One trailblazing company that has remained forward-thinking in its approach and advancement amid this persistent downturn is Invictus Capital. Endeavoring to become the “Vanguard of cryptocurrencies,” Invictus features a comprehensive set of fund options and investments for those seeking diversified exposure to cryptocurrency markets.

Through cutting-edge developments in data science, machine learning and blockchain technology, Invictus strives to mitigate the bias, emotion and costs associated with managing cryptocurrency investment funds.

A key milestone tied to this momentum occurred in 2017, when Invictus launched its initial coin offering (ICO), known as “CRYPTO20” and widely touted as the first of its type in the world. CRYPTO20 is an index fund that tracks the top-20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, providing a window to the performance of the highest levels of the crypto market, and lets investors participate through a single token (C20 tokens).

The fund’s parameters (rebalance frequency, asset cap and number of coins) were optimized by data science and the fund managers claim all relevant forks and airdrops and stake NEO and DASH, among others — all adding to the fund value. CRYPTO20’s annual fees of 0.5 percent are far below the industry average of 2 to 3 percent, the company said. Invictus added that the fund has outperformed both BTC and the total cryptocurrency market cap to date.

Invictus’s second major milestone, the Hyperion Fund, closed in May 2018, with over 4,500 backers and $11 million raised. This venture fund model leverages the power of syndication and Invictus’s strategic value adds to facilitate access to private sale investment opportunities — at the best prices. Here, investments occur in the most promising projects through presales, simple agreements for future tokens (SAFTs) and ICOs.

Hyperion is designed to provide token holders with diversified, early stage investment opportunities in the blockchain landscape. The fund seeks to achieve this by forming strategic partnerships with some of the most talented blockchain entrepreneurs and visionaries, assisting them with both financial support and essential connections in their efforts to deliver successful ICOs.

A New Path to Investing: The Value Proposition

The foundation of Invictus’s quest is predicated by a value proposition reflected in the following:

An intelligent, scientific approach where data is optimized to simplify investment decisions. This approach is backed by data science and machine learning that fuels the highest levels of analysis.

Value creation for investors that challenges and disrupts the traditional, thereby creating a new way of investing.

Fostering an environment of integrity and trustworthiness for all stakeholders, including community responsibility and legal compliance; Respecting and acting with dignity while ensuring that shareholder returns are protected.

Ensuring transparency in investor interests while maintaining high levels of privacy with transaction details.

Fostering a collaborative and performance-driven approach, one that champions diversity in all of its forms. Diversity, along with innovative collaboration, allows Invictus to achieve ambitious targets and succeed in what it does.

Fueled by this set of values, Invictus has embarked on four public investments to drive its value proposition forward: NOIA Network, DAV Network, Lightstreams and Gamedex.

NOIA is a decentralized content delivery network (CDN) that makes use of unused bandwidth and storage from idle computers around the world. The project utilizes the internet’s infrastructure to dramatically improve how data is delivered, a solution that’s much cheaper than what current centralized CDN providers offer. The main ICO sale for this network will commence on July 16.

The DAV Network delivers an open-source software platform, allowing anyone to buy or sell transportation services in a decentralized market. This network can be integrated into any vehicle, enabling them to discover, communicate and transact with one another using a digital currency called the “DAV” token. The DAV network concluded its ICO on June 25 with 40,726 ETH raised.

The Lightstreams blockchain project addresses the issue of data storage when content is shared on blockchain networks. The technology focuses on the requirements of privacy, confidentiality and scalability for decentralized applications, which interact in direct, peer-to-peer channels. Lightstreams plans to launch its network infrastructure in Q3 2018, enabling a decentralized governance platform in Q4 where token holders can decide policies.

Finally, there is the investment by Hyperion in Gamedex, a platform, similar to Steam, for digital collectibles and their games. Unlike traditional collectibles (for example, baseball cards), these digital assets can be transferred to anyone on the planet instantly, their authenticity can be proven and they cannot be counterfeited or reprinted.

A Look Ahead

Daniel Schwartzkopff, the co-founder and CEO of Invictus Capital, is a South African serial entrepreneur who has launched several venture capital-backed companies. A graduate of the University of Cape Town with a degree in chemical engineering, Schwartzkopff has been featured in everything from CNBC to The Wall Street Journal.

When asked about how the uncertainty facing the global cryptocurrency market has impacted and informed Invictus’s strategic direction, he remains optimistic.

“The current uncertainty in the industry is related almost exclusively to the market capitalization, or prices, of cryptocurrency,” said Schwartzkopff. “In terms of the fundamentals (i.e., the technology, use cases and regulatory environment), there is far less uncertainty than there was at the price peak. In fact, the decrease in hype and ‘extreme visibility’ of blockchain projects has afforded developers the opportunity to get back to the real task at hand, which is to bring a nascent technology to the real world.”

He added that, despite the uncertain markets, Invictus’s efforts are laser-focused on providing investors with peace of mind around cryptocurrencies and legitimizing the industry.

“The cryptocurrency market is gaining mainstream traction at an unprecedented rate,” Schwartzkopff said. “This comes with an influx of retail investors, many of which lack a deeper understanding of the cryptocurrency market. Our vision is to provide a diverse range of industry-leading, low-cost options to gain exposure to this growing market without the barrier of technical complexity currently impeding adoption.”