Achain is a public blockchain platform that enables developers of all levels to issue tokens and create smart contracts, decentralized applications, and blockchain systems. Achain is committed to building a global blockchain network for information exchange and value transactions. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, Achain utilizes a modified version of DPoS — RDPoS (Result-delegated Proof of Stake) to establish node consensus. Shortly, DPoS suggests that all coin holders vote for the validator nodes that will produce the next blocks. On the project website, only info about CEO Tony Cui is listed. Cui has a few significant accomplishments, including winning the Future Star award from the Zhongguancun Alliance and being listed in the 30 under 30 on CYZONE, a famous venture capital magazine. On LinkedIn, 51 people are listed as employees at Achain. Most of the team is based in Beijing. Achain also has a few key industry partners. It has even co-organized a “Blockchain Technology Open Course” with Tsinghua University, which is widely recognized as one of the world’s top universities. The roadmap for Achain development is fairly detailed. However, most goals listed are development-oriented rather than marketing or design. Still, it’s important to note that focusing on making the protocol interoperable and building a technology that is more accessible to mainstream adoption could also be considered a marketing-oriented part of this project. There are three major phases with projected completion dates listed. These include Singularity (completed Q1), Galaxy (ongoing), and Cosmos (complete at the end of Q4). One thing to note is that dates for these phases are not consistent between the homepage and the whitepaper. This could be simply due to a scenario in which phase names remain the same while new goals and timeline dates within those phases continue to change. In January 2019, the project will update the website to reflect roadmap goals for the new year. Looking at the current landscape of blockchain projects, Achain certainly offers the possibility of much-needed technical innovations. The ability to easily create an Achain fork, as well as, the protocol’s unique RDPoS consensus algorithm make this a promising project. It will be interesting to see how Achain builds upon its accomplishments, and how the project team continues to develop a long-term strategy for improving the protocol’s technical capabilities and increasing participation in its ecosystem.
The fast-growing demand for cryptocurrencies calls for a convenient way to administer them. Melon is one such platform that works through a blockchain protocol allowing easy and efficient maintenance of cryptocurrencies. Acting as a hedge fund, Melon presents a fully customizable administration of your digital assets. You can use it as an online vault that allows you to store and transact your funds through its web portal. Melon was developed to meet the need for a cost-efficient and technologically advanced hedge fund to manage digital assets. Reto Trinkler and Mona El Isa founded the company, Melonport AG in July 2016. The company created Melon as a digital asset management protocol. It is a first of its kind system that enables the users to store, administer, and invest in crypto assets through a decentralized network. Melon works through a fully decentralized infrastructure. All the information of the user, such as smart contracts, assets, and records are saved on a decentralized blockchain network. It not only offers reliability for the storage of information but also reduces the risk of custody. The protocol also offers a decentralized system of execution through the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Smart contracts are distributed across multiple Ethereum networks to provide better efficiency and security for the assets. With the Melon protocol, users can save both time and money for investing in a hedge fund. Additionally, there is no requirement of a third party approval from a lawyer or advisor. Melon’s ICO was launched in February 2017 and sold out within 10 minutes. Melonport is aiming to bridge the gap between the portfolio managers and the investors by removing the role of the third parties such as law firms. Melonport’s CEO, Mona El Isa comes from a strong financial background and is versed with the problems of the investment industry. There is still a lot of work to be done on the Melon project, even though things are looking quite positive already. An audit of the protocol has been completed already, and the project continues to advance. No further specifics have been provided on the website, although it remains to be seen what the future holds. Bringing more value to Melon Coin would be a good idea, yet it remains to be seen how that might be achieved.