Esprezzo is a blockchain middleware company based out of the Cayman Island, Boston and San Francisco.
The project was borne out of pain points in other projects. Remy Carpinito previously built a company called Campus tap. They tried to create identification systems for colleges.
Interview with Remy Carpinito
Unfortunately, the technology was too early. The iPhone didn’t become compatible with it until 3 years after the product had been built. Because of this, they pivoted to a mentoring system for current students and alumni. Post-pivot, they had issues with bandwidth when dealing with legacy systems. They had to develop interfaces for each system. Through doing so, they realized a lot of the tools they were developing didn’t exist in the blockchain world. With this insight, they decided to build a library of software development kits (SDKs) devs are already used to help them get into the blockchain space. The kits can also allow devs to determine which blockchain they want to interface with. While the development tools are not unique but there is nothing that exists in that capacity right now. Additionally, they’re developing an easy API layer which should help developers
Their business model is similar to firebase. There’s a SaaS component where tokens are used to validate each API call. Additionally, there will be a marketplace similar to salesforce where there are prebuilt components and their own components that devs can use for things like supply chain etc. Devs can also build things and then charge for them on the platform as well.
Worth noting, while the tools themselves are free. Once the companies go into production, Esprezzo will receive payment commensurate with use.
Partnership with Vechain
Esprezzo’s partnership with Vechain especially intriguing. Vechain is one of the bigger players in the space as they have partnerships with PWC, BMW etc. Most dapps built on smart contract platforms will need a service like the one Esprezzo is offering. This is especially true for blockchains like Vechain where the potential customers are enterprise level customers.
Esprezzo’s partnership will include being one of the first companies to do their ICO on Vechain. As the first infrastructure partnership with Vechain, they will also be building a portal where people can choose tools based on their use case on Vechain. Additionally, they will be getting access to their community and some of their masternode holders.
There are other companies in development mode that Esprezzo is talking to about collaboration. However, they can’t announce yet.
Esprezzo Competition
There are a number of potential competitors to Esprezzo that offer blockchain-aware, rapid application development solutions, including:
1) Visual DApp builders and management services such as Nebula.
2) Blockchains written in Javascript and other languages commonly found in enterprise orgs such as Stratis, Lisk, Ark etc.
3) Oracle services that feed real world data to smart contracts and DApps. Esprezzo believes their key differentiator is that they provide simple-to-use middleware libraries with integrated smart contract management and high availability data access aimed at all levels of developers across multiple blockchains.
Conclusion about Esprezzo
Esprezzo is trying to solve a problem with clear need. There are other companies attempting to solve the same problem with different approaches that are further ahead with more funding. However, most are not trying to solve the exact same problem.
A smart rule of early investing is to invest in companies capable of dominating a small market. Scaling is more feasible in that context. That market is not immediately clear in the case of Esprezzo. However, the relationship with Vechain is critical. Betting on Vechain’s success is low risk for the crypto space. Assuming their product works and they are THE official partner for Vechain, dominating that blockchain alone would make their company valuable.
Ultimately, this project is more about business execution than it is about new technology. The Co-CEO Craig Gainsboro worked at PWC for a while and has demonstrated good business execution ability. Assuming they can make the right partnerships, they could be successful. They are a project worth monitoring.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.