Entrepreneurship

Making Rent With Bitcoins and Rentalutions

"Rentalutions, a Chicago based company is bringing the relationship between landlords and tenants into the digital age. Established April of 2012 in Chicago by Ryan Coon, Laurence Jankelow, and Dylan Lingelbach, Rentalutions aims to streamline the traditionally old school rent payment process. The service, which ranges from $5 to $150 a month, allows landlords to view credit reports and background checks, collect rent online, and to create and sign leases. As for tenants, they are able to make online rent payments and request maintenance services. The twist? Rentalutions is the first of its kind to enable tenants to pay their rent in bitcoins." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin entrepreneur Voorhees doubles down in Panama City

"Erik Voorhees, the man who founded Bitcoin casino SatoshiDice for 45 Bitcoin and sold it a year later for $11.5 million worth of the currency is doubling down on the industry. Although Voorhees isn’t publicizing how much of the 126,315 Bitcoins he personally earned, he is investing them in startups tied to the virtual currency rather than cashing in the coins. At the moment, Voorhees is in Panama City running his new company, Coinapult, launched in April 2012, that lets users send Bitcoin via email or SMS. 'We moved down here because our target market is the developing nations, and the unbanked population (which is massive),' he wrote." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin’s dilemma: go mainstream, or stay radical?

"Bitcoin enthusiasts and libertarians the world over are in a state of confusion about the slowness with which the outside world is catching on to their new way of exchanging money. But regulators and lawmakers are now, very gradually, realising they need to do something about this growing beast, even if they don't quite know what that something is. If the 'teenage band' gets signed on a 'mainstream label' then it will inevitably stray into more commercially minded territory. However, if the managers of the labels are not listening closely or do not like what they hear, perhaps this period of underground innovation will continue." Continue reading →

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UK Bitcoin dealers seek official regulation for digital tokens

"Bitcoin dealers have told the British government that it should introduce regulation for the digital tokens so they can be used for new businesses and to promote growth. At a Downing Street meeting on Wednesday, smaller banks, finance houses and Bitcoin companies told officials that big banks are blocking the creation of business accounts for money remittance because of fears over financial crime. The meeting, attended by about 40 people, included high-level civil servants from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and other government departments interested in Bitcoin's potential, and more generally in how to encourage financial innovation in Britain." Continue reading →

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Paypal freezes $45,000 of Mailpile’s crowdfunded dollars

"The product aims to let users keep their mail local and under their own control rather than relying on Google, Microsoft, or another cloud e-mail provider. The crowdfunding campaign has exceeded its goal and things appeared to be going well for the company—until last weekend, when Mailpile's Brennan Novak awoke to a notification that Paypal was canceling his debit card and freezing his Paypal account, apparently on suspicion of fraudulent activity. Paypal will be keeping the funds frozen for a full year or until they have a verifiable 1.0 release of their product. Alternately, Paypal said, Mailpile could provide Paypal with 'an itemized budget and your development goal dates' for the project." Continue reading →

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So Much Cool Science Happening In The Marijuana Industry These Days

"Dixie Elixirs is setting itself to be the Pepsi of marijuana. They're a marijuana-infused products company, with a wide-ranging array of cannabis products ranging from soft drinks to chocolate to mints to ointments. Meanwhile, CannLabs is poised to dominate the cannabis quality testing market in the post-legalization Colorado. But once a marijuana infused products business like Dixie Elixirs makes these products, they need to be sure that they know exactly what they're selling. That's where a business like CannLabs comes in. Owned by Genifer Murray — one of the prominent women involved in the marijuana industry — CannLabs is a full-fledged marijuana testing lab." Continue reading →

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These Are Heady Times for Glass Blowers’ High Art

"Now that marijuana has been legalized for medical purposes in 20 states, and for recreation in Washington and Colorado, makers of what is known as 'heady glass' are showcasing their work in art books and public competitions. There are as many as 12,000 head shops in the U.S., experts estimate. The Champs Trade Show, described as 'the premier counterculture B2B expo since 1999,' the show has grown from 4,300 square feet of exhibition space in its first year to 180,000 at its latest event in July at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Jeff Hirschfeld, the show's chief executive, estimates some exhibitors draw in more than $500,000 in sales." Continue reading →

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Kim Dot Com resigns from Mega to pursue plans for NZ political party

"Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said on Thursday he was resigning from his new venture Mega to focus on fighting extradition to the United States and his plans for a New Zealand political party. The 39-year-old, who was arrested when armed New Zealand police involved in the US probe raided his Auckland mansion, confirmed that he had resigned as a director of Mega at an August 29 board meeting. Dotcom said he was still working on development of a web-based music service called Megabox. The extradition case has dragged on in the courts and is subject to numerous appeals, with Dotcom estimating earlier this year that his legal bills could exceed US$50 million." Continue reading →

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Developers Scramble to Build NSA-Proof Email

"Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s mass internet surveillance is driving development of a slew of new email tools aimed at providing end-to-end encryption to users, and it has boosted interest in existing privacy tools too. Jon Callas, a Silent Circle founder, says his company is planning to take another run at secure email. He says he’s primarily concerned with email metadata like the sender, receiver and subject line, as well as the IP addresses and transit server information in the header of encrypted email." Continue reading →

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6 cutting-edge bank alternatives

"Tired of plain-vanilla banks and bucks? A fleet of upstart companies and even old ones with new offerings are betting yes. Offerings range from innovations, such as virtual currencies, to older ones, such as company credit unions, that can save you money. 'Most places these days want to be one-stop shops,' says Robert Laura, president of Synergos Financial Group in Howell, Mich. Meanwhile, banks are dinging people with ATM fees or overdraft protection. Laura warns buyers to beware. Watch out for limited services or high fees. Not every alternative money source may be for you. Some are works in progress. That said, here are six banking alternatives on the rise." Continue reading →

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