Germany stocks mixed at close of trade; DAX up 0.28%

Germany stocks mixed at close of trade; DAX up 0.28% By Investing.com

​​Outlook on CAC 40, DAX 40 and Dow post stellar Nvidia Q4 earnings.

CAC 40, DAX 40 and Dow Trade at Record Highs but may Short-term Consolidate

The price of Bitcoin stands firm around the critical area of $34,000, hinting at further bullish potential. However, market analysts wonder if enough clues point to the upside or if BTC will return

This Bitcoin Metric Peaks Again: Will BTC Hit $60,000 As Before?

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Here's what 'wealthy' means in 2023 America, in five numbers Suze Orman: If you think you're ready to retire, think again — here are 5 moves to set yourself up for smooth sailing in retirement

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Anyone seeing increased raccoons on their property?

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NDAX

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Meet the Winners of Startups in North and Central America

DeFi continues to garner the attention of retail and institutional investors with incentivized participation, one of the keys to Bitcoin’s continued success. Unlike most of us in 2020, Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has been having a very good year, becoming one of the most compelling innovations in the blockchain space with over $12.27 billion of value in the sector (based on 44 providers tracked by DeFiPulse). locked There are several factors at play in DeFi’s success, but like a hit song suspiciously reminiscent of the Beatles, the wild enthusiasm seems to be based on a familiar theme of incentivization — just like Bitcoin, but this time not . farming, mining has captured crypto investors’ attention by allowing investors to earn returns by providing stabilizing liquidity to DeFi protocols. Yield farming In function, yield farming resembles the innovative (and famously successful) formula devised for Bitcoin mining which provides long-term incentivization and returns for active members positively supporting the ecosystem. In the case of DeFi yield farming, users are similarly rewarded for positive participation, earning yields for buying and holding platform-native tokens. The demand for DeFi tokens has grown with more exchanges all over the world adding them to their basket of tradable assets, despite the threat to centralized finance that DeFi poses. NDAX.io is the latest exchange to add DeFi, with an announcement touting support for Chainlink (LINK) for the audience. Bilal Hammoud, NDAX.io President, CEO, and Founder, said “2020 has shaped up to be the year of institutional adoption of Bitcoin, Stablecoins, and decentralized finance…which provides retail and institutional investors exposure to new crypto products...” (Disclosure: I have in the past contracted with NDAX.) Canada crypto investing Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, CEO of Binance, and potential to cannibalize his own business as his company launched their own DeFi initiative, Binance Smart Chain while maintaining their position as the world’s largest exchange by trade volume. Zhao said, “I’m always much more worried about if we have users using the product. There are always multiple options for business models, so the key is to build something that’s useful.” acknowledged the contradiction DeFi is still considered an untested, high-risk concept by some crypto investors and dubbed the DeFi Pulse Economic Safety Grade which measures the risk of protocols becoming insolvent. DeFi Pulse recently announced a risk grading system It took DeFi three years to build momentum, but at over $10 billion in investments, many new protocols are looking to capture the imagination of crypto investors. Of course, the vast majority of efforts will fail or consolidate over time but the promise of yields based on participation continues to drive enthusiastic participation from users. Justin Roberti has a background in media and fine arts and has been writing and doing PR/marketing for over 20 years for Fortune 500 and startups in media, gaming, consumer tech, mobile tech, fintech, and blockchain. He writes about tech, media, and web culture. He is the PR Director for blockchain agency Zage.io .

DeFi’s Success Modelled on Bitcoin’s Formula 

A plain-talk explanation of crypto for people who just want to get it over with. Ever since I started representing blockchain startups 3 years ago, I have had many opportunities to explain what crypto is and why it’s not completely a scam — mainly to friends, family, and neighbors. I cannot overstate the degree to which “normies” think all crypto is a scam. It’s a legitimate extension of traditional finance filling a role that has only , and during the economic crisis that is certain to follow. grown during the COVID-19 crisis For those of you who are wishing you’d stop hearing so much about Bitcoin and kind of wish it would go away — . I don’t know where it’s future fortunes lie but I think it’s safe to say it will have some value for the next ten years, whether you think that will be $100,000 or $199, so it’s better to understand than not understand. Bitcoin has had a good 2020 There are a few common misconceptions you have to dispel to understand the what and why of Bitcoin… “Bitcoin is a scam” Bitcoin is a brilliant innovation — it gave us a platform for a truly independent and decentralized form of currency. It is still the most successful and brilliant practical use case of blockchain technology to date, 11 years after its launch. Bitcoin made some brilliant moves incentivizing honest participation (including miners) long-term, and basically getting people to invest in the concept that this untethered asset has value. Bitcoin has been used by scammers, it has been the center of various scams, but Bitcoin is not responsible for criminals that use it any more than the US Dollar is responsible for criminals that use it as a tool for crime. Of course, Bitcoin not being a scam says nothing about the veracity of the more than 2,000 altcoins that can be purchased on exchanges all over the world. Bitcoin showed us that communities could be built on positive participation and collective belief and that those communities can assign value to a currency, which means that currency is independent of state. As a U.S. citizen, I can see the appeal of independent of state very much in 2020. 2. “Bitcoin isn’t worth anything” If you think that Bitcoin has a value based on nothing, that just isn’t true. It’s just harder to define. The fact that Bitcoin is staked to no tangible assets has actually been a strength — it works as a deflationary asset. When nothing has value, Bitcoin still has value. What Bitcoin is really staked with is the effort and investment that created the collective belief that Bitcoin has value. National currencies like the U.S. dollar are a sort of investment, deriving value because the holder believes in the strength of the U.S. economy. But like any successful product, Bitcoin filled a need that pre-dated its launch. There is a real desire among the wealthy and the highly-independent investor who wants assets independent of state and all the uncertainty that global politics bring. Of course, Bitcoin is the shadow of the traditional financial system — it’s not truly independent, as it is subject (inversely) to traditional market movements (particularly the S&P 500, whom some are suggesting dictates BTC movements — when the S&P is down, Bitcoin goes up.) Bitcoin hasn’t been around long enough to be a reliable store of wealth and anyone with a financial background knows that — but institutional investors are moving the market more than ever. The suit-wearing investors of traditional markets are getting on board with crypto (and their own blockchain in the case of JPMorgan’s IIN network which has over 300 banks enabling ) but not because they it is a reliable store of wealth — it’s because they still think it’s safer because USD, oil & gas, and even gold have been outperformed by Bitcoin. Bitcoin transactions know 3. “You Can’t Buy Anything with Bitcoin” This just isn’t true anymore. of places you can spend crypto, including: Bitpay keeps a curated directory Buy Gift cards from Amazon, Delta, DoorDash, PapaJohn’s, Red Lobster, Uber, Wayfair, and many others. Entertainment & Gaming from Microsoft, Twitch, and DishTV, and others. Donations to The United Way, American Cancer Society, and the American Red Cross, among others.Electronics from NewEgg and hundreds of other vendors for jewelry, food, web services, and more. 4. “Bitcoin just isn’t for me.” Judging by the principles of Bitcoin, as expressed on their , Bitcoin is for everyone. That’s the whole idea. white paper If you fit any of these categories, it’s for you: If you live in a country with an unstable fiat currency.If you don’t have access to reliable traditional banking — 2 billion people all over the world are unbanked or underbanked. If you don’t have access to reliable online payments. Bitcoin won’t necessarily be usable for all of your expenses, but if you have access to a smartphone you can set up decentralized banking, store your wealth, and make payments using crypto even if local currencies and banking are unreliable.If you deeply distrust the nation you live in and the stability of its currency. Bitcoin is the hedge position du jour for investors who see trouble on the horizon from the U.S.’ and the world’s “No-Good, Very Bad Year”. People don’t consider a global economic collapse to be inevitable, but they want to hedge against the possibility. It’s smart not to keep all your assets in one basket, after all, and not put all your faith in one system. Don’t Worry, the Suits have come to Save Us represent a larger portion of bitcoin transactions than ever before and that trend is only increasing. That means good things for the mainstreaming of cryptocurrency, but it also means less Bitcoin is going to be held by the bleary-eyed blockchain developer or entrepreneur and more of that wealth will be held by people in sharp business attire — some independently wealthy, most working for traditional financial institutions. Large-volume and institutional investors Many exchanges like Kraken and Coinbase have OTC desks to handle high-volume transactions and service these large and institutional investors (usually starting at $50,000 purchases). OTC desks give big buyers the ability to access liquidity pools without actually having to find the “BTC whales” who are sitting on hoards of Bitcoin gold, some of whom might want to sell. NDAX.io, a Canada-based trading platform (which I’ve consulted with through past contracts), has recently revamped and rebranded its OTC desk to include improved service — including an AE to service your account and 24x7 hotline to ask questions about your transactions. In other words, the level of service people coming from the traditional banking world might expect. Don’t Panic (Crypto is Coming for you Anyway) Douglass Adam’s advice from “The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy”, published in 1979, is still great advice. "Don't Panic". Don’t worry, crypto is likely to be part of your life whether you choose it or not. Certainly, blockchain will power the back end of sites you use all the time, like t. But if Facebook’s Libra project doesn’t have billions of consumers taking out credit loans and spending in crypto to earn savings in the short term — then another monolithic tech company will come along and fill the void. Amazon which already has its own projec People want more options. Projects like Libra is ready to give us another option. I’m not going to opine whether it should be allowed to succeed — but let’s not kid ourselves that stopping Libra will stop the tide. Crypto will become mainstream, particularly if people can use it without ever being aware of crypto’s involvement. You will know crypto has really become mainstream when they stop talking about it as a separate animal from other electronic payments, and blockchain will be accepted when it has become as exciting in headlines as any other coding platform. The hype will die and the true useful life of blockchain and crypto will begin. Justin Roberti has a background in media and fine arts and has been writing and doing PR/marketing for over 20 years for Fortune 500 and startups in media, gaming, consumer tech, mobile tech, fintech, and blockchain. He writes about tech, media, and web culture. He is the PR Director for blockchain agency Zage.io and sometimes-consultant for NDAX.io . (Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash )

Stop Procrastinating: Time to Learn About Bitcoin

Canada’s relationship with blockchain and cryptocurrency has had dramatic highs and lows. Though some world-leading blockchain technology like Ethereum started as Canada-based projects,  Canada has not embraced crypto with the same zeal as some other countries. And unfortunately, bad actors in the crypto community have given Canadian regulators and the public reasons to worry. The Canadian crypto ecosystem has been slapped three times in the past two years. In January 2019, QuadrigaCX made global news when Gerald Cotten, the 30-year-old co-founder and CEO of Vancouver-based crypto exchange, QuadrigaCX, died while on honeymoon in India. He was, it seems, the only person with access to $190 million of funds in crypto and fiat money, which was the majority of funds stored on the exchange. In November 2019, Einstein Exchange, Vancouver, British Columbia-based crypto exchange, suddenly closed its operation, literally locking its physical location while founder Michael Ongun Gokturk went missing. British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) took control of the Einstein Exchange and investors were owed C$16 million. In July 2020, Toronto-based Coinsquare was found to have been engaged in “wash trading”, with 90% of transactions faked between Q4 2018 and Q1 2019. Coinsquare CEO Cole Diamond, founder Virgile Rostand, and executive Felix Mazerwere found to have knowingly “authorized, permitted or acquiesced” to the fraudulent practice. Over C$2 million in fines were paid and all three men resigned. However, despite the highly publicized scandals, the Canadian government seems to value the potential of blockchain and crypto at a macro level. recently showed that COVID-19 has advanced the adoption of blockchain just as it has increased digital adoption, globally. The survey showed that 76% of Canadians see cryptocurrency as an alternative to fiat currency. Deloitte’s 2020 Global Blockchain Survey So what is the best way to buy Bitcoin in Canada? Canadian Crypto Exchanges Here is an overview of some of the leading exchanges serving Canadian audiences. 1. Coinsquare Since 2015, the Toronto-based Coinsquare has been dedicated to providing a safe, affordable, and simple way for users to exchange cryptocurrencies online. The company has grown in the past few years -- but the scandal of this year and has hurt its reputation and sent many users looking for another solution. resignation of leadership Pros With 5 fiat currencies and 10 cryptocurrencies available to trade, there are many options for the users. Coinsquare employs all standard security measures to ensure safety and privacy. Through storing 95% of all funds in offline cold wallets, extensively testing its technology against distributed denial of service attack (DDoS), and having close relationships with a number of Schedule 1 Canadian Banks. Though its site’s simple UX seems to be catered towards entry-level traders, they have also done a lot of work to attract and support high-networth investors by opening up a mining venture arm and a capital markets division. They offer a program for Coinsquare Wealth, targeted to more advanced traders. It is an exclusive service for those who trade over 25k worth of orders at a time. Users receive exclusive benefits including discount funding/withdrawal fees, faster withdrawal speed, and a dedicated wealth director. Cons There are only two ways of depositing money, through e-transfer or wire transfer. With deposit processing times of 1-3 days and withdrawal processing times of 1-9 days, the overall process can be frustrating, especially since they place withdrawal holds. Its fees are among the highest of all exchanges. Ethical issues concerning the exchange’s business practices have given many users misgivings concerning doing business with Coinsquare. It will be up to new leadership to rebuild that trust however they can.- based 2FA user account security system was proven to be insecure in the past. 2. NDAX.io Founded in 2017 in Calgary, NDAX.io’s goal is to make it easier and faster for people to buy bitcoin in Canada. (Disclosure: I work with NDAX.io as one of my clients when I’m not writing articles.) They keep a physical office, a support line for resolving issues by phone, relationships with traditional banks, and have worked proactively to stay ahead of the regulatory curve, so they offer a mix of traditional economy accessibility and support and leading-edge security and compliance. Pros NDAX offers a clean, easy trading platform that doesn’t overwhelm newbie crypto investors and makes transactions fast. NDAX.io offers leading security on their platform with 95-98% of digital assets offline in cold storage. It uses multiple data servers which are monitored 24/7 and employ Multi-Signature technology to keep assets secure. To fund your account, you can use Interac e-transfer, Wire Transfer, or Bank Draft / Certified Cheque. For  support, they offer live chat on the site, email, and phone support. NDAX is registered as a Money Service Business (MSB) with FINTRAC. They work closely with regulators to meet the requirements of today and regulations that are not yet in effect, essentially future-proofing its business from a regulatory POV. NDAX allows you to buy and sell 8 coins including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, XRP,, EOS, Dogecoin, Cardano and Stellar. They have announced that they will be offering 4 new coins/pairings in Q3 2020. NDAX offers low fees that are especially advantageous for more experienced traders - no fee on deposits, flat fee withdrawals and 0.20% trading fees. NDAX registration process is quick (approved within 15 minutes) and relatively simple. If you do have any problems, its support is very responsive. It also offer training guides, advanced trade training, and product tours to help you get up to speed. Cons NDAX is devoted to serving a wide range of Canadian users -- meaning its finest points are not terribly sexy from an outside POV. Security, compliance, transparency, and user-centric customer service are important to have but don’t make exciting sound bytes. Users accessing more advanced trading features may find themselves quickly out of their comfort zone. NDAX doesn’t have the international capabilities of larger exchanges like Kraken, which means you may have to use other exchanges as well to deal with multiple fiat currencies, etc. American Crypto Exchanges that Serve Canadian Residents Below are crypto exchanges based out of the United States that serve Canadians. 3. Coinbase Founded in San Francisco in 2012, the Coinbase mission is to allow anyone to easily and securely access Bitcoin. It offers a simple interface preferred by new crypto buyers. Pros Coinbase is one of the largest exchanges, supporting over 100 countries and over 30 million customers around the world. Coinbase has a wide array of services but its main service allows users to buy and sell Bitcoins through a credit card and debit card. Coinbase UX is optimized to the inexperienced buyer. Coinbase offers on-platform cryptocurrency conversions allowing users to make complex transactions without leaving the platform. There is a 2.0% fee for conversions. Coinbase does have an extensive knowledge base -- but does not have a good reputation for customer support. Cons Fees are relatively high and support can be problematic. Coinbase uses a flat fee between $1.50 and $3.00 for transactions below $200 or a percentage of the transaction (whichever is greater). Most transaction fees are 1.49% for standard buy and 3.99% for credit card buys -- meaning that credit purchases are potentially quite higher.The market price on Coinbase Pro +0.5%, which is better than with standard accounts but fees are not competitive for larger or institutional buyers. Coinbase is rated badly by the Better Business Bureau for . failure to respond to hundreds of customer complaints Though Coinbase is popular in Canada, it is not Canada-based which can cause delays in transactions. 4. Kraken Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, Kraken claims to be the largest Bitcoin exchange in terms of euro volume and liquidity. Its strong reputation is supported by low transaction fees, a wide range of features, and overall security. Pros Kraken follows industry security practices such as keeping , two-factor authentication, and 24/7 surveillance on the exchange so that nothing comes in or out without being monitored. 95% of user funds in cold storage They were one of the first exchanges to prove that it was keeping its customers’ money safe using an independent cryptographically-verified audit (proof-of-reserves audit process). Kraken offers three different types of accounts (starter, intermediate, and pro) with different limits and features in order to cater to any experience level. Its futures and fiat trading are standout features that aren't often found on other exchanges. The ability to trade with five different fiat currencies allows users to make trades without having to visit other exchanges. The sign-up process differs based on which account you choose to open. If signing up as a starter account, only basic info is needed. For an intermediate account, the requirements are similar to other exchanges, with photo ID and proof of address. For an advanced account, AML verification and financial statements are needed additionally. The verification period on Kraken was very fast (I was verified in about 15 minutes). Cons Kraken is a powerful platform - and also potentially complicated and slow. Though it has many tools available, those who are just starting out may be overwhelmed and confused. The process of actually buying cryptos on the site can take a long time. Through creating an account, waiting for verification, depositing fiat currency via bank transfer and waiting 1-5 business days for the deposit to reach the Kraken account in order to finally be able to exchange fiat currency for crypto, takes a long time in comparison to other exchanges. Though they say its fees are the lowest in the industry, with a volume-based fee model this is only advantageous to pro-traders. Finally, since Kraken isn’t based in Canada, wiring money through an intermediary bank means extra time and fees. Summary Based on BTC’s current performance, it’s safe to say that deflationary assets like crypto are gaining traction and have not reached their high-water mark of value. It’s not too late to get on board the “crypto train”. Scandals and widespread adoption aside, the train has barely begun to leave the station. Based on their individual capabilities, it is likely that a newcomer to crypto investing may want to try several exchanges -- starting with a simpler platform and exploring others as the user looks for more coins and more advanced options. If there is a lesson to be learned from the global pandemic and economic fallout, it’s that governments are not infallible. So, the average consumer may be better served by diversifying than by keeping all of their liquid wealth in their national currency. Remember -- if you fail to invest in crypto or traditionally traded assets you are NOT opting out of the investing game, you are just keeping all your wealth in one fiat “basket” which history has shown can sometimes go badly, especially during global economic upheavals. (Disclosure: I work with NDAX.io as one of my clients when I’m not writing articles.)

Where Can Canadians Buy Bitcoin: A Review of The 4 Most Popular Crypto-Exchanges

Use Beta Distribution and Thompson Sampling to Beat The Multi-armed Bandit at the Casino

Startup founders keep asking my colleagues from Flyer One Ventures and me to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before they start sharing any metrics. It's easy to spot founders who are likely to want an NDA: These ninjas send investors decks without numbers, implying that everything they work on is classified information. In reality, however, your idea is no secret, and no one will steal it — especially not VCs. You don't look cautious when asking to sign an NDA; you look weird. From a legal point of view, NDAs significantly increase the time for due diligence and costs for lawyers, as all NDAs are different and often nonstandard. Add to it a non-compete clause, and nearly every investor I know will likely turn away. So take a deep breath and stop worrying. Here are five reasons why nobody would copy your idea. Stealing ideas isn't an option for VCs When investors hear a good idea, they don't think about leaving their VC firms to launch a similar startup. They spend years building their reputation, trust, Twitter following and media presence to raise a fund and start investing. Quitting the job is not an option. In most cases, venture firms don't have any spare employees to copy a random product: everyone is busy solving current problems – helping portfolio companies with fundraising, doing due diligence for new startups, and spending hours on social media. Also, investors can't patent your idea when they hear it: It takes up to 3 years to obtain a patent in the U.S. and up to 5 years to register it in Europe. VCs won't just spend three years getting a patent for an early-stage startup's idea, which they just heard about. Theoretically, investors can leak your idea to your competitor. But signing an NDA with a VC doesn't prevent your rivals from understanding what and how you do. If they want to copy you, other founders can pretend to be potential clients or hire someone to do it for them. You are already ahead of potential copycats Even if a VC leaks your idea to friends or colleagues, it will take 6 to 12 months to bring it to life. It will take even more time to get the first clients. Your startup will already be way ahead in raising Series A. It takes months for startups to research, build a minimum viable product, fix bugs, do customer development, find the first clients, and actually make money. Plus, budget some time for founders to cry when one of these stages doesn't go according to the plan. Even if other founders have endless financial resources, they still need time to hire motivated people, mentor them and have them build a decent product that fits the market's needs. Potential copycats will need a lot of time, financial resources, and motivation to do the same. The probability that the copied idea will be better than the original and that everything will go smoothly is lower than your chances of becoming a unicorn. Besides, there's no guarantee that your idea will always work, even a good one. Building a startup is a process of iterations. You don't just come up with one single idea and use it forever — you adapt. Large companies don't care about raw ideas In 2020, Alphabet earned $258 billion; Meta made $118 billion and Netflix — $30 billion. Even if you're building a business intending to make $100 million in seven years, that kind of revenue will add less than 1% to a big corporation's financials. The big tech companies would better buy your startup in seven years instead of spending time and cash to build something similar. Why then, do large businesses often ask employees to sign NDAs? In their world, the rules are different. Amazon, for example, may have the resources to take a huge market share before anyone knows about it, while startups usually don't have the same pace and scale. their The monetary value of the losses for Tech giants is huge if their idea is stolen by other corporations. It's not just a verbal idea — it is hundreds of millions of dollars of market share. Startups often don't have the same scale, especially in the early stages. Your idea is a hypothesis only you can turn into a business All ideas are untested hypotheses, which need years of validation, and thousands of iterations, and might not work eventually. Even if you have tested the idea and think it's the one to work in your market, there's no guarantee that this recipe will work elsewhere — for every client and every startup. Plus, potential copycats can copy only the most obvious things. Yes, they can make an identical product. Yes, they can hire people with the same qualifications. Yes, they can set the same price. But they can't copy your thinking, communication with clients, management skills, and network. If someone dresses like you, tries to talk like you and dyes his hair like yours, they don't automatically become you. Your core asset — motivation Suppose someone left their job to launch a business, hired a small team with their savings, and spent months convincing their families not to leave them for good. In that case, they already have more motivation to turn an idea into success than a person/company which only wants to make money by copying one's product. People driven solely by the wish to make money give up when they face problems. Why bother if, nowadays, they could make a picture of a funny ape and sell it as an NFT for half a million dollars? (not anymore, but still) By contrast, people with deep personal motivation could only be stopped if they tried everything and nothing worked. In most cases, they never stop because they can pivot, raise more money, convince first employees to work for free for a while, and finish what they've started. If you want to cement your startup idea for yourself by forcing people to sign NDAs until you find inspiration to execute it, no NDAs will help you. Running a startup is about hard work, stress, problems, and only then success. And sharing ideas with investors, potential buyers from large corporations, or other founders will bring you closer to succeeding. Sharing is a good way to collect feedback and brainstorm together. Having someone unbiased to listen to the hypothesis may provide even better solutions to the problem. Not sharing, in turn, is a good way to get stuck and have no fresh hypotheses to move on with. It may be hard for you to trust strangers with your ideas, but don’t forget that VCs are supposed to trust you with other people’s money and reputation. Originally published . here

Startups Don't Need NDAs: 5 reasons Why Nobody Will Steal Your Idea

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Expertise Delivered Frontend, Backend & QA Industry Food and Beverage The Client Ann’s Boba Tea is an American bubble tea franchise (also known as Pearl Milk Tea or Boba Milk Tea). It was founded in 2010 and has over 350+ locations across the US. The tea is brewed at the perfect temperature with milk, fresh ingredients, and a unique recipe and presented innovatively. Customers can earn rewards for each order placed and redeem reward points against future orders. Disclaimer— The name Ann’s Boba Tea is a placeholder, as both parties have signed an NDA. Disclaimer— The Challenge Ann’s in-store and online ordering applications were created using LevelUp (a customer engagement and mobile payment platform) as the backend. However, LevelUp was being discontinued, so our client needed to transition its existing user data and ordering system to Paytronix (a cloud-based customer experience management platform for restaurants and convenience stores). Here are the top 6 challenges faced while implementing this transition. 1. Store Information: 1. Store Information: Paytronix, the newer platform, failed to provide detailed store-related information compared to the older tool’s backend. To maintain consistency with the user experience, regardless of the transition, we had to find a way to ensure users continued to receive the same amount and quality of detailed information. 2. User Experience: 2. User Experience: A crucial challenge was ensuring that all features on Paytronix functioned precisely as they did with LevelUp, especially the in-store and online ordering systems, which primarily accounted for the user experience (for employees and customers). 3. Credit Card Management: 3. Credit Card Management: Adding a credit card to a wallet and auto-recharge were important payment features included with LevelUp. Therefore, we had to find ways to replicate them with Paytronix. 4. Customizing Orders: 4. Customizing Orders: LevelUp offered ample options to customize an order by allowing customers to choose from different toppings like Tapioca, Pudding, Nata Jelly, Red Beans, and more. This same functionality was complex to include with Paytronix. 5. Paytronix Migration: 5. Paytronix Migration: One of the biggest challenges was understanding Paytronix's operational landscape. To migrate successfully, we needed to understand the different Paytronix APIs and code bases. Only then could we match the behavior of features/functionalities offered by LevelUp. 6. Time-Constraints: 6. Time-Constraints: As LevelUp was getting discontinued by a particular date, adhering to a strict timeline was imperative. Why Maruti Techlabs? Ann’s Boba Tea chose Maruti Techlabs as their partner due to our extensive experience developing and implementing innovative IT solutions, precise understanding of their problem, and detailed migration strategy. Our experts presented the potential challenges and proposed solutions to ensure a seamless transition. Furthermore, we time-boxed tasks and delivered on our committed timeline to conclude the entire migration before sunsetting the previous platform. This offered us ample time to conduct numerous tests on the new platform. Our technical prowess, reliable governance, and timely communication impressed our client the most. What made us an ideal partner was our commitment to delivering on time and within budget following a transparent process. Solution Ann’s in-store and mobile apps are operated via the same backend platform, LevelUp. Therefore, not switching would have caused significant disruptions with our client’s services, tainted their brand’s reputation, and incurred substantial monetary losses. Here’s how we approached the switch to Paytronix. We commenced with ‘Sprint Zero,’ a planning phase, before beginning active development. In this phase, we allotted two programmers to work on the same code (AKA pair programming) to gain clarity on the app’s original code, structure, and how it functioned. The programmers also reviewed different Paytronix APIs to help ease this transition. This approach helped us maneuver migration challenges. After a thorough analysis, we decided on a two-part solution and proposed working parallelly on both to meet the deadline. Phase 1: Firstly, we integrated the Paytronix online ordering website within the app to keep the online ordering experience intact. Phase 1: If developing the native application proves challenging and time-consuming, our client could deploy this solution to avoid downtime and disruptions. Phase 2: We parallelly created a replica of the app leveraging the Paytronix API for in-store and online ordering. This approach was more straightforward but required more development time. Phase 2: Using Paytronix, we created features like: User Onboarding (account creation)


Authentication


Online Payment


Restaurant Listing


Order Customization


Menu Categorization


Calculating & Redeeming Loyalty Points


Adding Tips


Tracking Orders via GPS User Onboarding (account creation) User Onboarding (account creation) Authentication Authentication Online Payment Online Payment Restaurant Listing Restaurant Listing Order Customization Order Customization Menu Categorization Menu Categorization Calculating & Redeeming Loyalty Points Calculating & Redeeming Loyalty Points Adding Tips Adding Tips Tracking Orders via GPS Tracking Orders via GPS The timely backend switch to Paytronix prevented service downtime and sales reductions. Ann’s Boba Tea continued to offer its services as it had earlier without causing any inconvenience to its customers or compromising its sales or reputation. Communication and Collaboration To deliver the project on schedule, we deployed a five-member team of 3 React Native developers, 1 QA engineer, and 1 Technical Project manager. Our primary source of communication was the Technical Lead at Ann’s Boba Tea. React Native developers, The project's total timeline was 3.5 months. Every Tuesday, we conducted a weekly call to discuss the progress, doubts, and other updates. Here are the platforms we used for communication. Slack: Daily Communication
Jira: Project Management
Zoom: Weekly Calls
Google Meet: Unplanned Calls Slack: Daily Communication Jira: Project Management Zoom: Weekly Calls Google Meet: Unplanned Calls Technology Stack Result Making this timely transition to Paytronix resulted in significant improvements and service perks. Here’s a brief list of these enhancements. Our timely completion of the platform (before its current backend platform sunsetted) resulted in no downtime in the online ordering services.


We facilitated a seamless transition to the new platform, ensuring no disruptions to the user experience.


The exquisite app experience significantly boosted its ratings on the App Store (4.7).


Our experts added extra layers to protect the data and enhance the app’s security.


The transition enhanced the app’s performance and reduced app glitches and crashes.


We designed a futuristic app that could adapt to new technological developments. Our timely completion of the platform (before its current backend platform sunsetted) resulted in no downtime in the online ordering services. Our timely completion of the platform (before its current backend platform sunsetted) resulted in no downtime in the online ordering services. We facilitated a seamless transition to the new platform, ensuring no disruptions to the user experience. We facilitated a seamless transition to the new platform, ensuring no disruptions to the user experience. The exquisite app experience significantly boosted its ratings on the App Store (4.7). The exquisite app experience significantly boosted its ratings on the App Store (4.7). Our experts added extra layers to protect the data and enhance the app’s security. Our experts added extra layers to protect the data and enhance the app’s security. The transition enhanced the app’s performance and reduced app glitches and crashes. The transition enhanced the app’s performance and reduced app glitches and crashes. We designed a futuristic app that could adapt to new technological developments. We designed a futuristic app that could adapt to new technological developments. Maruti Techlabs helped plan and execute the transition of the backend platform. This timely switch allowed Ann’s Boba Tea to offer continual services without disrupting their online and physical store services. If you, too, face such a situation and cannot decide on the next step, contact us today and let our experts devise the perfect strategy for your next tech upgrade. transition of the backend platform Our Development Process We follow Agile, Lean, & DevOps best practices to create a superior prototype that brings your users’ ideas to fruition through collaboration & rapid execution. Our top priority is quick reaction time & accessibility. We really want to be your extended team, so apart from the regular meetings, you can be sure that each of our team members is one phone call, email, or message away.

Facilitating a Seamless Backend Transition From LevelUp to Paytronix

Садзейнічанне плыўнаму бэкэнд-пераходу ад LevelUp да Paytronix

Улесняване на безпроблемен бекенд преход от LevelUp към Paytronix

লেভেলআপ থেকে পেট্রোনিক্সে একটি নির্বিঘ্ন ব্যাকএন্ড ট্রানজিশনের সুবিধা প্রদান

Usnadnění bezproblémového přechodu backendu z LevelUp na Paytronix

Facilitando una transición fluida del backend de LevelUp a Paytronix

LevelUp から Paytronix へのシームレスなバックエンド移行を促進

LevelUpдан Paytronixке үзгүлтүксүз өтүүнү жеңилдетүү

Ko faciliter Transition ya Backend sans soudure De LevelUp ti na Paytronix

Олеснување на беспрекорна транзиција на задниот дел од LevelUp до Paytronix

लेभलअपबाट पेट्रोनिक्समा निर्बाध ब्याकएन्ड ट्रान्जिसनलाई सहज बनाउँदै

LevelUp සිට Paytronix දක්වා බාධාවකින් තොරව පසුබිම් සංක්‍රාන්තියක් සඳහා පහසුකම් සැලසීම

Uľahčenie bezproblémového prechodu backendu z LevelUp na Paytronix

Secrets Are No Fun—Unless You Compare Them in Kubernetes

If you’re here, chances are you either have one or more startups or you’re thinking about building your first one. You’re probably here to uncover the big secret: how to sell a startup. Let’s be real — creating your own product is about two things: first and main, making money, and second, self-realization. This article will help you know how to sell your startup. I did it, and if I can, so can you. When I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I read a lot of stories about founders who had successful exits, selling their startups for huge amounts of money. Honestly, I think that’s a dream many of us share. But the reality is, not all of our startups take off — sometimes for all kinds of reasons. Lack of marketing skills or experience.
Realizing your startup idea isn’t as good as you thought.
Choosing the wrong niche or targeting the wrong audience.
Feeling exhausted and needing a break.
Burning out and losing interest.
Facing financial pressure and needing money quickly.
Being a developer but not a salesperson or marketer. Just because your project doesn’t need you anymore doesn’t mean it doesn’t need someone. I worked on my sold startup, SlideLab, for over two years. After that, it stayed online for a few years as a kind of “dead project.” I launched it with zero experience in startups. At the time, we were just a small local production studio. But let’s not dive into that now. If you’re curious about my solo entrepreneur journey, check out my Telegram channel, “Aleks is working” where I share more about it. So, my project sat for several years without visitors — basically dead weight. Were some new visitors, but not much. I decided to sell it and put together a list of all the platforms where I could do that. I went to each platform, filled out their forms, sent any requested information, and then just waited. The whole process was completely free, of course. After some time, I started receiving emails with NDA requests and questions from interested buyers. At one point, I received an offer of $5,000 from SideProjectors, but I wanted more. Some people asked additional questions about my tech stack, business idea, audience, and similar details. In the end, I sold my startup to a software development team. The buyer reached out to me via DM, and we chatted for a few hours to discuss the price. Once we agreed on a price, the buyer sent me a purchase agreement. We decided to split the payment into two parts: one payment upfront and the second after the product was transferred to the buyer’s server. It was my first experience selling a product, but I found it surprisingly simple and easy. I believe this was because I build my business in public. I shared all reports, updates, and ideas about my products, and I’ve always been open-minded. When someone wants to buy your product, all they need to do is check your social media to make their decision. It took 8 months from the moment I first published the sale. I can’t share all the details of the deal because, of course, I signed an NDA and other documents. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it’s enough for me to live as a solo entrepreneur in Thailand for a year. It gives me the freedom to continue being a solo entrepreneur and focus solely on my new products. Now I’m working on my next product. It helps domain investors quickly access valuable expired domains. I find these domains by web scraping authoritative sources like Product Hunt, Medium, Forbes, and other popular websites. Fears Before I decided to sell my unused online presentation editor, I struggled with a lot of fears. Over time, I realized these fears are actually quite common among developers and startup owners. If the startup doesn’t generate income, it’s impossible to sell.
My product doesn’t have any customers.
My product doesn’t have visitors.
It’s not actively promoted or running.
My product isn’t valuable to anyone.
The selling process is difficult and unclear.
How much is my startup worth if it doesn’t have any income?
How do I find a buyer?
If you sell something, it means you’re selling something of bad quality. All of these fears are just in your mind. Buyer Now, let’s look at it from a different perspective: the buyers. Buyers have money, right? So why do they search for and buy startups? Some small software development companies want to test a hypothesis. Buying a ready-to-use product with similar features can be cheaper than paying a team for 3–5 months.
Some wealthy individuals with no experience in tech want to try it out. They can buy a product they like and treat it as a business experiment — hiring a team, marketing, developing, and promoting it, like playing with a toy constructor.
If your project is on a valuable domain, domain investors might buy it. A ready-to-use website on a premium domain increases its value, especially with the added benefits of SEO.
The startup might have innovative technology, software, or patents that the buyer sees as valuable for their own operations or future projects.
Even if the startup doesn’t have income, it might have a strong user base, community, or audience that can be monetized later.
Buyers might see potential for the startup to grow into a profitable business with the right resources, strategy, or scaling efforts.
The product might complement or enhance the buyer’s existing offerings, creating opportunities for cross-selling or upselling. So, as you can see, buyers are ready to acquire your projects. My offer aligned perfectly with one of their reasons. They needed a ready-to-use online editor and wanted to add some AI automation features to quickly test their hypothesis. What else can you do to try and sell your project? Then I decided to write an article reviewing all the web platforms where you can sell your product, aiming to grab the attention of more people in tech. In the article, I also mentioned that I was selling my online presentation editor. I published it everywhere I could for free: Medium
HackerNoon
IndieHackers
Hacker News
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Telegram I also made launch on Product Hunt and noticed that I want to sell it in the first comment. So, let’s summarize. Price If you want to successfully sell your project, you need to set the right price. The right price is crucial — don’t be greedy, but also don’t undervalue your work. A low price can make your product seem less valuable. Be online Make sure your project is always online. Renew your domain, hosting, and SSL certificates. I forgot about SSL initially, but the buyer asked me to fix it to review and test the product — and I’m thankful he did. Detailed description Your project description should be detailed and comprehensive. Include all relevant information about your project: social media pages, monthly visitors, features, successful or failed experiments, business ideas, and anything else that paints a full picture. Be public Don’t be afraid to be public and share everywhere that you’re selling your project. I share more about the solo entrepreneur journey on my Telegram channel, including strategies, marketing and my real experiences in public. Subscribe if you want to learn more about online business. Good luck with selling your project! If you’re here, chances are you either have one or more startups or you’re thinking about building your first one. You’re probably here to uncover the big secret: how to sell a startup . how to sell a startup Let’s be real — creating your own product is about two things: first and main, making money, and second, self-realization. This article will help you know how to sell your startup. I did it, and if I can, so can you. When I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I read a lot of stories about founders who had successful exits, selling their startups for huge amounts of money. Honestly, I think that’s a dream many of us share. But the reality is, not all of our startups take off — sometimes for all kinds of reasons. Lack of marketing skills or experience. Realizing your startup idea isn’t as good as you thought. Choosing the wrong niche or targeting the wrong audience. Feeling exhausted and needing a break. Burning out and losing interest. Facing financial pressure and needing money quickly. Being a developer but not a salesperson or marketer. Lack of marketing skills or experience. Realizing your startup idea isn’t as good as you thought. Choosing the wrong niche or targeting the wrong audience. Feeling exhausted and needing a break. Burning out and losing interest. Facing financial pressure and needing money quickly. Being a developer but not a salesperson or marketer. Just because your project doesn’t need you anymore doesn’t mean it doesn’t need someone. I worked on my sold startup, SlideLab, for over two years. After that, it stayed online for a few years as a kind of “dead project.” I launched it with zero experience in startups. At the time, we were just a small local production studio. But let’s not dive into that now. If you’re curious about my solo entrepreneur journey, check out my Telegram channel, “Aleks is working” where I share more about it. Telegram channel, “Aleks is working” Telegram channel, “Aleks is working” So, my project sat for several years without visitors — basically dead weight. Were some new visitors, but not much. I decided to sell it and put together a list of all the platforms where I could do that. put together a list of all the platforms put together a list of all the platforms I went to each platform, filled out their forms, sent any requested information, and then just waited. The whole process was completely free, of course. After some time, I started receiving emails with NDA requests and questions from interested buyers. At one point, I received an offer of $5,000 from SideProjectors, but I wanted more. Some people asked additional questions about my tech stack, business idea, audience, and similar details. In the end, I sold my startup to a software development team . The buyer reached out to me via DM, and we chatted for a few hours to discuss the price. Once we agreed on a price, the buyer sent me a purchase agreement. We decided to split the payment into two parts: one payment upfront and the second after the product was transferred to the buyer’s server. I sold my startup to a software development team It was my first experience selling a product, but I found it surprisingly simple and easy. I believe this was because I build my business in public. I shared all reports, updates, and ideas about my products, and I’ve always been open-minded. When someone wants to buy your product, all they need to do is check your social media to make their decision. It took 8 months from the moment I first published the sale. I can’t share all the details of the deal because, of course, I signed an NDA and other documents. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it’s enough for me to live as a solo entrepreneur in Thailand for a year. It gives me the freedom to continue being a solo entrepreneur and focus solely on my new products. It took 8 months from the moment I first published the sale. Now I’m working on my next product. It helps domain investors quickly access valuable expired domains . I find these domains by web scraping authoritative sources like Product Hunt, Medium, Forbes, and other popular websites. quickly access valuable expired domains quickly access valuable expired domains Fears Before I decided to sell my unused online presentation editor, I struggled with a lot of fears. Over time, I realized these fears are actually quite common among developers and startup owners. If the startup doesn’t generate income, it’s impossible to sell. My product doesn’t have any customers. My product doesn’t have visitors. It’s not actively promoted or running. My product isn’t valuable to anyone. The selling process is difficult and unclear. How much is my startup worth if it doesn’t have any income? How do I find a buyer? If you sell something, it means you’re selling something of bad quality. If the startup doesn’t generate income, it’s impossible to sell. My product doesn’t have any customers. My product doesn’t have visitors. It’s not actively promoted or running. My product isn’t valuable to anyone. The selling process is difficult and unclear. How much is my startup worth if it doesn’t have any income? How do I find a buyer? If you sell something, it means you’re selling something of bad quality. All of these fears are just in your mind. All of these fears are just in your mind. Buyer Now, let’s look at it from a different perspective: the buyers. Buyers have money, right? So why do they search for and buy startups? Some small software development companies want to test a hypothesis. Buying a ready-to-use product with similar features can be cheaper than paying a team for 3–5 months. Some wealthy individuals with no experience in tech want to try it out. They can buy a product they like and treat it as a business experiment — hiring a team, marketing, developing, and promoting it, like playing with a toy constructor. If your project is on a valuable domain, domain investors might buy it. A ready-to-use website on a premium domain increases its value, especially with the added benefits of SEO. The startup might have innovative technology, software, or patents that the buyer sees as valuable for their own operations or future projects. Even if the startup doesn’t have income, it might have a strong user base, community, or audience that can be monetized later. Buyers might see potential for the startup to grow into a profitable business with the right resources, strategy, or scaling efforts. The product might complement or enhance the buyer’s existing offerings, creating opportunities for cross-selling or upselling. Some small software development companies want to test a hypothesis. Buying a ready-to-use product with similar features can be cheaper than paying a team for 3–5 months. Some wealthy individuals with no experience in tech want to try it out. They can buy a product they like and treat it as a business experiment — hiring a team, marketing, developing, and promoting it, like playing with a toy constructor. If your project is on a valuable domain, domain investors might buy it. A ready-to-use website on a premium domain increases its value, especially with the added benefits of SEO. The startup might have innovative technology, software, or patents that the buyer sees as valuable for their own operations or future projects. Even if the startup doesn’t have income, it might have a strong user base, community, or audience that can be monetized later. Buyers might see potential for the startup to grow into a profitable business with the right resources, strategy, or scaling efforts. The product might complement or enhance the buyer’s existing offerings, creating opportunities for cross-selling or upselling. So, as you can see, buyers are ready to acquire your projects. My offer aligned perfectly with one of their reasons. They needed a ready-to-use online editor and wanted to add some AI automation features to quickly test their hypothesis. What else can you do to try and sell your project? Then I decided to write an article reviewing all the web platforms where you can sell your product, aiming to grab the attention of more people in tech. In the article, I also mentioned that I was selling my online presentation editor. reviewing all the web platforms where you can sell your product , reviewing all the web platforms where you can sell your product I published it everywhere I could for free: Medium HackerNoon IndieHackers Hacker News LinkedIn Twitter Reddit Telegram Medium HackerNoon IndieHackers Hacker News LinkedIn LinkedIn Twitter Twitter Reddit Reddit Telegram Telegram I also made launch on Product Hunt and noticed that I want to sell it in the first comment. launch on Product Hunt launch on Product Hunt So, let’s summarize. Price If you want to successfully sell your project, you need to set the right price. The right price is crucial — don’t be greedy, but also don’t undervalue your work. A low price can make your product seem less valuable. Be online Make sure your project is always online. Renew your domain, hosting, and SSL certificates. I forgot about SSL initially, but the buyer asked me to fix it to review and test the product — and I’m thankful he did. Detailed description Your project description should be detailed and comprehensive. Include all relevant information about your project: social media pages, monthly visitors, features, successful or failed experiments, business ideas, and anything else that paints a full picture. Be public Don’t be afraid to be public and share everywhere that you’re selling your project. I share more about the solo entrepreneur journey on my Telegram channel , including strategies, marketing and my real experiences in public. Subscribe if you want to learn more about online business. Telegram channel Telegram channel Good luck with selling your project!

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