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.
Merculet proposes a growth methodology based on user attention: Merculet constructed Attention Value Network. This Network connects both the supply and demand sides of attention with an open protocol suite to promote a virtuous circulation of the Internet of Value. On the one hand, it provides diverse methods for user operation. On the other hand, it offers real users and business scenarios for various existing public chain projects, promoting the effective circulation of value. Attention Value Network realizes the value circulation in a distributed commercial society, brings a brand-new production relationship experience to users and entrepreneurs, and re-defines the structure of valuable user traffic. The core components of the project include: 1. User Attention Value (UAV) evaluation system: UAV System effectively evaluates user attention, completes digitalization and capitalization, and provides a proof of effective workload, that is, UAV. It established a long-lasting trust relationship between entrepreneur and user as well as a new mechanism for the community of interests; 2. Attention Incentive system: UAT (User Attention Token), Application Market of Merculet UAT Alliance Entrepreneurs can issue UAT to users based on UAV value. The UAT will be anchoring the basic MVP (Merculet Value Protocol) token, enabling the synergy and the value exchange between entrepreneurs, thus creating an era of the token, which is a means of the welfare, equity, entry admission, and identity. 3. To address the source of user attention, Merculet will provide a blockchain based Merculet Open Content Platform: Based on consensus and driven by token, it will provide a decentralized platform for the entire industry chain globally. It also dedicated to solving the problem of global content circulation brought by cultural differences.