The word ‘collaboration’ is arguably one of the most powerful words in the English language for what it means and what it connotes. When thinking about ‘collaboration,’ in respect to e-commerce, I searched my memory for the first instance of meaningful collaboration within the digital domain that was both planned, empowering for the collaborators, enduring and change affecting. I can recall some instances of what, at first glance appeared to be collaboration, to learn later, only one party to the co-operation saw real ongoing value from it. So what is collaboration and what defines its difference, making it better than other forms of business co-operation?

Collaboration — the most beautiful “C” word in the Dictionary

True collaboration, in the digital sense, is not an act or omission done with a single winner. I believe it to be a partnership, an agreed coming together of two or more entities, with a shared and mutual intent, mission and desire to achieve a goal, often disruptive, innovative, creative, or at the very least, redefining in nature. The function of collaboration is most often synergistic, simply meaning the value of the product of the collaboration is greater than the sum of the individual parts, exponentially more.

A look down memory lane

Acts of collaboration most often occur around architecture that support, enable and encourage same. I first became aware of FaceBook (FB) in 2006. FB offered a platform architecture, in the sense that it aggregated content from us all, using a set of digital tools, to produce a framework architecture for sharing our collective stories. It understood the value of content (data) and the social network. It acted as a social networking meeting-place, where user owned and created content was uploaded against an account profile. This content was given away by the content owners for nothing and, via the use of clever algorithms, enabled the building of an interactive storyboard of us all.

At first glance one may argue FaceBook’s value creation was only possible with the support of the Mobile Network Operator’s (MNO’s), who transported the individual content data over their network infrastructure? The truth however was MNO’s were collectively frustrated and increasing angry at being unable to charge FaceBook for leveraging their network connectivity in the building of the FB value chain. This network connectivity allowed FaceBook to build a social network presence around their own online platform, seeing the replacement of the mobile native contact list as the individual’s agent of choice, want, preference and power.

In this example the FaceBook platform was the winner, the only winner. This is an example of ‘business commensalism’, the type of relationship where only one party to the relationship, benefits. Those of us who uploaded our data and shared same with FaceBook DID NOT share in the dollar creation value, nor did the collective Mobile Network Operators, losing the direct relationship with the customer, and of greater value still, the chance to capture even greater amounts of data via a direct relationship to customers’ wants and needs.

The new value chain — data intermediating life

The value of data has grown from the early days of the Web 2.0. Let’s be honest, we all now live with a mobile device strapped to our souls. This device, and the applications that exists within it, is aware of your calendar, your daily/weekly schedule, your interests, your wants, your likes and dislikes, fears and prejudices and your future purchasing preferences. Every interaction, human to human or human to machine is intermediated through a mobile device, or has a mobile client interceding with the access and authorisation of same. These many daily interactions leave digital footprints. This data, in an environment of Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, Deep Learning and collective intelligence becomes a powerful information bearing interface, a pedagogical tool that can be used to guide, instruct demonstrate and gain further empowered data and information through. As the level of digital interactions continues to grow, data becomes exceedingly valuable to the point where the data itself, starts to intermediate everything in our lives, both social and business orientated. Unlike the siloed platforms of FaceBook et al. Svandis is premised on community support and sharing and will continually incentivise its community members, via its unique ERC20 digital currency, as the community forms the integral part of the new value model.

Svandis defines a new collaborative Platform — for a new digital reality

I don’t believe you need to be a Wall Street ‘guru’ to understand the arrival of the cryptocurrency applications, platforms, services and currencies have disrupted the traditional gatekeepers of the financial services industry. This disruption has seen technology converge with community based empowerment to create new democratized economies of scale, penetrating traditional markets that a decade ago appeared impenetrable.

The convergence of a distributed ledger, together with a consensus methodology, meaningful, disruptive and cost saving applications and user cases, as well as a disruptive crowd sourced funding model has dethroned the traditional Venture Capital (VC) market and has enabled new financial instruments to knock on the door of traditional financial marketplaces.

A new asset class, digital currency and utility token, pre and post ICO, offer different challenges in respect of understanding the value proposition and potential for value appreciation against this new domain of risk. Svandis has identified the new industry ‘need’ and will deliver a Platform as a Service (PaaS) providing leading financial research, analytical and visualisation tools for professional short-term and long-term traders, analysts, and enthusiasts in the crypto space, from a novice to the experienced trader. The key to the Svandis ‘data value matrix’ will be the Svandis community of users, researchers, and analysts ensuring fast, reliable, and valid input data. A new data driven solution to a new market need — congratulations Svandis!

Why collaboration is definitive of Svandis?

Svandis is premised on data collection, enhancement and value adding via a path of PaaS and collaboration. The Svandis platform architecture has been envisaged, designed, developed and tested, from its ‘foundation stone’ up, with the sole purpose of enabling, fostering and growing acts of digital collaboration. These acts of collaboration will hence grow new digital services of value as the scope, uses and value of data continues to speciate and grow. These relationships, within a larger ecosystem, will be symbiotic, each delivering to the other, expertise and a competitive advantage enabling a better outcome for all.

Svandis is building a platform and ecosystem premised on its ability to share with others; for its partners and community to recognise, capture and encapsulate the ongoing value that new methods of data capture and value adding will recognise. This process will be fluid, growing and maturing along with the industry it plans to define. Inherent in the Svandis ethos and mission is the understanding they cannot achieve greatness alone, but rather, greatness will only be realised with the contributions of others, partners in collaboration and a community of active contributors. With this understanding comes the knowledge, the very architecture must support collaboration at the core of the service’s “beating heart.” This is the blue print of the Svandis ‘Soul’.

Conclusion

Perhaps the modern take on the classic ‘chicken or the egg’ conundrum is: which came first, the data or the service? I suppose the answer is superfluous, more data grows new services, which in turn births new data. Svandis is set to revolutionize how cryptocurrencies, the cryptocurrency market and larger cryptocurrency sector is viewed, researched, valued and reported on. Svandis is set to provide the digital tools, alone and in partnership, leveraging the convergence of crypto community activism, with ‘data as a service’, artificial intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and collective intelligence to grow an ecosystem which will become definitive of the industry itself.

You don’t have to be a contrarian to realise new market challenges, to deliver ‘just in time data’ requires new solutions, via new services, via a new and inclusive architecture enabled and enhanced by a new model of collaboration. The creation of new value is a result of the constellation of effort and intellect, mediated through the Svandis platform of digital tools, online process and technology. Data is the key ingredient, the community the key contributor. Through a generous incentives program, community members’ contributors and collaborators will be handsomely rewarded for doing what they love, that is to say, collectively creating something truly valuable and supporting the company and community they love.

References:

https://medium.com/svandis/a-brief-explainer-video-on-the-svandis-platform-379066a6607a

https://medium.com/svandis/big-data-blockchain-and-why-svandis-is-open-for-collaboration-d981c10fff97