Debbi and Chainvest address investor liquidity, diversity

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For years now, Block Dojo has been incubating some of the most innovative startups building on the blockchain to solve pressing real-life challenges. Two graduates from the latest cohort—Chainvest and Debbi—target startup investor liquidity and diversity, respectively.

Chainvest: Investor liquidity through tokenization

Investing in startups and other early-stage ventures has always been the preserve of elite high-net-worth individuals and venture capital funds. One key barrier to entry for retail investors is a lack of liquidity. After investing in a startup, they have to wait years for it to conduct an IPO or be acquired by bigger rivals before they can recoup their investment.

Ediris Mohamed is out to change this with Chainvest. In an interview with CoinGeek’s Becky Liggero, Mohamed revealed that his startup uses tokenization to unlock liquidity for investors, making it easier to exit an investment at will.

Chainvest “engages startups to raise funds by issuing digital tokens that represent equity. Investors, it’s about time you had control over your exit, something that has not been possible for quite some time.”

Mohamed noted that Chainvest doesn’t intend to abandon traditional models. Startups that use its platform still issue dividends as they become profitable, bestow investors voting rights, and even organize more fundraising rounds. However, the processes are “more robust” through blockchain and smart contracts.

With Chainvest, startups can raise a million dollars from a million investors or from 10: “With smart contracts and blockchain technology, it shouldn’t make any difference.”

Mohamed and his team went through the rigorous 12-week program at the Dojo, which he says has been an invaluable experience. The Dojo goes beyond cutting a check to offer investors technical support, networking opportunities, branding and marketing assistance, and all the other ancillary services that allow the startup to succeed. It boasts a network of over 3,000 angel connections and 200 venture capitalists.

“Hopefully, they don’t change that because, to me, that’s so beneficial for founders,” he said.

Debbi: AI-powered diversity and inclusion

Most participants in the latest Block Dojo cohort utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in their products and services. One such startup is Debbi.io, which is changing how we view diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In an interview with CoinGeek, founder Karolina Janicka described it as “an AI-powered tool that near-real-time data analysis for diversity, equity and inclusion metrics, something that’s really missing in the market today.”

Today, diversity and inclusion are assessed through surveys and audits, which are usually conducted periodically by large consultancies. However, HR managers, prospective employees, and other interested parties lack a tool to assess metrics such as the gender pay gap and recruitment process.

With AI being the new shiny tool, startups have been found to just claim to be using it to attract investors’ attention. However, at Debbi, AI is a critical tool that enables the startup to analyze vast amounts of data in real-time.

While the startup isn’t using blockchain yet, Janicka revealed that her team is working on integrating the technology to secure the sensitive data it collects from its users.

In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek’s coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI. 

Watch Block Dojo: Transforming recruitment, workplace health