Week In Review of Bitcoin, 3D Printing, Wearable Tech, and Crowdfunding

Here is some news in regards to Bitcoin, 3D Printing, Wearable Tech, and Crowdfunding. As always, check out the hashtags of each of these topics to find out up to date information.

Bitcoin

- The current price of Bitcoin (per Coinbase) is $500.00.

3D Printing
- Gillette getting into 3D Printing, 3Dprint.com article here.
- 3D Systems partners with Staples, article here.

Wearable Tech

- There will be a Wearables Hackathon starting April 25th. Info here.
- A Wearables Startup Guide Techcrunch article here.
- Fortune article on how corporate wellness programs are adopting wearable tech, story here.


Crowdfunding

- How One Spark Ignites Ideas, Entrepreneur article here.

3,000 Post Views and Counting....

Hey

KVCC would just like to thank all the kind readers that have taken time to read the various blog posted through KVCC. We have reached over 3,000 views and are consistently growing our reader base. If interested, be sure to take a look at this blog, KDK Fund blog, The Daily Disruptor blog, KVCC Idea Lab blog, and the KDK Options blog.

This Week In Bitcoin, 3D Printing, Wearable Tech, and Crowdfunding

As always, Twitter is a great way to check up on each of these exciting breakthrough areas. Just hashtag each of them and get a wealth of information. Some of what was found to be important is below:

Bitcoin

- Marc Andreesen discusses Bitcoin per Techcrunch article here.
- IRS to tax Bitcoin as property, not currency. The Bloomberg story is here.
- Current price of Bitcoin (per Coinbase) is $517.00


3D Printing

- Crain's Chicago Business article on how 3D Printing is revolutionizing surgery. Story here.

Wearable Tech

- Wearable Tech "energizing" battery industry with possible $70 million boost. Recode story here.

Crowdfunding

- Reminder of benefits from crowdfunding not all it's cracked up to be (ex. Facebook purchase of Oculus). Pando article here.

This Week in 3D Printing, Bitcoin, Wearable Tech, and Crowdfunding

It was a busy week in the different industries. An easy way to find out more about these topics is to hashtag them on Twitter. It's great to see the development of the topics continue.

Bitcoin

- Mt. Gox is back in the news "finding" 200,000 bitcoins in an old wallet. The Yahoo! Reuters story is here.

3D Printing

- On the investment side, a client named KDK Options purchased a call option for 3D Systems. The blog post is here.

- HP announced plans to enter the market later on in the year. The Marketwatch story is here.


Crowdfunding

- Crowdfunding is expanding in the EU. The Reuters story is here .

Wearable Tech

- There was a large convention about wearable tech in London. A link to a story on the show is here.

- Google has released its its software to its arsenal to help develop wearable tech items. The Time story can be found here.

KDK Options Buys Call Option on 3D Systems

One of Keane Venture Capital and Consulting's clients; KDK Options; has purchased an April $75.00 call option on 3D Systems. The blog post on the purchase can be found here.

Part of the reason for the purchase was the knowledge gained by reading this blog, particularly the weekly posts on 3D Printing. Hopefully, the trade will work out for them.

** This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. It is only information and opinions given.**

This Week in Bitcoin, 3D Printing, Crowdfunding, and Wearable Tech

With all four topics, a good way to get a handle (HA!) on what is going on is to hashtag each one on twitter. Plenty of news and notes are published daily.

Bitcoin

- Per Coinbase, a bitcoin is now worth $639.81.

- Buffet says to "Stay Away" per WSJ article here 


3D Printing
- Combining 3D Printing and Crowdfunding through new 3D Materials story here (per 3ders.org).

- 3D Printing Medical Awesomeness With New Fingers For Young Girl (3Dprint.com story here)

Crowdfunding

- PayPal is now more Crowdfunding Friendly (Ent story here)

Wearable Tech
- Wearables helping the elderly from Wearable World News (story here)

KVCC Week In Review (KDK Fund, KDK Options, Bullied Comics, more)

Hey everyone

It was a good week for Keane Venture Capital and Consulting. KDK Options was able to start another trade by purchasing calls of Morgan Stanley (blog link here). Bullied Comics continues to develop and is coming super close to releasing its first comic in print. KDK Fund continues to post its current results and research for its next purchase (link here).  There have been over 2000 page views of the various KVCC and client blog posts!

Thank you for your continued support! If there is a project or process you would like KVCC to assist in, please contact at keanevcc@gmail.com.

- Being grateful regularly puts me in a state of mind that allows me to have a better chance of success when making my next decision.

KVCC Person/Group of The Week 2/1-2/8 is Zero Percent

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group.  

Recently, KVCC read a Fast Company article (link here) about the work of Zero Percent. They are a Chicago based start up. Their mission is to connect food sources (restaurants, etc.) with need centers (shelters) through its phone application.

KVCC believes that this use of innovation is exactly the example that needs to be followed and supported. For more information on Zero Percent and its team, led by Raj Karmani, you can go to their website (link here.)

Previous People or Groups of the week include Polar, John Legere and T-Mobile, Not Imposssible Labs and Time, Good Guide,AngelList, Patagonia, Blackrock Group, and Nest. 

KVCC Person/Group of The Week (Jan 19-25)

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group.    


This week's Person/Group of The Week is T-Mobile's CEO John Legere. Mr. Legere has directed T-Mobile into the no contract customer base with excellent results. It was one of only a few moves left for the phone company to make. With energy and proper direction, T-Mobile was able to execute their business plan well. They are now the leader in no contract plans segment of the cell phone industry and have saved their corporate lives. T-Mobile is even offering to pay early termination fees, or ETF's, to get you to switch to T-Mobile. 

But Mr. Legere has not stopped there. This week, Mr. Legere announced that T-Mobile would be entering into the check cashing business. They are calling the program Mobile Money. The program story from Yahoo! Finance can be found here. But the essential draw to the program will be the removal of fees that are normally attached to check cashing. 

Mr. Legere clearly has an innovative spirit and now has resources to back that up. This will not be the last innovation made by Mr. Legere or his T-Mobile team. There are more than a few board rooms filled up discussing changes to business plans due to the actions of Mr. Legere and T-Mobile. Let's hope they take on the same game changing attitude and not a bunkering down attitude. The consumer needs it.

Google Buys Nest....Must Have Read Our Previous Post :)

It was announced today that Google has purchased Nest, the thermostat and smoke detector company for 3.2 Billion dollars. The Bloomberg story can be read here. The reason for the purchase was to expand its device inventory.

It is a very welcome sign to see companies like Google use its resources to purchase companies like Nest. The tech know how that Tony and his team have is second to none. It makes one wonder what the conversation was like between Google and Tony. What is it that Google have in mind that got Tony to sell is intriguing. Being that Tony has worked with tech heavyweights before will make his group less afraid of the purchase. One other neat aspect of mergers of this size and capability is that there will be some employees who will step out on their own and have the knowledge base of working with Tony and Google with them.

On November 2, 2013, KVCC had spotlighted the CEO of Nest, Tony Fadell, as its Person of The Week. That post can be read here.

KVCC Person/Group of The Week

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group.   

If you follow KVCC's Idea Lab blog, you know that a weekly article is written about the development of Bitcoin and the development of 3D Printing. Because of the reaction to the most recent article written (link here), KVCC's twitter account was followed by @3Dprintgirl. There was a post on @3Dprintgirl's page that described the work of this week's Person/Group of The Week is shared between Not Impossible Labs, and Time Magazine. 

Let's start off with Not Impossible Labs. Per its website (here), Not Impossible Labs is an organization that disrupts healthcare through innovative processes and products. The company and founder/CEO Mick Ebeling were recently chronicled for their current work in Sudan named Project Daniel. Project Daniel has Not Impossible Labs making prosthetic arms for as little as $100.00. This is a great example of disruption. First and foremost, violence by chopping off arms is being challenged in a new and disruptive way. The effects on both sides of this issue cannot be underestimated. Second, Not Impossible Labs has just disrupted manufacturing by creating an intensely useful creation at a very low price. How did a company like Not Impossible Labs find the demand for their work in Sudan? That is where Time Magazine comes in. 

Time magazine recently chronicled the company's work in an article here. But it also inspired the work with an article on the issue in Sudan (here). Mike Ebeling was so inspired that he took at trip to Sudan. There are so many people moved by these articles and work done, that Intel had the company give their keynote speech at CES. Congratulations to the authors (Harry McCracken in one article, Alex Perry in another, and the editorial staff at Time for bringing such a wonderful project some light.  

Congratulations to Not Impossible Labs and Time Magazine. It is exciting to find the Group of The Week through other work being done at KVCC. The disruptive power of 3D Printing within the medical instrument industry is important. Add the power of journalism to the mix and you have a great potential to be a disruptive power. This story reminds me of the current work of MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell's work with UNICEF in getting desks for children through the KIND project in Malawi. If Not Impossible Labs can get this type of work done, what's to stop the rest of us? 

KVCC Person/Group of The Week - AngelList

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group. 

This week's Person/Group of The Week is AngelList. This company is simply a platform for startups. The key to AngelList's success is that it has found a way to give value to all parties interested in startups at a minimal cost to all. It has opened up the door to investing in startups for small investors. It has given startup companies access to investors and job applicants. Job applicants looking specifically to work at a startup can now have access to thousands of opportunities. 

This company is currently disrupting the entire startup culture by simply giving access to pertinent information to interested parties. This surely will assist in economic development.  Congrats AngelList!

A Special Person - Nelson Mandela

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group.  

This article is dedicated to the great Nelson Mandela. On December 5, 2013, Mr. Mandela passed away at the age of 95. As his story has been well documented, this article will focus on his positive nature when collaborating for a greater good. As an example, the actions Mr. Mandela took while president with The Springboks. Organizations that are able to use this ability in their dealing will regularly have a competitive advantage over its rivals. 

Mr. Mandela was able to not only overcome the racial injustices that occurred in South Africa, he was able to overcome the separatist attitudes that consumed most segments of the nation. He did not lash out at the white population while in power. He did not give in to the hatred that some in the black community had for the white community in South Africa. His vision started with how to be human, then worked its way down to being South African. 

No better example of this attitude happened than his involvement with the Springboks. The integration of the rugby team was very difficult for all involved. Many stereotype walls had to be broken down in order for this team to succeed. South Africa was chosen to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Mr. Mandela knew this was a big showcase for the nation and wanted to do whatever was necessary to have a successful tournament. The team not only showed well, they won the whole tournament. The team did it by first breaking massive time built cultural barriers. Then they played the tournament as one team for all of South Africa. Mr. Mandela was able to use his leadership to get the South African Rugby Association to institute a policy for the team that demanded both integration and excellence. 

The story is a glowing example of how when collaboration is used by leadership instead of ego when accomplishing a goal, success is most often the result. With Mr. Mandela's passing, an active participant in collaboration has also passed. Continuing on this legacy will be important for all of humanity. 

KVCC Person/Group of The Week (Dec 6) - Patagonia

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group. 

This week's Person/Group of The Week is Patagonia and its founder Yvon Chouinard. This company's business processes goes beyond just doing good. They even show you what they are doing bad. In Patagonia's business, that means bad materials being used or processes not friendly to the environment. On its website, you can see how each item is made and what materials are included in making each item. This includes materials and chemicals that the company wishes not to use but do so to create the product. One of the explanations for the large amount of disclosure is the devotion to transparency that the company's ethos demands.  

Showing how your business really works allows customers to make a stronger decision as to purchasing your product. Patagonia feels transparency is an important tool to increase business. More honest feedback and customer loyalty can come from being transparent as a company. It is clear as to how Patagonia is successful in its business model precisely because they are clear as to what materials and processes are used for their products. 

KVCC Person/Group of The Week

Each week, a person or group is promoted for their work in creating or improving a product or service. If Keane Venture Capital and Consulting has any relationship with the person or group, it will be disclosed. The weekly highlight does not mean that KVCC is recommending a purchase of a product or service. The article is not sanctioned by the individual or group.

This week's Person of The Week is Larry Fink. Mr. Fink is the CEO and founder of The Blackrock Group. His leadership of the firm as well as outlook on the global economy is second to none. He recently was on Bloomberg's Market Makers with Eric Shatzker and Stephanie Ruhle (link here) and spoke about macro events that will shape the global economy in the next year. It was brought up in the interview that he is still advising 100% stake in equities for the current time and has been of this opinion for at least two years. Imagine the return if you followed his advice. 

At one point this year, Mr. Fink was considered for top governmental posts such as Treasury Secretary or head of the Federal Reserve. He does work very well with government officials on both sides of the aisle. When looking for a leader in the finance industry, the search stops when Mr. Fink is found. He doesn't put himself or his ego in front of his company or business. This puts his opinion in good standing with analysts and customers. There is a trust level that is rarely seen. 

   

KVCC Person/Group of The Week

This week's Person/Group of the week is every human being working to bring some comfort to those affected by Hurricane Haiyan. This week saw every resource available put to work to help those who were negatively impacted by the storm. Even though the response has not been perfect, the ability to help and create or improve ways of helping others not in your community is encouraging.

Here in Chicago, the local Phillipino Community Center has been overrun with donations. So much so that when the Governor of Illinois Patrick Quinn came to visit, he was moved enough to contact the federal government to see if the state's C130 Cargo plane could be used to transport relief materials to the Philippines. This happened because human drive coupled with technological power brought Chicagoland community together to help those in need.

KVCC recommends calling your local red cross office to find out how you can help with Hurricane Haiyan recovery efforts. You can also go online at www.redcross.org. You might also try and get a hold of your local Filipino community center. They would be a great resource as to how to help. As always, make sure you know who is taking your donations and that they have a great reputation.

It is KVCC's opinion that a collaborative effort can be used to solve many issues on every micro and macro level. Whether it is getting local government to put in a stop sign on a corner, or getting tons of supplies shipped halfway around the world to save lives, the act of collaboration seems to regularly be one of the important pieces to success. This unfortunate occurrence will hopefully bring a better process to how the global community can come together to help.

Happenings for November

This month looks to be fairly busy. KVCC is continuing its work with Bullied Comics. You can find Bullied Comics facebook page here. Its Twitter handle is @bulliedcomics.

Development of the KDK Fund is also taking place. You can follow the developments of the KDK Fund by checking out the blog here

Would you or anyone else you know benefit from assistance analyzing a specific problem that your business is currently encountering? Are you looking to expand further into your current market or enter into another market? Contact us at keanevcc@gmail.com for more information on how we can provide a top quality service to your business or activity.