Who doesn’t love a good breakdown of how Bitcoin works? Barry Silbert, CEO and Founder of SecondWatch, recently broke down the development and strengths and weaknesses of investing in Bitcoin at a recent MarketWatch event. Silbert, speaking candidly with other digital currency experts, defined the “5 phases” of Bitcoin development:
1. 2009 – The open source code was released, when hackers and interested hobbyists began playing around with Bitcoin.
2. 2011-2012 – Early Adopter Phase. The value shot from practically US$0 to US$30, Silk Road crashed and kicked off the early adopter phase. Early angel investors begin to get involved.
3. 2013 – Venture Capital Phase. Bitcoin investing became popular in Silicon Valley. Investors and successful firms begin backing Bitcoin. Venture capital firms have a focus on Bitcoin, there is just not an abundance of fundable entrepreneurs and scalable businesses. 4. 2014 – Wall Street Phase. The upcoming months will see a large amount of money coming from Wall Street into Bitcoin as a tradable asset class and investment product. Heavy research is being conducted on the fiscal future of investing in Bitcoin.
5. The Future - Mass Consumer Adoption Phase. Outstanding products and services to buy and hold Bitcoin are essential, courtesy of phrases 3 and 4. The monetary base of US$8 billion rising is imperative. It is too insufficient to support a global payment platform. The Wall Street phase should skyrocket the monetary base.
