a creator of the SPDY protocol. Mike is also the lead author of HTTP/2.0, the internet protocol for loading web pages, and holds more than 10 technology patents. Follow Mike on social media to stay abreast of current topics, including Wrapped Bitcoin and what's next in crypto custodianship.
#5 - Pierre Beunardeau
CEO and Co-Founder
Galileo Protocol
Pierre has founded multiple successful businesses over the years, including the Galileo Protocol, a blockchain-based platform that provides secure data storage and sharing. His career is all about driving innovation and growth in the blockchain industry, where he's constantly challenging himself to find new ways to solve real-world problems using blockchain technologies. Follow him on Twitter to discover his particular passion for transforming the tokenisation of luxury goods and real-world assets, which he believes is the future of the industry.
#6 - Tron Black
Co-Founder, Ravencoin
President, Ravencoin Foundation
Tron is the lead developer in Ravencoin and one of its co-founders. He tweets about the Ravencoin ecosystem, the platform's use cases, and the fundamental reasons why decentralized assets are the future of finance. Tron also discusses the capabilities of Ravencoin and its future plans.
#7 - Douglas Borthwick
Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer
Blue Canary Capital
As Blu Canary's Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Douglas is focused on bringing tokenization into the mainstream and into compliance. His extensive leadership experience spans both TradFi and DeFi, having worked at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Standard Chartered Bank. He recently served as the Chief Business Officer for The INX Digital Company, where he helped launch the first IPO of an SEC-Registered Security Token. Follow Douglas on social media to stay on top of companies that are creating noteworthy digital assets.
#8 - Mikaile Caliskan
CEO
Bixos, Inc
Mikaile is a blockchain entrepreneur based in Turkey and founder of Bixos, a start-up venture known for its cryptocurrency asset management and investment tech-based solutions such as staking, DeFi, DEX, and DeFi farming. Caliskan is a vocal advocate of achieving financial independence by helping people make informed decisions about investing in crypto. Follow his Tweets to learn about his bespoke innovations, including most recently #NFT real estate conversion.
#9 - Gene Deyev
Founder & CEO
Stobox Company
Gene is the CEO and Co-Founder of Stobox, a platform that provides security token issuance and management solutions to drastically simplify investments in digital assets and securitized tokens. Follow Gene to stay abreast of the businesses from various industries and countries that have chosen Stobox as their comprehensive tokenization provider, as well as the live STOs that are actively onboarding investors.
#10 - Carlos Domingo
Founder & CEO, Securitize
Founder and Managing Partner, Spice VC
Carlos is co-founder and CEO of Securitize, a platform making private equity, venture capital, and other exclusive, real-world, private market assets accessible to a broader range of investors. He has over 25 years of experience in innovation and digital transformation, including having founded SPiCE VC, the first truly liquid, inclusive, and transparent tokenized VC on the blockchain. Follow Carlos on social media to learn more about the road to security tokenization.
#11 - Luc Falempin
Founder & CEO
Tokeny Solutions
Luc is the CEO and Founder of Tokeny, a leading tokenization platform with more than $28B in tokenized assets under management. Follow Luc on social media to learn more about Tokeny, tokenized asset offerings, and discussions regarding tokenized asset trends and issues.
#12 - Alvin Foo
Co-Founder, DAOventures
Advisor, NASDEX
Alvin is the co-founder of DAOventures, an advisor for NASDEX, and a decentralized finance asset manager. He has held leadership roles in a range of companies, including serving as the Head of Mobile for Google China. Follow him on Twitter to learn more about DeFi, robotics, AI, and technology in general.
#13 - Sarah Jenkins
Realtor
Property Executives Realty
Sarah Jenkins is a blockchain realtor who tokenizes real estate, moving all rights to trade and operate real estate onto the Ravencoin blockchain. Such a step makes real estate deals much easier by removing middlemen like banks and realtors. She tweets about how this niche works and can help you learn more about it.
#14 - Oscar Jofre
Co-Founder, President & CEO
KoreConX
Oscar is a veteran entrepreneur and currently the Co-Founder, President and CEO of KoreConX, the first permissioned blockchain ecosystem for fully-compliant issuance, trading, clearing settlement, corporate actions, and custodianship for tokenized securities. Follow this highly-regarded fintech and blockchain influencer to stay abreast of innovations and developments helping companies get easier access to capital.
#15 - Kyle Sonlin
Founding Partner, Security Token Group
CEO, Security Token Market
Kyle is an advisor and investor who is currently working as a Founding Partner at Security Token Group and as the CEO of Security Token Market. His unique perspective, gained from consulting in investment/merchant banking specializing in security token offerings, as well as leading his own companies and other established blockchain startups since 2015, informs the reasons he believes that the future of crypto is security tokenization.
#16 - Vincent Kadar
CEO
Polymath Network
Vincent joined Polymath in October 2021 shortly before the launch of Polymesh, a platform that provides security token issuance and management solutions for businesses. Follow him to stay abreast of public-permissioned blockchain and his vision for future-proofing business liquidity with digital assets.
#17 - Jay Kolbe
Co-Founder & Senior Managing Partner
Impact Partners
Jay is a PR veteran specializing in media relations for high net worth individuals, family offices, VCs and emerging technology businesses. He also co-hosts the “Blockchain Bridge” podcast with Ben Arnon, former Google and Yahoo executive, where they separate fact from fiction in the blockchain and crypto space. Follow Jay for his latest insights.
#18 - Bernard Lau
CEO and Co-Founder Staynex and LABS Group,
Founder of Gravity Resorts
Bernard is the CEO and Co-Founder of Labs Group, a real estate tokenization company that enables hotels and resorts to create and customize timeshare programs through their new digital marketplace, Staynex. More broadly, he tweets about the disruption of the real estate and hospitality industry by embracing DeFi.
#19 - Fernando Martinelli
Co-founder and CEO
Balancer Labs
Fernando is the CEO of Balancer, an automatied market maker that provides liquidity for crypto trading. Fernando has been part of several startup companies since 2014, and he previously worked at Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany and Bain & Company, also in Germany in 2011. Follow him on Twitter to learn more about liquidity provisioning as the DeFi building blocks continue to stack.
#20 - Graeme Moore
Head of Tokenization
Polymesh
Graeme is the Head of Tokenization at Polymesh, a security token-based blockchain designed to make tokenization accessible for institutions, and the author of the children's book, B is for Bitcoin. Follow him on social media to learn more about the security token economy and Polymesh network innovations.
#21 - Michael Morelli
CEO
ETF.com
Since 2022, Michael has been the CEO of ETF.com, a leading authority on ETF news, analysis, data, and education. Follow him on Twitter to get insights that can help inform your ETF investment decisions, including those in the crypto space, with the goal of achieving better investment success.
#22 - Edward Nwokedi
Founder and CEO
Red Swan CRE
Eduard is the Founder and CEO of RedSwan CRE, a marketplace platform for tokenizing commercial real estate. He is a prominent innovator and tokenization leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the capital markets and has performed over $3 billion in transactions acquiring and disposing of multi-family properties. Follow him on Twitter to learn about tokenization projects fo commercial real estate assets.
#23 - Rémy André Ozcan
CEO, Tozex
Managing Director, Crypto4All
President, French Blockchain Fédération
Remy is at the forefront of blockchain innovation, education, and enablement in Europe. He's the CEO of Tozex, a non-custodian tokenization platform for issuing, financing, and trading tokenized assets; President of the French Blockchain Fédération, a network of blockchain professionals; and Managing Director of Crypto4All, which is an engineering & consulting company specialized in Blockchain technology. Follow Remy to learn about current and future Blockchain innovations, implementations, and requisite skills for the European workforce.
#24 - Hester Peirce
Commissioner
Securities and Exchange Commission
Hester is an American lawyer who has served as a Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since 2018. She is a vocal critic, accusing the SEC of "dropping the regulatory ball" with respect to cryptocurrency regulation in 2022. She has also argued that "it is time for the Commission to stop categorically denying spot crypto exchange-traded products." Follow her on Twitter to stay abreast of her crypto-friendly views, including why regulators should write rules that allow capital to reach the right places but should not decide which places are right.
#25 - Douglas J. Pepe
Founder
Mango Farm Assets
In addition to his active law practice and teaching blockchain law, Doug is the founder of Mango Farm Assets and Ravencoin IPFS. He is also the co-founder of IP Assets, which provides software and tools for tokenizing real-world assets and NFTs on the blockchain, and a board member of the Ravencoin Foundation. Follow his tweets to stay abreast of blockchain and other legal issues, as well as the blockchain-related software and hardware products that he has helped create.
#26 - Eduardo Romeiro
Co-Founder and Director of Engineering
Realio
Eduardo is a highly skilled entrepreneur engineer passionate about cutting-edge technology and innovation. In 2019, Eduardo joined Realio as a co-founder, his second startup venture after spending five years with an AI-powered telematics startup. At Realio, Eduardo brings together his extensive engineering experience, keen interest in blockchain, and unbridled enthusiasm for technology to drive the team's technical vision. In April 2023, he led the launch of the Realio Network, a Cosmos SDK Layer-1 multi-chain Web3 ecosystem focused on the issuance and management of digitally native real-world assets (RWAs).
#27 - Alan Silbert
Executive Managing Director
INX Limited
Alan is currently the Executive Managing Director of INX Group. He entered the digital currency space in 2013 when he founded BitPremier, the first-of-its-kind bitcoin luxury marketplace. In 2014, BitPremier broke the record for the largest bitcoin real estate transaction completed to-date, a $600k villa in Bali. He has also worked for 20 years at top TradFi institutions, including Capital One, GE Capital, Merrill Lynch Capital, and more. Follow Alan to learn about institutional adoption of digital assets.
#28 - Claus Skaaning
CEO and Co-Founder
DigiShares
Claus has started and taken part in several successful ventures, with the latest being DigiShares, a FinTech tokenization software company specializing in the issuance and management of tokenized securities. He has devoted his career to helping and guiding startups and has contributed to several publications on blockchain technology and the tokenization of assets. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his masterclasses on the tokenization of real assets, real estate, use cases for tokenization software, and the tokenization ecosystem.
#29 - Kristian T. Sorensen
Co-Founder, Norfico
Co-Founder, TokenizerIO
Kristian is Founding Partner at The Tokenizer, a news and data platform for tokenized securities as well as Founding Partner at Norfico, a strategic advisory and communications agency specializing in fintech, blockchain, cryptocurrency, insurtech and regtech. Follow Kristian on social media to learn about asset tokenization and NFT news.
#30 - Antoine Tardif
Founder
Securities.io
Antoine is the CEO of Securities.io, a company that provides AI-powered solutions for the financial industry. His focus is on launching businesses, reporting, and investing in disruptive technologies, with a particular emphasis on machine learning. Follow Antoine on social media and Forbes to learn about the emerging and future impacts that AI and ML can have on DeFi and blockchain technologies.
#31 - John Wu
President
Ava Labs
As the President of Ava Labs, a technology company backed by Andreesen Horowitz and building the next-generation blockchain platform, John aims to open up financial services and products to everyone. His expertise, gained from over 20 years as a fintech executive and technology investor, is helping him create a blockchain-enabled solution for originating, issuing, and trading financial assets. Follow his tweets to learn why he's bullish about the future of real utility on the blockchain.
#32 - Belinda Zhou
Founder & CEO
Sharding Capital
Belinda is the Founder and CEO of Sharding Capital, an early-stage fund based in the Middle East that enables DeFi and Web3 development and adoption. Follow her on social media to stay abreast of the latest crypto trends.
