Rivetz review ($RVT) - 5min read

in #cryptocurrency7 years ago (edited)

Tired of being paranoid and hearing about hacks? Rivetz might have part of the solution. Think of it as Two Factor Authentication (such as Google Authenticator) on steroids: simpler to use, safer & also usable for machine-to-machine interactions.

This article is also available in German, French and Spanish.

This is not financial advice. Do your own research (DYOR) before investing.

Overview & Opinion


  • Pros
    • Can be used for human-to-machine & machine-to-machine transactions.
    • Security is highly customisable.
    • Some good progress on the development of the different products.
    • A huge market & a desperate demand for more security in the crypto space.
    • Some traction with esteemed governmental organisations.
    • Lots of partnerships with relevant organisations inside & outside the blockchain space.
    • A very strong team made of 20 members & growing.
    • Very strong advisory team & board members.
    • A lot of media coverage.
    • Many positive events ahead (releases of products).
  • Cons
    • Only 35% of the tokens were planned to be distributed to contributors. And in the end, only around 12% were distributed.
    • No plan to implement iOS.
    • A proprietary approach (vs open source): licensing, patents & a very small part of the code publicly available.
    • Only listed on very few exchanges.
    • Not getting much attention in the social medias.
    • Lock-in: if one start to use Rivetz, there isn’t any way to switch to another service using the same technology.
  • Conclusion
    • As seen above, there are several negative points. However, there are more positive points and some of the negative points can be solved. If the platform gets the expected success, it could become the new standard for secure authentication. The Apple issue is a very strong negative point but the remaining (non-Apple) market is still very big. The many exciting releases ahead will mostly attract a lot of attention in the crypto space & drive the token price up. Note that the current (early May 2017) project market cap is very low, 40% under the ICO price; this valuation is both worrying & exciting as one could believe that the project is doomed or see this as a very strong undervaluation (hence a massive opportunity), only time will tell.

Methodology used when creating this report


  • Every article published using this "5min read" format is answering a very specific list of questions.
  • The list of questions does evolve slightly from one article to another, but stays 90% the same to allow easier read and comparison between projects.
  • If the answer regarding a given question isn't available on the project's publications (website, white paper, blog, etc) and isn't answered by the team when asked on its Telegram Group Chat (i.e. the team ignores the question or avoids the question asked by answering on an unrelated topic), it is communicated in this report:
    • some answers will be written as "not disclosed/available"
    • a comment may be added in the "Overall Communication" sectionregarding the team's attitude

Getting started


  • Official Website
  • ICO page
    • n/a
  • Short paper
    • n/a
  • White paper
  • Fields
    • Privacy, Security, 2FA, Crypto Wallet, Fiat Payments, Crypto Payments (human-machine & machine-machine) & more
  • Goals
    • Provide world-class security, giving you higher quality private keys storage, blockchain transactions & customer relationships.
    • Put the last 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars of research to work by leveraging blockchain technology to prove the measured portions of a device have not been altered.
  • Competition
    • Summary: competes with other authenticating technologies, but is very superior
    • Hardware wallets such as Ledger & Trezor
    • Software 2FA such as Google Authenticator
    • SMS 2FA
  • Products & status
    • Rivetz Authenticator for Android - beta released
    • Rivetz Authenticator for iOS - no ETA available
      • Apple doesn't allow access to their TEE (or equivalent). There is an option via API though.
    • Developer Tools (Supports TEE) - beta released in Q1 2018
      • It can be built in to apps, wallets, exchanges, etc.
    • Secure File Transfer - alpha released in Q1 2018
    • From the Telegram group:
    • Planned:
      • Rivetz Authenticator (only for Android) - 1.0 in Q2 2018
      • Developer Tools - 1.0 in Q2 2018
      • Secure Messaging - beta in Q2 2018
      • Secure Messaging - 1.0 in Q3 2018
      • Wallet - beta in Q3 2018
      • Back up & recovery - 1.0 in Q1 2019
      • Secure File Transfer - release date tbc
  • Traction
    • Rivetz has been building this technical foundation for 3 years and has existing contracts with the U.S. government.
    • In Q1 2017 Rivetz was awarded a US Government contract
    • In Q2 2017 Rivetz was further awarded an SBIR contract by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and technology (S&T) directorate.
  • Market size
    • A huge market & growing rapidly.
    • Target markets include: IoT, Cloud Authentication and Access, Machine Automated Money with Policy, Cybersecurity Controls for Smart Contracts and Blockchain.
    • In 2017, over 2 billion devices with the ability to upgrade to Rivetz improved security.
    • Cybersecurity Ventures anticipates that cybersecurity damages will total more than $6 trillion globally, up from $3 trillion in 2015. http://cybersecurityventures.com/cybercrime-infographic/
    • Estimates peg the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to exceed 200 billion by 2020 http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/internet-of-things/infographics/guide-to-iot.html
    • Cybersecurity Ventures forecasts that global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1 trillion cumulatively over the next five years, from 2017 to 2021.
  • Description
    • Rivetz is hardware-based cybersecurity.
    • The Rivetz solution takes advantage of the TEE (Trusted Execution Environment), which provides Rivetz with an isolated execution environment within the main processor to execute code that cannot be observed or altered by the operating system.
    • The Rivetz solution also intends to provide the economic model for devices to securely request and securely pay providers or other devices for health and integrity services.
    • TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) capabilities have been available on both ARM and Intel architecture processors world-wide for many years.
    • Rivetz will deliver provable cyber-controls for the owner of the devices ranging from PCs to smartphones to “Things” (Arduino & more).
    • The RvT is intended to be integral to delivering automated device-to-service or device-to-device payment.
    • Rivetz is building a Global Attestation and Identity Network (GAIN). It will assure the identity and integrity of the end device and assures the device cannot lie about its capabilities.
    • Rivetz Authenticator (the app)
    • Intuitive authentication in a trusted environment.
    • Powered by the RVT token and transacted in your device’s trusted execution environment (TEE), the Rivetz Authenticator offers simple, peace-of-mind security.
    • Uses the trusted execution environment to store and create two-factor codes in your device's hardware.
    • Comes with an encrypted backup and restore feature
    • Rivetz uses a Trusted User Interface, it enables a PIN entry, and displays transaction details, prior to completing a transfer.
    • Multi-factor authentication: enable the integration of external checks such as geolocation and enterprise status to be verified before authentication is confirmed to the service. 2FA is “just” the initial service to support the RvT token capability with full attestation support.
    • Rivetz will enable safer crypto & fiat transactions
    • "Rivetz is a “first-mover” with patent pending cybersecurity services and capabilities that leverage the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE).” - however, patent only registered in the USA
    • The cost for using Rivetz’ products is still vague

ICO Details


  • Hard cap vs Raised
    • Hard cap: 50 million USD / 70 million RVT
    • Raised: around 60,000 ETH (18 million USD at the time)
  • For private, pre-sale, public pre-sale and ICO
    • Dates
      • Private sale: none
      • Pre-sale: July 10th - Aug 9th 2017
      • Public sale: Aug 10th - Sept 10th 2017
    • Price & Bonuses
      • Base price for the token was 0.003 ETH (0.80 USD at the time).
      • 20-40% bonus (0.57 to 0.67 USD) - Pre-sale
      • 20% - Public sale (for 1st 7 million sold)
      • 10% - Public sale (for 2nd 7 million sold)
  • Token amounts
    • Pre-sale = 9,230,037
    • Public sale = 13,640,707
    • Total sold = 22,870,744
    • Total aimed to be sold = 70,000,000
    • Tokens unsold (about 47 million) were automatically locked for a year and eventually will return to the company. They are a resource and likely will be up for sale again in the future.
    • Total token supply = 200,000,000
  • Token allocation
    • 12% Contributors (22 millions), 35% “may” be the final amount (70 million)
      • 22 million tokens were given to contributors. Yes, only 12% of the total token supply.
    • 23% unsold tokens
      • 48 million tokens were not sold. They were automatically locked for a year (until Sept 2018) until they will return to the company.
    • 30% Incentivized Distribution (60 million)
      • Promotional tokens used for approved marketing and incentive purposes
      • 30 million available now
      • 30 million locked for up to 1 year
    • 35% Reserved for Future Use (70 million)
      • 10 million available now
      • 20 million locked for 12 months
      • 20 million locked for 24 months
      • 20 million locked for 36 months
  • Banned countries
    • None

Token trading & usage


  • Token trading: exchanges listing the token
    • HitBTC
    • Etherdelta
    • IDEX
  • Token usage & tokenomics
    • The RvT token is utility token. The team summarizes this utility of the token as “integral to delivering automated device-to-service or device-to-device payment for the consumption of the cybersecurity service”.
    • Core utilities of the RvT token:
      • provide a device with a mechanism for obtaining decentralized services
      • exchanging cyber control services
      • registering the reference “conditions of intentions” of the device
      • verifying the integrity of the device with a cybersecurity controller
      • consumption to provide a machine multisig
    • RvT is a utility token used by the owner of the device and service providers to assert that a transaction was sent by a measured system in a reference condition.
    • The RvT token is purpose designed to integrate with the data structures and methods that are required by the Trusted Computing Group and Global Platform standards to assure that devices have provable capabilities.
    • Enterprise/ Individual Ownership of a RvT will generate transactions:
      • Register owner account
      • Register the identity of their devices from 1 to thousands
      • Record reference integrity measurements
      • Manage policies on the device for access to and use of services
      • Administer access to logged compliance and encryption data
      • Update and remove devices
      • Manage and make global micropayments for service
      • Have access to use the Rivet Network
    • OEM Ownership of a RvT will generate transactions:
      • Record and secure a reference core root of trust for the health measurement (i.e., a device birth certificate)
      • Establish identity for settlement
      • Manage micropayments for device supply chain validation
    • Service Provider ownership of a RvT will generate transactions:
      • Route traffic to public a Cyber Checkpoint
      • Prepay for validations as a perk to users
      • Manage cloud encryption as a service
    • Cyber checkpoint operators will generate transactions:
      • Operate a Cyber Checkpoint
      • Collect micropayments forservice
      • Enable secure logging of data
      • Offer new services

Team


  • Summary: very strong team with a unique mix of experience gained in multifaceted settings such as cybersecurity, software & product development, entrepreneurship and business development; majority of team has 20+ years of experience in tech industry. Many of the team members previously worked together at Wave Systems Corp.
  • Special note: Rivetz is recruiting additional developers at the time of writing.
  • Steven Sprague - CEO, Co-Founder
  • Michael Sprague - CTO, Co-Founder
  • Gerard T. Feeney - CFO, EVP
  • Sean Gilligan - VP, Engineering
    • Summary: very strong profile in tech, team management, product development & entrepreneurship. 30+ years in software & web app development; involved in blockchain development projects since 2014.
    • Software Architect & Blockchain Consultant @ Rivetz
    • Software Engineer and Architect @ Sean Gilligan Consulting
    • Contributing Software Developer @ Omni Foundation
    • Consultant @ Tether.to
    • Founder & CEO @ Catalla Systems
    • Consultant @ Fingerpaint Labs / Apple Computer / Media 100 / Novell / Sun Microsystems
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/seangilligan
    • https://twitter.com/msgilligan
  • Michelle Petigny - VP, Product
    • Summary: strong profile in entrepreneurship and payments with 25+ years of experience in the fields of strategic planning, information technology and finance.
    • Note: CV gap between 2005 & 2010
    • Management Consultant @ Amplitude
    • Inventor, Entrepreneur @ P3Works
    • Founding Member, Partner @ Mitchell Madison Group
    • Financial Institutions/Services Practice Manager @ A.T. Kearney
    • Management Consultant @ McKinsey & Company
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/ampetigny
    • https://twitter.com/ampetigny
  • Amy Vernon - VP, Community
  • Len Veil - VP, Strategic Business Development
    • Summary: very strong tech profile in software, product development, mobile device application security, management & entrepreneurship; 20+ years experience in software & app security.
    • CTO / Co-Founder @ Cerberus Co.
    • CTO / EVP @ Wave Systems
    • Chief Technology Officer / Co-Founder @ N*Able Technologies Inc
    • Director of Engineering @ Fujitsu Microelectronics
    • Technical Lead @ Supercomputer Systems Inc
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenveil
    • https://www.crunchbase.com/person/len-veil
  • Diana Meacham - VP of Sales & Business Development
    • Summary: very strong profile in strategic management, global sales, business development and team management
    • Sr. Director Global Alliances and Enterprise Accounts @ CompuCom
    • Vice President Global Alliances and Global Accounts @ Siemens Enterprise Communications
    • VP Global Strategic Alliances - AT&T @ Siemens
    • Director Global Strategic Alliances and Business Development @ Siemens
    • Director of Federal Sales / Director of Global Accounts @ Siemens Communications
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianameacham
  • Pavan Muddana - VP, Shared Services
    • Summary: strong profile in cyber security, consulting and engineering across infrastructure, data center and enterprise architecture.
    • Warning: does not mention Rivetz on his profile; has a gap on his profile between 1995 and 2005.
    • CTO & Co-Founder @ Cyberdeadbolt Inc
    • Senior Architect @ iRise, Inc
    • Architect @ iRise
    • CTO, Co-Founder @ R3 Communications
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavan-muddana-a35b33
    • https://angel.co/pavan-muddana
  • Jerry Burke - Director of Product Management
    • Summary: very strong profile in software development, technical team management and project management; 35 years of experience in the industry.
    • Principal Software Engineer @ Wave Systems
    • Senior Software Engineer @ IBM
    • Senior Project Manager @ Tracor Aerospace
    • Systems Software Developer / Manager @ Supercomputer Systems, Inc.
    • Operating System Engineer @ Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerryburke1
    • https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Jerry-Burke/1656068235
  • Karl J. Weaver - OEM Business Development Director, China / Asia - Pacific Region
    • Summary: very strong sales and business development background; especially in the fields of mobile devices, phone softwares and wireless networks.
    • OEM Business Development Manager - Asia-Pacific @ ARM/Simulity Labs
    • OEM Business Development Director - North America & Northeast Asia @ Oasis Smart Sim
    • Business Development Manager @ Gemalto & Trustonic
    • Business Development Manager @ Intrinsyc Software International
    • Adjunct Professor - Globalization @ Seattle University
    • Senior Technical Marketer @ Motorola/Freescale Semiconductor
    • Smart Phone/Tablet PC Mobile Device Analyst @ Newport Technologies
    • Marketing Manager - Asia/Pacific Sales @ Leviton Voice & Data Division
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/karljweaver
    • https://twitter.com/karljweaver1
    • http://www.newtechnorthwest.com/resume/ji9lbjwx-karl-j-weaver/
  • Brooke Glew - Senior Director of Community Management and Digital Marketing
    • Summary: great experience in marketing, community and events management
    • Director @ Chain Communications
    • Digital Marketing Manager @ Digital Consulting
    • Naturopath, Iridologist @ Wholesome Natural Health Clinic
    • Events Coordinator @ podium.on purpose
    • Marketing and Events Coordinator @ Snow Concepts
    • Marketing Coordinator @ Joico
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-glew-78a7a334
    • https://medium.com/@trust_17325
  • Kit Fitzpatrick - Staff Engineer
    • Summary: very strong profile in software engineering; 20+ years of consulting for well known companies.
    • Owner/Software Consultant @ IGGI Inc
    • Principal Software Engineer @ LocoLabs LLC
    • Embedded Software Consultant @ AMD / Aether Things
    • Software Consultant @ Varian Medical Systems / Lab126 / Radix Technologies / Cisco / Amazon Lab126 / Boeing / Apple Computer
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitfitzpatrick/
    • https://twitter.com/kitfitz
  • Greg Laun - Software Engineer
    • Summary: experienced software security developer and programmer
    • Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant @ University of Maryland College Park
    • Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant @ Yale University
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-laun-18a40352/
  • Paul Imthurn - Staff Engineer
    • Summary: experienced software developer; especially within security in mobile devices
    • Senior ASIC Designer / Technical Lead @ Research in Motion
    • Senior ASIC Designer @ Certicom
    • ASIC Design Engineer / ASIC Design Manager @ Creative Labs
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-imthurn-2846283/
  • Karl Kuehberger - Software Architect
    • Summary: very strong profile in software engineering with focus on middleware and security; 25+ years in the industry.
    • Software Architect @ QSM Security
    • Senior Lead Software Developer @ jNet ThingX Inc.
    • Software Architect/Staff Software Engineer/Principal Software Engineer @ Wave Systems
    • Principal Software Engineer @ Wavexpress
    • Senior Software Engineer @ Moneyline Telerate / Bridge Information Systems
    • Software Engineer @ S&W Software Development
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlkuehberger/
  • Andrew Defee - Director of Web & UX
  • Tyler Diaz - App Developer
  • Lexi Sprague - Product Manager
  • Alex Taghavi - Director of Business Development, Europe
  • Andrew Finch-Craver - Project Manager
    • Summary: strong profile in tech consultancy, entrepreneurship and business management
    • Education, Media, and Technology Consultant @ Freelance
    • Senior Associate @ Amplitude Analytics
    • Quality Analyst @ Schoology
    • Co-Founder @ ZipPay
    • Founder, Owner @ AFC Computers
    • Information-Technology Consultant, Tutor/Mentor @ Dartmouth College
    • Technology Project Consultant @ Lakeside School
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfinchcraver/
    • http://andrewfinchcraver.weebly.com/

Board members


Advisors


  • Summary: very strong team of advisors across the fields of blockchain, business development, cybersecurity and consulting.
  • Matthew Roszak
    • Summary: exceptional profile in tech, investment and entrepreneurship with vast experience in blockchain industry; sought after thought leader on blockchain technology
    • Co-Founder @ Bloq (enterprise grade blockchain technology to leading companies worldwide)
    • Founding Partner @ Tally Capital (Blockchain venture company)
    • Chairman @ Chamber of Digital Commerce
    • Founder @ Chicago Blockchain Center
    • Founding Limited Partner @ Blockchain Capital LLC (The pioneer and premier venture capital firm focused exclusively on the blockchain technology sector and crypto ecosystem)
    • Board Member @ BitGive Foundation / TrueLook / Onramp / SolidSpace / EBOOST / Enter, Inc
    • Owner @ House of Blues
    • Producer @ The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewroszak/
    • https://twitter.com/MatthewRoszak
    • http://matthewroszak.com/
  • David A. Johnston
    • Summary: very strong profile in tech, entrepreneurship and business development; great experience in blockchain industry.
    • Chairman of the Board @ Factom
    • Managing Director @ Decentralized Applications Fund
    • Board Member @ Omni Protocol Foundation / Aquatic Energy LLC
    • Co-Founder / Executive Director @ BitAngels.co
    • Founder / CEO @ Engine Inc.
    • Chief Executive Officer @ M2B / Wired Fiction
    • Co-Founder @ Baltimore Biodiesel LLC
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidajohnston/
    • https://twitter.com/DJohnstonEC
    • https://medium.com/@DJohnstonEC
  • Greg Kazmierczak
    • Summary: very strong profile in cybersecurity, business leadership, technology & product development.
    • CyberSecurity Consultant @ Independent Security Expert
    • Embedded and System Security Expert @ iRobot
    • Acting President / Chief Technology Officer / VP Technology Strategy @ Wave Systems
    • VP Technology/Director of Engineering @ Wave Systems
    • Research Scientist @ Siemens
    • Teaching Fellow @ University of Pennsylvania
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkazmierczak/
  • Ari Singer
    • Summary: very strong profile in trusted computing, business development, cryptographic protocols and hardware security.
    • Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer @ TrustiPhi, LLC
    • Chair, TPM Software Stack Workgroup @ Trusted Computing Group
    • Director / VP, Trusted Computing @ Digital Management, Inc.
    • Security Architect @ AuthenTec
    • Director / Products & Services Manager / Principal Engineer @ NTRU Cryprosystems
    • Cryptologist @ Pitney Bowes
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-singer-bb21206/
  • Andy Tarbox
    • Summary: very strong profile in business management and consulting with 25 years experience in smart card industry.
    • CEO @ Thornebrook, LLC
    • Director / Federal Sales & Business Management @ Wave Systems
    • EVP Operation @ PRIVO
    • Senior Associate @ Booz Allen Hamilton / Booz and Company
    • VP Security @ Maximus
    • President @ Thornebrook Associates
    • VP Smart Card Technology @ MasterCard International
    • VP International Sales @ Quadrum
    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtarbox/
  • Parity Technologies
    • Summary: Parity is an infrastructure and innovation focused company building platforms and applications. Parity's work combines cutting-edge cryptography, cellular system, peer-to-peer technology and decentralised consensus architectures.
    • https://www.parity.io

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