Startup pitches: Lamassu, Bits of Gold, Bex.io, BitPrice and Bits of Proof #BTCLondon
Bitcoin is expanding its market like never before. Today, Bitcoin London showcased bitcoin startups that already exist in places like Argentina, Brazil, Israel and the UAE.
The Israeli company Bits of Gold, which will launch its services this Autumn, plans on making bitcoin accessible throughout Israel, said the CEO, Jonathan Rouach.
"Outside of the US and the EU, I see opportunity for the expansion of the currency", he said.
At least four companies launching bitcoin-related services in the next few months attended the 2013 conference in London in the search for investors.
One of them is Lamassu, responsible for developing a bitcoin ATM. Zach Harvey said "ATMs are already replacing bank branches and retailers can easily switch to bitcoin, or cashless or cardless."
According to the company, the machine could be launched this August.
Yurii Rashkovskii, from Bex.io, said there are many obstacles for these emerging companies, including banking regulations in their countries and liquidity, as well as competitors like BTC Global and Mt. Gox.
Bex.io is a project aiming to "help bitcoin business enterpreneurs manage the technical side of the operation so they don't need to worry about it", he said.
The UK-based project Bitprice, led by Tom Robinson, said that British authorities are not up to date with bitcoin.
"We have spoken to them and they're still exploring the [cryptocurrencies] space; they want to see how big it is going to become", he said.
Robinson considers it important as an entrepreneur to avoid jumping in straight away and recommends building projects up slowly and securely in this new industry.
Another one of the novelties of the event was offered by Bits of Proof, led by Tamás Blummer, which plans on developing servers and client-side libraries that bridge the gap between bitcoin applications like Exchange, Merchant, Wallet, Research, and the reference Bitcoin implementation.
“It shortens development and enriches functionality, in contrast to speculative 'investment' into the currency value of bitcoin”, he said.
DISCLOSURE
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
