AI Issue 6 2018

42 Acquisition International - Issue 6 2018 SolutionsHub was founded by fiduciary, gaming and blockchain professionals with vast expertise in global corporate structuring and regulated sectors. We invited Managing Director, Lee Hills to explain more about the firm and the success that the company has achieved. olding offices in the Isle of Man and London, SolutionsHub is proud of establishing itself as the leading authority in alternative payments, crypto and blockchain gambling licensing, as well as regulatory compliant Initial Coin Offering planning and execution. SolutionsHub’s unique expertise, coupled with the team’s blockchain and gaming specialist team that has seen the company obtain licenses and regulatory approvals for previously unseen gaming, gambling, blockchain and fintech business models. Lee starts off the discussion by outlining what methods the company employs to ensure that the desired outcome is achieved from the client’s point of view. “When undertaking new projects, our process is flexible, but it always starts the same way; with us understanding the vision from the creator’s perspective. To best advise, we need to understand what the creator wants to get out of the business, as some businesses are established purely for profit, others for community benefit, but the answer is usually somewhere in between. It is especially important to understand the personal circumstances of a founder and that they need from a business, so we can design an appropriate funding model.” Providing the motivation for the business to succeed, the team work under totally transparent billing arrangements, whereby staff start under a retainer and properly scoped, fixed ongoing fees, with remuneration heavily linked to success milestones. Lee goes into detail about how proactive the team is when working with customers, and explains why, when given the freedom, the team can utilise its expertise to deliver excellent results. “Being proactive in our work, we do not just react to what our ICO, blockchain and gaming clients request us to advise on. We analyse new trends versus regulation and create world first solutions. Similarly, we only actively seek clients who are looking to launch a business whereby there has been no regulatory engagement with such a business in the past. This allows us to design and implement the solutions which can then be replicated for businesses that then seek us out because of our unique experiences and demonstrable capabilities. Company: SolutionsHub Limited Contact: Lee Hills Address: Alma House, 7 Circular Road, Douglas, IM1 1AF, Isle of Man Phone: 03300 883538 Website: www.solutionshub.co Specialist Skillsets ProvidingUnique Results H 1802AI31 “Only seeking to work with these clients brings a significant flow-through of new clients that seek us to assist due to our unique experiences and demonstrable capabilities.” Whilst continuing to deliver unrivalled results, Lee is determined that the company does not stop, and comments on how the firm is able to benefit from the multiple developments which are arising daily across the industry. “Securing funding to unlock the next phase of growth is critical for business in all sectors, including those in the online gambling industry. Having the cash ready to invest in innovation or transformation can be the difference between success and failure, and there are now more ways than ever to secure capital, from the traditional (such as angel investors, series funding and IPOs) to the new, including crowd funding and much-hyped initial coin offerings or ICOs. “An ICO is an event where a company releases its own cryptocurrency for funding. It releases a certain number of crypto-tokens and then sells those tokens to its intended audience by establishing a smart- contract (an immutable piece of code published publicly online), with those willing to participate sending Bitcoins or Ethereum to receive a token.” As a result, the company can fund product development and the audience get their tokens’ shares. Whilst this may seem like an IPO, there are some differences, as Lee explains. “In an IPO, shares always denote a proportion of ownership; in an ICO, the token could mean royalty rights, equity, shareholding, voting rights, or rights to a product or service. “The other crucial difference is that IPOs are heavily regulated by the government, whilst ICOs have yet to be put under the same level of scrutiny. That said, regulators in the Isle of Man and Gibraltar are taking the lead and have created ICO frameworks.” Excitingly for SolutionsHub, the crypto market has responded incredibly positively to our approach of regulatory engagement as the sector begins to mature and seek mainstream adoption. Lee