2020. It doesn’t feel like more than a decade has passed since we first stepped in to help level the playing field for people who want to own physical silver! Ten years ago, it was a rather novel idea to use technology to enable dollar cost-averaging into the silver market through automatic schedules, store it in a depository, and with a few clicks of a mouse, convert stored metal to other items and take delivery of it.
Innovative use of technology is always a game changer. In the 2010s, we focused on using it to connect people and precious metals, and will continue to do so into the next decade. As we look toward our second decade serving you, here are three areas we are aligning with:
- People: Ten years ago, the idea of creating and maintaining a relationship with someone on the other side of the world was just emerging. Today, there are numerous ways to make this idea into reality. The world has shrunk and the field leveled, making it easier to establish personal relationships between people who are geographically dispersed. Small is the new big, and alignment is a key.
- Things: Today more than ever, it is easier to “OWN |a piece of the world| ” – that is, to invest in physical, tangible assets of all kinds, anywhere in the world.
- Responsibility: With this new ability to connect comes a heightened awareness that our investments have an impact on others, whether locally or around the world.
At OWNx, we are working to integrate the people/things/responsibility trends within our platform. We’re looking to move beyond connecting people and metal into connecting people with people. Yes, some may own precious metals. Some may own other tangible assets. Some may be budding entrepreneurs that need capital. These people should be able to find each other and establish mutually beneficial, personal relationships that will help create the kind of world they want their children and grandchildren to live in.
Technology will bring about a convergence of these trends.
Many of you recall the last investment tech boom. Internet infrastructure companies like JDS Uniphase, Intel, and Cisco were the darlings of Wall St. When that bubble burst, it was the FAANG companies that developed on that infrastructure and became today’s largest tech companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. We believe that today’s new financial technology boom will echo that outcome with one very important difference.
The Crypto/Distributed Ledger Technology industry has gone through a hype and bust cycle. Bitcoin and Ethereum helped create innovation of a new infrastructure upon which tomorrow’s financial companies will flourish. However, this technology also has embedded with it a counter trend away from powerful monopolies. Instead, we see the trend of strong, healthy, local businesses emerging by the thousands around the world. These are the companies and relationships that we are looking to connect with in the coming decade.
Patience will be the key. Longevity is important to us, as we believe it is important to you. Therefore, we are stepping deliberately to align with this opportunity. We’ve developed a relationship with a company in Nigeria dedicated to developing a strong, local food economy which presently does not exist in the country. Read further to learn why we believe building this relationship is the right step to learn what is necessary to build a platform capable of providing this in the coming decade.
It’s a new world. Small is the new big. Our commitment to connect you with things remains. We’re adding people to the mix, and we’re are excited about the possibilities that creates for everyone!
All the best, Josh McCleary, COO
