When a company raises money through an ICO, it issues tokens in return for Ether. These smart contracts are the foundation of decentralized applications, which are in turn the foundation of the thousands of new companies popping up and carrying out initial coin offerings (ICOs). Second, the company is not solely focused on bitcoin, offering shareholders exposure to other subsectors of the cryptocurrency industry.Įthereum, for example, is a cryptocurrency similar to bitcoin but built on a different blockchain – a blockchain that allows for interaction with what are called smart contracts. Riot Blockchain itself is going to be investing in a range of blockchain and cryptocurrency-based entities, meaning an investment in Riot is an exposure spread across various entities in the sector. This mission statement has a couple of key implications for its attraction as both a near and long-term investment.įirst, the model with which the company is approaching this space means there is a degree of diversification built into its shares. As of today, however, it has been renamed Riot Blockchain with a reserved and pending ticker change to RIOT on the Nasdaq, and it has shifted its focus to bitcoin, blockchain and the cryptocurrency space in general.Īs per the press release, the company's focus will be as a strategic investor and operator in the blockchain ecosystem with a particular focus on the bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains. BiOptix is, or more accurately was, a biotechnology company that specialized in veterinary medicine.

Riot cryptocurrency ticker