The
Bitcoin movement has brought with it a tidal wave of activity in cryptocurrency
investments and trading. As a result, crypto market capitalization soared to an
all-time high of around $820 billion in early January of 2018. But since then,
we have seen a massive price decline in this market, leading many to speculate
that it could all be a giant bubble.
One trailblazing company that has remained forward-thinking in its approach and
advancement amid this persistent downturn is Invictus Capital. Endeavoring to
become the “Vanguard of cryptocurrencies,” Invictus features a comprehensive
set of fund options and investments for those seeking diversified exposure to
cryptocurrency markets.
Through cutting-edge developments in data science, machine learning and
blockchain technology, Invictus strives to mitigate the bias, emotion and costs
associated with managing cryptocurrency investment funds.
A key milestone tied to this momentum occurred in 2017, when Invictus launched
its initial coin offering (ICO), known as “CRYPTO20” and widely touted as the
first of its type in the world. CRYPTO20 is an index fund that
tracks the top-20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, providing a window
to the performance of the highest levels of the crypto market, and lets
investors participate through a single token (C20 tokens).
The
fund’s parameters (rebalance frequency, asset cap and number of coins) were
optimized by data science and the fund managers claim all relevant forks and
airdrops and stake NEO and DASH, among others — all adding to the fund value.
CRYPTO20’s annual fees of 0.5 percent are far below the industry average of 2
to 3 percent, the company said. Invictus added that the fund has outperformed
both BTC and the total cryptocurrency market cap to date.
Invictus’s second major milestone, the Hyperion Fund, closed in May 2018,
with over 4,500 backers and $11 million raised. This venture fund model
leverages the power of syndication and Invictus’s strategic value adds to
facilitate access to private sale investment opportunities — at the best
prices. Here, investments occur in the most promising projects through
presales, simple agreements for future tokens (SAFTs) and ICOs.
Hyperion is designed to provide token holders with diversified, early stage
investment opportunities in the blockchain landscape. The fund seeks to achieve
this by forming strategic partnerships with some of the most talented
blockchain entrepreneurs and visionaries, assisting them with both financial
support and essential connections in their efforts to deliver successful ICOs.
A New Path to Investing: The Value
Proposition
The foundation of Invictus’s quest is predicated by a value proposition
reflected in the following:
- An intelligent, scientific
approach where data is optimized to simplify investment decisions. This
approach is backed by data science and machine learning that fuels the highest
levels of analysis.
- Value creation for investors
that challenges and disrupts the traditional, thereby creating a new way of
investing.
- Fostering an environment of
integrity and trustworthiness for all stakeholders, including community responsibility
and legal compliance; Respecting and acting with dignity while ensuring that
shareholder returns are protected.
- Ensuring transparency in
investor interests while maintaining high levels of privacy with transaction
details.
- Fostering a collaborative and
performance-driven approach, one that champions diversity in all of its forms.
Diversity, along with innovative collaboration, allows Invictus to achieve
ambitious targets and succeed in what it does.
Fueled by this set of values, Invictus has embarked on four public investments
to drive its value proposition forward: NOIA Network, DAV Network, Lightstreams and Gamedex.
NOIA is a decentralized content delivery network (CDN) that makes use of unused
bandwidth and storage from idle computers around the world. The project
utilizes the internet’s infrastructure to dramatically improve how data is
delivered, a solution that’s much cheaper than what current centralized CDN
providers offer. The main ICO sale for this network will commence on July 16.
The DAV Network delivers an open-source software platform, allowing anyone to
buy or sell transportation services in a decentralized market. This network can
be integrated into any vehicle, enabling them to discover, communicate and
transact with one another using a digital currency called the “DAV” token. The
DAV network concluded its ICO on June 25 with 40,726 ETH raised.
The Lightstreams blockchain project addresses the issue of data storage when
content is shared on blockchain networks. The technology focuses on the
requirements of privacy, confidentiality and scalability for decentralized
applications, which interact in direct, peer-to-peer channels. Lightstreams
plans to launch its network infrastructure in Q3 2018, enabling a decentralized
governance platform in Q4 where token holders can decide policies.
Finally, there is the investment by Hyperion in Gamedex, a platform, similar to
Steam, for digital collectibles and their games. Unlike traditional
collectibles (for example, baseball cards), these digital assets can be
transferred to anyone on the planet instantly, their authenticity can be proven
and they cannot be counterfeited or reprinted.
A Look Ahead
Daniel Schwartzkopff, the co-founder and CEO of Invictus Capital, is a South
African serial entrepreneur who has launched several venture capital-backed companies.
A graduate of the University of Cape Town with a degree in chemical
engineering, Schwartzkopff has been featured in everything from CNBC to The Wall Street Journal.
When asked about how the uncertainty facing the global cryptocurrency market has
impacted and informed Invictus’s strategic direction, he remains optimistic.
“The current uncertainty in the industry is related almost exclusively to the
market capitalization, or prices, of cryptocurrency,” said Schwartzkopff. “In
terms of the fundamentals (i.e., the technology, use cases and regulatory
environment), there is far less uncertainty than there was at the price peak.
In fact, the decrease in hype and ‘extreme visibility’ of blockchain projects
has afforded developers the opportunity to get back to the real task at hand,
which is to bring a nascent technology to the real world.”
He added that, despite the uncertain markets, Invictus’s efforts are
laser-focused on providing investors with peace of mind around cryptocurrencies
and legitimizing the industry.
“The cryptocurrency market is gaining mainstream traction at an unprecedented
rate,” Schwartzkopff said. “This comes with an influx of retail investors, many
of which lack a deeper understanding of the cryptocurrency market. Our vision
is to provide a diverse range of industry-leading, low-cost options to gain
exposure to this growing market without the barrier of technical complexity
currently impeding adoption.”
