Propine Capital, a leading blockchain-based fintech startup, offers full custodian services for blockchain-based digitals assets. Headed by Tuhina Singh, CEO, and Wong Lian Zang, CTO the start-up aims to disrupt the private equity industry. The start-up was recently inducted to Sandbox programming by the Monetary Authority of Singapore ( MAS).
The start-ups aim to reduce friction in the cross-ordered capital movement to increase efficiency in the capital market. To achieve this, the startup is building an infrastructure to allow start-ups and small-medium companies to build innovative solutions, adds Tuhiana.
For instance, Propine is working with a company to develop a new type of bond issuance. It will create opportunities for investors that had never existed before, Tuhina explains.
Disrupting the private equity industry
It is ironic that private equity firms invest in start-ups that aim to disrupt the industry. The industry itself doesn’t have anything remotely disruptive. Propine aims to disrupt the private equity space. The industry is one of the most efficient sectors around. There are lower hanging fruits to be picked in the private market, Tuhina emphasis.
Private equity investors seek companies that have the potential to bring about a transformation in the industry. Angel and institutional investors specialize in ways to think about how companies can be transformational in their approach while making them significant profit. It is oxymoronic that the industry itself hasn’t gone through any significant change. Now it’s time the private equity industry sees some major changes. “ The industry is ripe for disruption”, CEO sums.
Eventually, there will be top private equity firms that will be able to justify the illiquidity of their LP interests. Most companies cannot justify it and will have to go the tokenized way.
Creating awareness
Propine is on a mission to make firms realize that disruption is essential in the industry. How does the company do that?
The company didn’t engage in any marketing activity until it got into the sandbox. It was only after being inducted into a sandbox that the company thought about focusing on marketing and advertising, explains CEO.
The company’s marketing strategy involves becoming a “super early adopter” of their product and services. This requires the company to do speaking engagements at events. The company is taking a practical approach and taking its eye off-blockchain conferences. It will engage with real stakeholders and striking the heart of it.
Before the company actively engages in promotional activities, it aims to ensure that it has the right foundation for it. The company will focus on achieving the state of readiness with focus.
“Our company is getting many opportunities. The important thing is to say no and focus on the reason why we exist”, she says.
Currently, there are four different tokens in the market: cryptocurrencies, utility tokens, asset-backed tokens, and security tokens. We need to focus on one. It will keep our resources focused, even though we have the tech capabilities to accommodate all of them, she suggests.
Moving forward
In addition to launching new services for its client private equity firms, the company plans to grow its team.
One of the key factors in growing a successful team is to ensure that people who are leading the team share the same value as the company itself. This is another reason why the company thinks focus is crucial. Propine Capital achieves this through implementing objectives and key results.
“We ensure that the same value is propagated throughout the company and is adhered to by every decision-maker in the company. We started by implementing OKRs in a simple way before making it a part of the company’s needs and ensuring that everyone on the team knows where we are headed” Singh elucidates.
