Blockchain technology is taking the world by storm, and Australia is no exception. Our thriving startup scene is using blockchain technology to create innovative solutions to problems across just about every industry.

As the creative and cultural capital of Australia, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Melbourne has an eclectic range of blockchain startups. Whether you understand it or not, blockchain technology will eventually touch many facets of our lives. This can be seen in the Melbourne blockchain scene, and the wide range of solutions being developed there.

Both the number of startups and the support being offered to them is exploding. Melbourne is home to dedicated organisations whose sole mission is to nurture blockchain startups to give them the best start in life.

From co-working to the art industry to the sharing economy, there is a good chance a blockchain startup in Melbourne is looking to fill a need you’ve always had.

In no particular order, let’s take a look at 20 exciting blockchain startups in Melbourne:

Horizon State is a token-based Blockchain voting and decision-making platform. Believing that open dialogue is the foundation of an empowered community, Horizon State designs decision-making tools to empower communities. To inform better collective decision making their platform supports, connects and values every voice with integrity.

Using Blockchain technology and a dynamic architecture that enables transparency and security, Horizon State’s platform focuses on delivering in three core areas: considered deliberation of decisions, effective mobilisation of communities, and facilitating secure formal voting.

Founded in 2017 by Nimo Naamani and Jamie Skella, the team have to date raised $1.5 million in their ICO and currently partner with numerous NGO, UN IGO’s and other major national and international bodies to see their technology make positive impacts worldwide.

CanYa is a decentralised global serviceplace for freelancers. It is a hybrid of an on-chain cryptocurrency payments using CAN tokens, a hedged escrow to minimise volatility, and will soon have direct fiat to token capabilities.

Founded in 2015 by Christopher McLoughlin, JP Thor and Rowan Willson, with a functional app released in late 2016, CanYa now has a growing community active members across the globe and raised $13.5 million through their ICO and equity crowdfunding.

The CanYaCoin (CAN) is an ERC20 (Ethereum) based cryptocurrency, and one of the first working dApps built on the protocol. With CAN, payments will be decentralised, autonomous, global and near-instant. The dApp is web based, and therfore has no need to download via an App store.

Minfo delivers a new generation of interactive campaign solutions via the Minfo app. The platform changes the way consumers interact with messages and ads, giving them access to more information about any message seen or heard, with just one touch or voice command.

Founded in 2012 by Roland Storti and Geoff Gwillim, Minfo seeks to deliver interaction and engagement with interested consumers, right when they want it, without consumers needing to remember a phone number, URL or (heaven forbid) do a search whenever something strikes their interest.

CoinJar is an Australian bitcoin platform that facilitates the buying and selling of bitcoins, and allows merchants to accept bitcoin payments. The platform uses multi-factor authentication to ensure its users’ bitcoins are safe.

Founded in 2013 by Asher Tan and Ryan Zhou, CoinJar has today processed more than $1 billion worth of transactions for more than 350,000 individual and business customers. They have received $1.5 million in capital from their leading investors – Blackbird Ventures and DCG.

Linius Technologies (ASX: LNU) has invented and patented the Video Virtualization Engine™ (VVE), which is available on Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud. Linius has developed the technology to expose the data that makes up the video file, making video just as flexible as any other form of data. Creating the virtual video file unleashes the tremendous potential locked within – users can access the video’s digital DNA, to tag, index, parse, splice, manage and manipulate the content on the fly, in transit between source and screen. This process transforms static video into what Linius calls intelligent content.

Launched in 2011, Linius today has offices in Geneva, London, Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne, Prague and San Francisco.

Velix.ID is a RegTech (regulatory technology) blockchain startup which caters to a $200 billion-a-year target market in the identity verification space. It is a global platform for frictionless identity verification.

Looking at existing issues in identity verification such as lengthy processes, financial loss, and the risk of compromising users’ personal information, Velix.ID is decentralising the process using smart contracts, zero knowledge proofs, and stellar consensus protocol (SCP) to build a transparent, decentralised, time-efficient and cost-efficient ecosystem.

Founded in 2016 by Balwant Singh and Manav Singhal, Velix.ID is working to integrate its ecosystem across all major verticals within the cryptocurrency trading, real-estate, travel & hospitality, banking and insurance, employment, commerce and transport spaces. The initial target markets are Australia and India (which, with a headcount of over 1.3 billion, is understandable) to be followed with operations launches in the Asia-Pacific region and the UK.

TillBilly is the world’s first blockchain-powered integrated point of sale terminal for contactless payments, digital receipts and reward points. With its innovative and integrated ‘tap & go’ terminal connected to a point of sale terminal, TillBilly enables shoppers to make payments, automatically get digital receipts and collect loyalty points with a single tap of any NFC enabled card, phone or wearable.

Founded in 2017 by Sarthak Moghe, TillBilly’s backend is a transparent and scalable blockchain powered crypto-payments network. It offers price protection against cryptocurrency market volatility to both shoppers and merchants, is cheaper for those merchants, and even shares its revenue with its customers.

CastleCoin is a blockchain-based platform and digital currency designed specifically for real estate. Utilising blockchain technology, tokenising real-world assets and capitalising on the stability and value of the Australian real estate market, the CastleCoin platform offers secure, accountable, fast and accessible trading features for vendors and buyers.

Founder James Lynch saw that capital requirements, liquidity, viable asset selection and regulation presented barriers to entry within the traditional real estate investment framework. CastleCoin, through the use of Ethereum network, smart contracts and tokens, offers a blockchain-based solution. The property investment platform offers buying and selling of Australian real estate that is accountable, fluid, accessible and overcomes many of the inherent limitations of traditional real estate investment.

Blockbid is a secure exchange with the goal of facilitating the highest volume of trades for the most cryptocurrencies, but using a single login. Operating on the world’s fastest network, Blockbid is fully compliant with the Australian AML/CTF Act and has also been approved for an AUSTRAC license to operate as a digital currency exchange in Australia.

Launched in 2017, Blockbid is the only exchange to trade all cryptocurrencies on one platform. It’s a one stop shop that offers unrivalled accessibility, as well as low-cost transaction fees, insurance on all cryptocurrency assets, and the best exchange rate available. Blockbid is scalable up to 1 million transactions per second, and is secured using the latest security protocols and designs, allowing users to trade with confidence.

Shping is a consumer marketing ecosystem that offers participating brands the opportunity to reward shoppers who use the Shping app with a new cryptocurrency called Shping Coin. In 2012 Shping founder Gennady Volchek began building solutions to help brands track their products through the supply chain, in an effort to control counterfeiting and imports. In this process he and his team realised that the platform enabled the consumer to access product information and better levels of security.and afforded brands greater protection.

From this realisation came the Shping ecosystem, built on product information provided by a scalable number of trusted and verified data sources. By scanning product barcodes with the app shoppers can reveal useful information, contribute product reviews or activate actions set by brands to unlock more Shping Coins. For businesses, Shping offers a new way to market to shoppers at the critical point of purchase while enabling them to gather analytics to help inform their strategic decisions.

Coinstop is Australia’s leading cryptocurrency hardware wallet provider. The company is also the authorised reseller of the two leading hardware wallet manufacturers in the world – Ledger and Trezor. With cryptocurrencies growing in popularity and many exchanges proving particularly unstable, hardware wallets are the best means of storing digital, blockchain-based cryptocurrency securely offline.

Coinstop stocks genuine products which are listed at competitive prices. The goal for the Coinstop team is to bridge the gap between the physical and digital world. They see the potential of cryptocurrency and the Blockchain technology beyond finance, and they aim to educate others as they begin their transition into the cryptocurrency and Blockchain community.

Cointree is Australia’s fastest growing digital currency exchange. It’s an easy to use service that cuts out all the complexity of buying and selling bitcoin. With Cointree, your bitcoin balance can be verified externally whenever you want because your bitcoin is real, while other services credit your account with a virtual balance.

Founded in 2013, Cointree are passionate about everything Blockchain, latest technology, smart innovation and providing an exceptional service to their customers. Their goal is to make bitcoin easily accessible to everyone by offering a simple and trustworthy place to buy and sell bitcoin cryptocurrency. The Cointree service is designed from the ground up to be easy to use, and their support team is dedicated to offering speedy and insightful customer service.

Nurturing pioneering blockchain startups is an important task, and one which non-profit Blockchain Centre has graciously taken on. Blockchain Centre offers a state of the art coworking and shared office space designed specifically for startups working in blockchain technology. In addition to co-working, they offer consulting services, an incubator and a variety of events: weekly classes for beginners are held on Mondays, talk and trade is in session every Wednesday and workshops on blockchain technology and development run constantly. They are also the representative for ADCA Victoria, and run regular ‘women in blockchain’ events.

Blockchain Centre is a community and knowledge hub for blockchain startups in Australia, with over 5,000 people in their ecosystem. As Australia’s largest community of blockchain technology entrepreneurs, experts, mentors and investors, they can assist blockchain startups to develop their companies.

BlockGrain is a platform for stakeholders in the agricultural industry. This one platform allows users to make better-informed decisions, eliminate unnecessary paperwork and dockets, reduce supply chain inefficiency and risk, open markets, and increase the bottom line by conducting business. BlockGrain has launched Australia’s first agricultural public token sale after raising over $3.5 million during a private sale event that involved more than 1,000 investors.

BlockGrain is a simple-to-use, secure and independent software platform that automates the integration of all supply chain participants. Its vision is to be the largest industry-wide platform for managing the agricultural supply chain; connecting sellers and buyers, providing full paddock to plate traceability and allowing bulk logistics companies to manage and grow their operations.

The Nauticus Blockchain exchange will be the first in the world to offer 100 cryptocurrencies and seven fiat currencies. Their Initial Coin Offering, which recently closed, was the first step in their vision for six global banking and eCommerce solutions utilising Blockchain technology. Unlike most new cryptocurrencies, ICO backers were able to use and trade their Nauticus Coins immediately on the new Nauticus cryptocurrency and fiat exchange.

The Nauticus Exchange is currently in the final stages of development and is due to open in mid-August 2018. Within 12 months the exchange will offer 300 cryptocurrencies and 16 fiat currencies. They are also establishing a sustainable Blockchain mining centre that will provide revenue, and a sizeable amount of server capacity to ensure ultra-fast processing for all users of Nauticus services; running on renewable energy.

Launched in 2018, DOCKX is made up of a young and talented group of entrepreneurs and engineers with a ground-breaking blockchain-based idea that they hope will contribute towards a better tomorrow for the freight, logistics and aviation industries.

DOCKX is a blockchain based shipping and logistics solution that will reduce international shipping costs to consumers by up to $1 trillion dollars a year and reduce insurance claims by up to $12.5 billion. They are revolutionising the shipping and logistics industry through the use of Blockchain technology, by “Uberising” long distance and short distance package delivery.

DOCKX is backed by one of the top 3 cloud vendors and largest online retailers who are sponsoring their infrastructure development costs and backing the company’s success. One of Australia’s largest banks has also invited DOCKX to pitch for co-ventured funding for the solution.

ShareRing is the world’s first trusted token for sharing services. Its tagline is ‘one way to pay for sharing everything, no matter what it is or where you are’ – a broad and perhaps confusing mission, but one that has serious potential.

Launched in 2017, ShareRing is currently developing the ShareRing app which will allow anyone to see and use any sharing services around them easily. Each partner on their platform will have the option of developing a mini app within the ShareRing app, which will have functionalities specific to that partner. The app will use geolocation based services to display the ShareRing services nearby, and promises to charge its users zero exchange fees.

ArtChain Global is revolutionising the art world with a tracking, protection and accountability solution for artwork. Based on open and extendable blockchain technology, the ArtChain Global platform synchronizes digital and offline assets for anyone involved in trading, collecting or producing works of art.

Launched in 2017, ArtWork Global uses a decentralised consortium that makes all participants nodes on ArtChain Global’s blockchain. This facilitates semi-decentralised management, which ensures authority and transparency. Offline art assets are registered on the system which synchronises with the blockchain to ensure that owners and collectors have all the rights to their artwork. Their application then integrates IoT tracking technology to provide real-time location, authentic global security and authenticity of high-value works of art.

GladAge is an ecosystem for the elderly that allows users to choose the best options for personalised care and fully vetted care homes. It is decentralised and powered by Ethereum. The platform provides the elderly with the option to choose the care they require dependent on their needs. They can also shop for the equipment and services they require to stay independent.

GladAge Care seeks to solve problems within the sector that traditional processes and systems have failed to resolve. These include a lack of senior homes, support systems, industry KPIs and incentivisation, as well as disorganised processes and the issues that will inevitably come with a rapidly ageing population.

Blockchain Global is a leading multinational enterprise with a vision to generate greater trust throughout the digital spectrum. Blockchain Global plays a vital role in supporting the blockchain ecosystem through their developer house and their management consulting. Bringing a focus on commercialising blockchain technology through a venture builder model, the company has acquired controlling stakes of several listed companies such as DigitalX, First Growth Funds and Genetic Technology.

Backed by industry IPs and a wealth of know-how, the company licenses and maintains the industry’s leading white-label asset exchange solution, with its IP powering platforms like the NEM Exchange and ACX.io (the largest blockchain assets exchange in Australia and a fully owned subsidiary of the company.)

Across the country, blockchain startups are growing in numbers. This has resulted in extremely high demand for blockchain skill sets, with these companies also searching for other tech professionals to help them get ahead.