Crypto-gems you should keep a watch on 2019

As per the latest report, there are around 1,600 cryptocurrencies that have managed to get listed on exchanges and 100s more waiting to be listed. Out of those listed, there are 600 so-called shit-coins ( no actual purpose, Zero development nor partnerships, All of them are an outright scam ), 900 average coins ( Projects with somewhat of a goal, avg team maybe smaller alliances) 100 good coins ( with a real-world purpose and usage, good revenue model, Strong team and already have strong partnerships with leading companies).
Let's not waste our time discussing the projects that are set to be doomed in a year or two but let's have a look into the projects which I feel that will make a splash in 2019.
The 2–3 large coins that will be the ones, whose tech is vastly superior to Bitcoin through these characteristics
I have selected the projects based on criteria like
Instant transactions
Zero fees
Infinitely scalable and decentralization via side-chain/off-chain/horizontal scaling
Solid team and partnerships

Let's have a look into three of those projects
Aelf.(The "Linux" of Blockchains)
One of the most interesting projects I am tracking is Aelf.(ELF). Based out of Singapore, Aelf is a decentralized platform for cloud computing blockchain network, that is trying to develop be the operating system exclusively for blockchains. As per the team "aelf is planning to be the "Linux system" of the Blockchain.
If you are a follower of the blockchain space, you will be aware of three core issues current blockchain are facing.
Scalability(Majority of existing blockchain performance depends upon a single node)
Resource segregation( The entire system gets clogged if any contract takes too many resources in the main chain)
Adaptable governance model( Remember the clash of BTC and BCH fanboys)

To tackle the above-said issues with current blockchain, Aelf introduced side chains to improve scalability and a unique governance system called DPOS which helped to resolve the problem.
Unlike traditional blockchain which depends upon the main chain for all the processing, Aelf consists of main chain and innovative side chains, which will be used to run smart contracts. With the introduction of side chains, the network doesn't get congested which will help the network to efficiently scale.
One more advantage of side chains is the Cross chain Interaction. That means Aelf blockchain will be able to interact with external blockchain networks like Ethereum, Bitcoin, etc which helps the sharing of information.
To tackle the governance issues, Aelf has opted for Delegated Proof-of-Stake process. DPoS is in a way similar to PoS, but has different and more "democratic" features that Aelf feels it makes more efficient and fair. In DPoS, token holders are able to cast votes to elect block or we can say the miners. Votes are weighted by the voter's stake, and the Block that receives the most votes are those who produce/mine blocks.
This process is more democratic and makes all the token holders the part of the ecosystem and governance more smooth. DPoS also is environmentally friendly because electricity isn't wasted like in Proof of Work which means Aelf cares for the environment as well.
Aelf Innovation Alliance
To accelerate blockchain adaptation, Blockchain project Aelf has recently introduced Innovation Alliance(compare this to the Avengers initiative of crypto world ). Besides Aelf other members of the Innovation Alliance includes Michael Arrington( creator of TechCrunch), Signum Capital(Singapore-based digital fund), FBG Capital (an Asian blockchain hedge fund), Roland Berger(Strategy consultancy company based out of Germany) and Huobi labs( blockchain incubation wing of Huobi).
The purpose behind forming Innovation Alliance is to pool in necessary resources to help and support enterprise looking to embrace blockchain technology. All the members of Alliance bring in a myriad of experience, funding options, industry insight and resources which can help to remove the roadblocks faced by an enterprise to embrace blockchain.
What makes Aelf a good pick for 2019.
The main factor that makes a project successful is how well it can be adapted to the real world. Since most of the large organizations have complex business needs, it's not easy for the current existing rigid structured blockchains to fulfil the needs, which is where Aelf comes into play. Aelf has the capability to tailor the blockchain as per the demand of the industry. It can create a mix of public and private chains on the aelf network as per the business demands. That's the reason you can see a lot of organizations are so keen on this project.
The second factor you should look into is the team. Aelf is Co-founded by Ma Haobo & Zhuling Chen. Mr.Haobo was previously the founder/CEO of Hoopox as well as the CTO of GemPay and AllCoin. Ma Haobo also has an advisory position to the Chinese Government in relation to blockchain technology. Zhuling has secured many investor relationships including J. Michael Arrington, founder and CEO of TechCrunch, and Zhou Shouji, founding partner of FGB Capital, who support the team as members of their advisory board. With this solid team comes solid performance.
Another factor I look for is the liquidity part. Aelf is currently listed in all major exchanges, that means no issues with liquidity as well
One more concern I had in the initial days was "Can Aelf Handle so many transactions as they are promising to be capable of enterprise-scale solutions".But with the recent test net performance of 15,000 tps, I don't think anything more is needed to cement the fact that Aelf is the one exciting project for the year 2019.
SOMA ( The New Decentralized Social Marketplace)
Soma is a revolutionary decentralized platform that facilitates trade and social interaction powered by blockchain technology and a native cryptocurrency (Soma Community Token, or SCT) for liquidity within the Soma Community. By disinter-mediating the value chain, buyers and sellers can realize greater profits. At the same time, an innovative rewards system incentivizes beneficial collaboration and ensures that value-adding services are compensated - Jacob Andra, CMO@Soma
To put in simple words, SOMA is unarguable "first of a kind" decentralized marketplace wherein sellers, and buyers can securely and reliably trade with each other. Unlike the conventional online shopping portals which rely on product reviews or rating (a majority of them are fakes), SOMA harnesses the goodness of social interaction factor (Liking, Sharing, etc.) to help the buyer with decision making and provide him with genuine feedback.
For participating in the platform, SOMA encourages and rewards the users with SOMA tokens(SCT). Since all the interactions get paid, it will help to create more user engagement, which in turn helps the products to reach more audience. The SOMA Rewarding System also recognises active participants as core elements for promoting the products for the target audience and acting as an escrow agent to secure all transactions.
What makes SOMA a good pick for 2019.
Of the projects I reviewed recently, SOMA is one of the projects with strong fundamentals. One more positive fact is Round -1 funding worth €50,000 from Business Finland,( it can gain funding up to €1 million in Round 2 and up to €20 million in Round 3).
There is also a high interest among the top watchmakers ( Bausele , SAVOT, DWISS, Sipilän Kello, Diefendorff etc.) to sign up for SOMA pilot program to which makes me feels that the project has a high chance to gain wider adaptation.
For more information on SOMA , visit https://soma.co
Kambria( Robotics revolution)
As per the Whitepaper, Kambria ( named after the Cambrian Explosion ) can be summarized as
"Kambria is the first blockchain project to build open innovation platform that enables and incentivizes collaborations in R&D, manufacturing, and commercializing advanced technology with a focus on AI & Robotics applications in the consumer space"
In simple terms, Kambria will be building an open source block-chain platform where both developers and manufacturers and can benefit mutually by collaborating with each other. All the contribution will be incentivized via KAT tokens. Over time due to the continuous knowledge sharing happening to the platform, it will be a one-stop-shop for robotics with a collection of thousands of repositories in any robotics field.
With the help of this platform
Developers can enjoy and receive compensation for their contribution
Companies won't be needed to invest in heavy R&D as they can take advantage of the knowledge pool. New Startups will be immensely benefited as it removes the high-cost entry barriers.
End users will be able to have their own Robot " low of cost"
What makes Kambria a good pick for 2019.
Kambria is not without competitions. There are already projects like Project PAI, Singularitynet etc working in a similar field. But none of them is in Robotics and none of them is working towards building a platform, which will be a "one-stop shop" in future.
The other factor is the presence of solid partners. Kambria is well supported not only from the industry front but also from the top names in the academical world like Stanford University, Nanyang Technological University, Carnegie Mellon University etc which gives Kambria an advantage over the others.
Final Thoughts
While the market is correcting and the future is very optimistic, now is a great time to start building your portfolio.