This week's episode of Cheddar's Crypto Craze tackles the latest news and trends in this emerging market. Cheddar's Baker Machado and Brad Smith speak with Fortune Senior Writer Jen Wieczner about the latest headlines.
Bitcoin hovering around the $10,000 mark, but it is still down 50 percent from where it was in December. Wieczner says things are still on the upswing.
This week trading cryptocurrency on Robinhood's platform became available for free, but the roll-out has been gradual. "It's only in five states right now," says Wieczner. "There's still 1.4 million on the waitlist just to trade crypto."
Telegram is raising money for what will likely be the largest initial coin offering in history. The company confirmed with the SEC it has privately raised $850 Million for the offering, and reports say Telegram is planning a second round of private financing. Full Tilt Capital's Managing Partner Anthony Pompliano explains why Telegram has been able to raise so much capital.
"This is a team that has proven themselves," says Pompliano. "I think they've got a pretty interesting plan moving forward in terms of what they want to do with their money."
Roughly $4 billion was raised by ICOs in 2017, according to EY, compared with $6.8 billion raised through traditional angel and seed financing in 2017, according to PitchBook. Regulators are now looking to crack down on this growing ICO market. "This is new we haven't seen this before so I think people are trying to figure out the best way to participate," says Pompliano.
There's a new exchange in the crypto game, and it could have the power to shake things up. Users in five states can now trade Bitcoin and Ethereum free of charge on Robinhood. Meanwhile, Coinbase overtime has been considered the go-to place to buy the top cryptocurrencies. Boost VC's Founder and Managing Director Adam Draper explains what he thinks of this emerging cryptocurrency market.
"I actually don't look at them as competitors," says Draper. "Robinhood is coming at it from an asset management side, where Coinbase is coming at it from a crypto platform side. I think the long-term impact of both of these concepts is going to be vastly different from one another."
Draper was an early investor in Coinbase, and his fund is also an investor in the company.
James Gallagher, CEO and Co-Founder of GreenLite, discusses the challenges of rebuilding the fire-affected LA area and how permitting complicates the process.
Super Bowl Champion, Julian Edelman, talks Chiefs' conspiracies, his fave TSwift song and his bet for Super Bowl LIX. Plus, the best time for a bathroom break.
Ron Hammond, Sr. Director of Government Relations at the Blockchain Association, breaks down Trump’s plan to strengthen U.S. leadership in financial technology.
BiggerPockets Money podcast is now available on Cheddar Wednesdays at 10am ET! Mindy Jensen shares how her podcast is helping people gain financial freedom.
The social video platform's future remains in doubt, as players scramble to profit from the chaos. Plus: Big oil gets bigger, DOGE downsizes, and tariffs!
Ty Young, CEO of Ty J. Young Wealth Management, joins Cheddar to discuss Trump's moves as he returns to Washington D.C. and how it may affect the U.S. economy.
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Chris Ruder, Spikeball Founder and CEO, explains how he and his friends put roundnet on the global map, plus, how Spikeball helps people "find their circle."