Knowbella Tech is an open science company that connects global researchers to intellectual property and assets that are sitting idle across institutions, universities and companies. The company’s collaboration platform will provide tools and services to match researchers to IP and to crowdsource and advance new discoveries and innovations.

Blockchain is Knowbella’s underlying technology that manages grant funding and the Helix token. It is the “blockchain” part of the equation that we will discuss today, as this introduces a number of new ideas and concepts for people outside the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector. Specifically, I want to discuss the Helix token, which can be used as a value exchange within and without the Knowbella Platform.

The Helix Token: The Currency of Science

This reasonably raises the question as to why we need our own currency. Fiat currencies like the dollar, pound, or yen are very well tried and tested, and if we really insist on using a cryptocurrency, then bitcoin and ethereum are also already commonplace. Would using one of these more established and prolific currencies not be easier? The answer to that question is a lot more interesting than you might imagine.

The Helix Token

Firstly, by using our own currency we will be able to reward scientists for their time and participation in a way that simply would not be possible with a fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar. Since our project is concerned with collaboration and open science, Helix allows us to incentivize research activities, as well as activities that grow the Knowbella Platform. Helix can be used by our global user base (without the need to use currency exchanges) to purchase equipment or services (within the Knowbella ecosystem) and in any other situation where value exchange is necessary. As the platform grows, the demand for Helix grows with it, which in turn drives up the value of Helix.

This is the Knowbella Tech ecosystem as powered by Helix.

Users are rewarded in Helix for registering, building a profile, uploading intellectual assets, and contributing to research.

Helix tokens are convertible to common shares in Knowbella, thus the users gain economic rights to Knowbella in a liquidity event such as an IPO or acquisition.

Helix encourages user retention — the participants, platform, and currency together form an “ecosystem” that work seamlessly with each other as the exclusive means of value exchange within the network.

By contributing and participating in our ecosystem the users increase the value of the platform and the Helix they hold.

Helix will be traded on an SEC compliant alternative trading system (ATS) for other token securities or fiat currency.

Knowbella Platform users are not exploited for their scientific contributions as their participation directly impacts the value of Helix, whereas if Knowbella Tech used fiat or other cryptocurrencies, their participation would have no impact on the value of their holdings.

The blockchain enablement affords our ability to provide voting rights through Helix-as-an-equity.

And finally, as Helix is tied to the Company’s equity, as the Company gains in value, so too does Helix. In this way, Helix is truly a security in the U.S. This means Knowbella can avoid the international complexities that mainstream cryptocurrencies are experiencing.

These points illustrate exactly why Helix is such an integral part of the Knowbella Tech business plan and model. Helix helps us to build our global ecosystem and fuels growth, as well as fostering the ecosystem. Helix will also give our users voting rights within the network, democratizing the Knowbella Platform and helping to shape the future direction for projects, funding and platform tools and services.

Lastly, Helix will guarantee holders a stake in the Company and a share in the profits should the company conduct an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or some other positive liquidity event.

We are very keen to not exploit our scientific members and their holding of Helix guarantees this. Our members are rewarded for their efforts and will also participate in the upside that they create for Knowbella.

Helix Gives More

In creating Helix we have done our utmost to create a token with the strongest and most robust use case possible. Helix helps us to build a strong community, which in turn creates strong loyalty and strong network growth. For any blockchain project the question should always be asked, ‘is there any need for this token?’ In the case of Knowbella Tech that answer is an emphatic yes!