Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor, may have been late to the crypto party, but he’s certainly made an impact. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized finance (Defi) applications are favorites of Cuban. Smart contracts, which are small pieces of self-executing code that live on the blockchain, power both. Here we take a look at Mark Cuban’s top crypto projects.
NFTs are a type of digital collectible that stores authorship and copyright information via smart contracts. Defi is a term that refers to a variety of financial services applications. Smart contracts are used in these applications to issue loans or insurance policies without the involvement of a bank or other third party.
Polygonal
Image Source: TtlyblogsPolygon (MATIC) is a blockchain that runs atop the Ethereum (ETH) network to boost scalability and performance. Ethereum is a well-known programmable blockchain, however, it has recently experienced network congestion and excessive fees.
“Polygon is the first well-structured, easy-to-use platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development,” according to a description published to Cuban’s portfolio of enterprises.
Cuban thinks it’s wonderful that crypto initiatives rely on third parties to provide the necessary computational power. Whereas non-crypto enterprises may require a significant amount of capital to operate servers and pay for computational costs, initiatives like Polygon rely on token holders to gain benefits in exchange for participation, requiring very little capital.
Zapper. fi
In May, Cuban invested in Zapper as part of a $15 million financing round. It’s a digital asset management platform that allows investors to keep track of all of their cryptocurrency assets in one spot. Assume you’ve deposited bitcoin with Aave or have tokens staked on several cryptocurrency exchanges. (Staking is the process of tying up your coins in order to earn interest.) It’s difficult to maintain track of your entire portfolio and determine which coins earn interest on which exchange. Zapper allows you to keep track of everything in one location.
Aave
Aave (AAVE) is a Defi lender with smart contract control. “Aave is a completely automated, permissionless platform where there are no bankers, buildings, toasters, vaults, cash, no keeping your money, no forms to fill out, and no credit ratings involved,” Cuban writes on his blog.
Lazy.com
Cuban’s second crypto obsession, NFTs, is tapped into through Lazy.com. It’s a digital gallery where people can display their collection of NFTs. Earlier this year, Cuban launched the project for digital art collectors, which is still in beta. It’s simple to set up an account and link your wallet if you own NFTs. You may then share a link to your art collection with friends or publish it on social media.
d Climate
One of Cuban’s most recent investments is d Climate. In June, the billionaire announced that he had joined the initiative as an investor and advisor.
Smart contracts require data in order to function. A farmer, for example, might purchase an insurance policy that pays out automatically if specified weather circumstances occur. To trigger a payout, the smart contract would require valid data. That’s when data providers (also known as oracles) like d Climate come in.
d Climate collects and standardizes climate data, resulting in a decentralized platform for companies that require precise weather forecasts and data.
Also Read: All You Need To Know About Uniswap smart contract in action.
