Mainframe (MFT) ICO Analysis: A Secure and Decentralized Communications Network

Executive Summary

Project Description

The internet connects people from all over the world and while this is great in terms of the possibilities and opportunities it creates, it’s not all good. As a matter of fact, the internet as we know it has some disadvantages that need to be addressed urgently. For one, tons of sensitive information are stolen via the internet every day. Additionally, the government and other centralized powers misuse their authority and exploit the internet’s vulnerabilities, gathering users’ information illegally as a result. These points show how the internet may be a danger to privacy rights, especially for people whose life and work revolve around private and valuable information.

In order to improve the current situation, the Mainframe project wants to create a messaging layer for the new web. This layer will be based on five fundamentals to ensure it is resistant to censorship, surveillance, and disruption. One, the Mainframe network will use the highest levels of encryption technology and will offer secure messaging for P2P and group communications. Two, the Mainframe network will use Dark Routing; nodes will be part of a decentralized network, making messaging activities almost impossible to track. Three, the network will be constructed using peer-to-peer architecture. What this means is: Mainframe’s application data will be distributed throughout the network. As a result, the network can neither be censored nor shut down. Four, rewards are given out to nodes that support the network. Therefore, people have a financial motivation to support Mainframe’s decentralized infrastructure. Five, the Mainframe network allows interoperability among systems, and the platform will be available on any app, network, or blockchain that require truly private communication.

Mainframe’s token, MFT, will be used to reward nodes that keep the network running. Here is a breakdown of how that works: MFT will reward the timely and efficient relay of packets; it will reward the delivery of packets from sender to receiver, and it will reward reliable decentralized data services. Additionally, MFT can also be used as an exchange asset in marketplaces (where goods and services are bought and sold) on the Mainframe platform. MFT is an ERC20 token and it is compatible with the Ethereum Blockchain.

At Devcon3 in November 2017, the project released one of its applications on the Mainframe network. The Onyx messaging client is a fully decentralized workplace messaging tool similar to Slack. It runs on the Mainframe network and it is supposedly invulnerable to outside threats. Some of its features include a decentralized contact storage, dark routing, and a bot market.

Hard Cap and Valuation

There will be a total of 10 billion MFT tokens, and Mainframe aims to raise 30,000 ETH for 50% of the token total in private and public sales. The private sale has an allocation of 20,000 ETH and the remaining 10,000 ETH goes to the public sale. Tokens bought during the private sale are on a one-year release schedule i.e. 31.25% of them are released immediately and over the next 11 months, 6.25% are released monthly. Tokens bought during the public sale have no restrictions.

The remaining 50% will be shared thus: 25% goes to the team, 15% is held in reserve, and the final 10% is used to fund the reward system on the platform. The team tokens will be vested monthly over a 3-year period; the reserve pool will be locked for 12 months and if afterward it is not needed for growth, it will be burned; the reward pool will be vested monthly over a 2-year period.

Price Per Token

1 MFT = 0.000006 ETH

Please note that tokens bought during the private sale come with a 10% bonus.

Important Dates

Exact dates are not available at the moment, but there is a broad timeline and it is as follows: the private sale is to be concluded in February 2018 and the public sale, in March 2018. Tokens are supposed to be distributed in April 2018, and in May 2018, the Testnet is going to be launched.

Marketing Power

As at the time this post was published, Mainframe had almost 1,600 followers on Twitter, 2,800+ members on Telegram, over 560 Facebook subscribers, 170+ Instagram followers, almost 120 followers on Medium, and 32 subscribers on YouTube.

Prominent Advisors

Lars Rasmussen

• Founder of Google Wave.

Georg Ell

• GM of Yammer (acquired by Microsoft).

Team Members’ Areas of Expertise

Business experts

Mick Hagen, Founder and CEO.

• Experienced and successful crypto investor.
• Board Member at Effect.org, an international nonprofit organization, for almost 3 years (ongoing).
• Founder and CEO of Undrip, a content discovery app.
• Co-Founder of Zinch.com, a social network for students (acquired in 2011).

Brad Hagen, Business Development & Sales.

• Co-Founder and Business Development Personnel at Brandr, a social media analysis platform, for almost two years.
• Co-Founder and Business Development Personnel at Studio Design, a consumer app, for over two years.
• Vice President at Lendio, an online service for small loans, for almost 2 years.
• Co-Founder of Zinch.com.

Luca Tavazzani, Operations & Strategy.

• Co-founder & Relationship Manager at CITIMPACT for almost a year.
• Master’s Degree in Management, Organizations, and Governance; Merit.

Matt Larson, Business Development & Strategy.

• Co-Founder of Cryptobuzz.
• App Innovation Executive at Microsoft for almost 2 years.
• Senior Partner and Manager at Xamarin (later acquired by Microsoft) for over 3 years.
• Business Development Manager at Rhomobile, a cross-platform mobile development framework, for over 2 years.

Target market experts

Mainframe is a communication network based on the Blockchain, and no team member has significant expertise in this target area. However, many members on the Mainframe team are noted entrepreneurs and founders of various tech apps.

Marketing experts

Austin Craig, Head of Marketing.

• Co-Founder of Life on Bitcoin (documentary film).
• Pitchman and Creative Lead at OraBrush Inc, a media e-commerce brand builder, for six years.
• Freelance Media Producer for almost nine years.

Clément Jaquier, Head of Design.

• Founding Partner & Design Director at uKonect, a mobile service that connects group members through geolocation, for 3 years.
• Founder and Advisor at 360 PRO, a virtual tours platform, for almost 3 years.
• Founder & Creative Director at Blackpen, a creative studio specialized in high-end design, for 3 years.

Legal experts

No team member with legal expertise.

Software engineering experts

Carl Youngblood, CTO.

• Senior Engineer at Cisco System for 5 years.
• VP of Engineering at DivvyPay for a year.
• Senior Software Engineer at Podium.com for a year.
• CTO at The World Table, an online public engagement platform, for a year.

Shane Howley, VP Engineering & Back-end.

• His Github page.

Paul Le Cam, VP Engineering & Front-end.

• His Github page.

Milos Mosic, Back-end Engineer.

• His Github page.

Adam Clarke, Front-end Engineer.

• His Github page.

Diogo Perillo, Front-end Engineer.

• His Github page.

Blockchain development experts

No team member with blockchain development expertise.

Token sale structure experts

No team member or advisor with token sale structure expertise.

Token economics experts

No team member or advisor with token economics expertise.

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Disclaimers:

• Nothing written in this article is a legal or an investment advice.
• Information is provided on a best-effort basis and is subject to change without prior notice. Be sure to verify everything you read with a project team.

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The analysis was produced by Research Center team members: Alexander Bugaj, Mark Jedd, Eugene Tartakovsky.

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