Original author: Stan Higgins
Coin News
Boost VC’s office space in downtown San Mateo. Source: 7ShiftsVeteran bitcoin entrepreneurs and VCs will be on hand at the hackathon to serve as judges and mentors for the event.Startup ideas are graded on a point system with a 100-point scale. Points will be awarded for a startup’s idea (25 points), business plan (25 points) and product (50 points).Bitcoin ideasBoost is looking for ideas that can incorporate bitcoin in any way. But, that’s the only stipulation.McKelvie explained:“We’re not requiring anything other than that [the idea] incorporates bitcoins.”To better illustrate, he cited companies like CrowdCurity, which focuses on crowdsourcing IT security yet uses bitcoin to provide incentives for researchers to find vulnerabilities in websites, and Arbiter, which facilitates in-game app payments via bitcoin, as examples of startup ideas that would make the cut.“I would look at what bitcoin is and see how I could apply it to different fields.”Using just the block chain to build something is an idea that McKelvie said was interesting. But, the fact that there are already a lot of bitcoin companies with APIs gives developers a lot of options to plug into.Said McKelvie:“Pretty much every single exchange is going to have an API for you to work with. And most companies that offer software as a service have an API.”Hackathons build bitcoin businessesHackathons are a good way to quickly prove an idea could work, as it needs to be completed in a short time frame.The NYC Bitcoin Center hosted a hackathon a few months back that produced some interesting ideas in bitcoin mining and hardware, while Coinbase recently ran an online-only BitHack to encourage global developers to uncover interesting ways to use the company’s API.That competition resulted in Coinbase Apps, a marketplace that shows off software from various developers using Coinbase’s platform in novel ways.McKelvie, who is also Boost VC’s lead engineer, believes that this hackathon will attract software development talent in the San Francisco Bay area to build some good bitcoin business ideas.“I think there are a large amount of bitcoin people in Silicon Valley that would love to meet up and work on a project together. They could meet some other people, and potentially start a business.”There is a registration form available for interested participants. There is also a refer-a-friend discount available for those who register.Software developer image via ShutterstockArbiterBoost VCCoinbaseCoincoveCrowdcurityhackathonRoss McKelvieSnapCardVaurumOriginal author: Daniel Cawrey
Original author: Danny Bradbury
Tipping for changeIn addition to his flyer campaign, Hood is making significant online dogecoin donations to influential and presumably well-off people – such as actor Ashton Kutcher, New York Times journalist Nick Bilton, and television host Jimmy Fallon – and announcing the tips on Twitter.However, the tips are not destined to stay with the recipients, but are to be passed on to people more in need:Today I tip the influential, those that understand technology, those that can help distribute to the poor.— Hood (@savethemhood) April 9, 2014 Ben Doernberg of the Dogecoin Foundation told CoinDesk:“Hood is using his dogecoin to help the poor while making an artistic statement. The beauty of a decentralized currency is that he can spend it how he wants, and I hope others use it as inspiration for their own good deeds.”Judgement callHood’s is an interesting campaign – giving money to notable citizens for redistribution to the needy and raising awareness in the process – but what’s to stop people from just keeping the money?It seems Hood is just trusting that his judgement is correct when he tips someone. Many tweets follow the formula:@tipdoge tip @gaberivera 2000000 doge – I ask that you give to your followers in need. Those that can’t afford housing or food.— Hood (@savethemhood) April 9, 2014 Said Doernberg:“I saw at least one of the wealthy people he tipped yesterday – @jason has already committed to donate his tip to the homeless, and I hope the rest follow suit.”He added that so far, Hood has donated around $20,000, or 45 million DOGE, as part of his campaign.Giving with cryptocurrenciesOne of the advantages of digital currencies is that they can be transferred across the world almost instantly and at almost no cost, which makes them ideal for use in making charitable donations or to provide funds for relief aid.The dogecoin community has notably raised funds for Indian and Jamaican athletes to attend the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as well as a well-building project in a drought-hit region of Kenya.While bitcoiners are less known for charity giving, Sean’s Outpost, founded by Jason King, is a homeless outreach project that is funded by bitcoin donations.Furthermore, after Japanese-American Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto was, possibly falsely, ‘outed’ as the founder of bitcoin by Newsweek, an online campaign raised over $20,000 in bitcoin to support him.The tragic mudslide in Washington State recently also saw 13 bitcoins raised via the sympathetic reddit community to help victims and their families.
This story was first reported on Business Insider.Ben DoernbergcharitydogecointippingOriginal author: Dan Palmer
Original author: Pete Rizzo
Original author: Stan Higgins
This is Part One of a three-part series aimed at learning more about the merchants who accept bitcoin and support the wider digital currency ecosystem.The results are based on a survey issued on 17th March that received more than 200 responses.
From Californian wineries to bars in Beijing, 2013 was widely considered a banner year for bitcoin, as business owners around the world began to take advantage of the technology to cut costs and woo new and influential consumers.Unsurprisingly, expectations were high for 2014, and so far, it’s delivered with major brands such as Lord & Taylor, Overstock and TigerDirect following the lead of early adopters to accept bitcoin for payment.Still, while merchant adoption of bitcoin and other digital currencies is on the rise, less is known about these new additions to the digital currency ecosystem as a demographic – why they accept bitcoin, how they do so and whether they consider their experience with bitcoin to be positive.In Part One of this series, we’ll seek to better define the merchants who are operating in the space to paint a picture of this influential sector of the expanding ecosystem.51% began accepting bitcoin in the last three monthsIn total, 51.8% of respondents reported that they began accepting bitcoin within the last three months. Nearly one-fifth (17.8%) reported adding bitcoin as a payment option within 30 days prior to the survey.Still, there were a sizeable number of merchants who have long supported bitcoin. Roughly one-third (29.2%) of respondents have been accepting bitcoin for six months or more, with 12.5% reporting that they’ve been accepting the currency for over one year. Despite fears that the recent decline in the price of bitcoin would turn merchants away from the volatile ecosystem, the survey suggests that its negative attention may have actually bolstered interest in bitcoin.71% are online merchants; 88% own bitcoinThe survey found that digital currency-accepting merchants are overwhelming online-only retailers, with these type of businesses representing 71% of respondents. An additional 29% of respondents described themselves as bricks-and-mortar stores.While it may not be surprising that the digital payment method has been most widely used online, the margin is notable, as online merchants outnumber physical retailers nearly two to one.Furthermore, the vast majority of merchants who accept bitcoin also reported that they own or owned bitcoin, with 88% saying that they have done so.Just 12% of merchants who accept bitcoin said they have never owned bitcoin.59% accept bitcoin to boost the ecosystemPerhaps most surprising, was that despite the many benefits bitcoin can bring to businesses in terms of savings, only 8.2% began accepting bitcoin to save money, and just 8.2% were encouraged to do so by their customers.The majority of merchants (59%) say they began accepting bitcoin to show their support for digital currency. Still, the results lend credence to those who have accused some companies of trying to take advantage of bitcoin’s popularity. Nearly one-fourth (24.2%) said that the main reason they began accepting bitcoin was that it was a marketing opportunity.Part Two of our three-part series will analyze how merchants are accepting bitcoin and look at the results they’ve seen from participating in the ecosystem.Image credit: Merchant via Shutterstock
From Californian wineries to bars in Beijing, 2013 was widely considered a banner year for bitcoin, as business owners around the world began to take advantage of the technology to cut costs and woo new and influential consumers.Unsurprisingly, expectations were high for 2014, and so far, it’s delivered with major brands such as Lord & Taylor, Overstock and TigerDirect following the lead of early adopters to accept bitcoin for payment.Still, while merchant adoption of bitcoin and other digital currencies is on the rise, less is known about these new additions to the digital currency ecosystem as a demographic – why they accept bitcoin, how they do so and whether they consider their experience with bitcoin to be positive.In Part One of this series, we’ll seek to better define the merchants who are operating in the space to paint a picture of this influential sector of the expanding ecosystem.51% began accepting bitcoin in the last three monthsIn total, 51.8% of respondents reported that they began accepting bitcoin within the last three months. Nearly one-fifth (17.8%) reported adding bitcoin as a payment option within 30 days prior to the survey.Still, there were a sizeable number of merchants who have long supported bitcoin. Roughly one-third (29.2%) of respondents have been accepting bitcoin for six months or more, with 12.5% reporting that they’ve been accepting the currency for over one year. Despite fears that the recent decline in the price of bitcoin would turn merchants away from the volatile ecosystem, the survey suggests that its negative attention may have actually bolstered interest in bitcoin.71% are online merchants; 88% own bitcoinThe survey found that digital currency-accepting merchants are overwhelming online-only retailers, with these type of businesses representing 71% of respondents. An additional 29% of respondents described themselves as bricks-and-mortar stores.While it may not be surprising that the digital payment method has been most widely used online, the margin is notable, as online merchants outnumber physical retailers nearly two to one.Furthermore, the vast majority of merchants who accept bitcoin also reported that they own or owned bitcoin, with 88% saying that they have done so.Just 12% of merchants who accept bitcoin said they have never owned bitcoin.59% accept bitcoin to boost the ecosystemPerhaps most surprising, was that despite the many benefits bitcoin can bring to businesses in terms of savings, only 8.2% began accepting bitcoin to save money, and just 8.2% were encouraged to do so by their customers.The majority of merchants (59%) say they began accepting bitcoin to show their support for digital currency. Still, the results lend credence to those who have accused some companies of trying to take advantage of bitcoin’s popularity. Nearly one-fourth (24.2%) said that the main reason they began accepting bitcoin was that it was a marketing opportunity.Part Two of our three-part series will analyze how merchants are accepting bitcoin and look at the results they’ve seen from participating in the ecosystem.Image credit: Merchant via ShutterstockOriginal author: Pete Rizzo
Original author: Nermin Hajdarbegovic