Like high-yield savings accounts that accrue interest, proof of stake blockchains like Ethereum encourage users to lock away their cryptocurrency for the sake of the network's security in exchange for more of the currency over time. It's a process called staking, but the caveat is that getting the ether back out can be a long and unpredictable process. Mara Schmeidt, 29, wants to solve this problem with her software company Alluvial. Alluvial works with clients like Coinbase, Bitcoin Suisse, Figment and six other crypto platforms to stake ether for their users. Thanks to Alluvial, ether owners are able to sell their cryptocurrency to users on competing platforms--increasing the pool of potential buyers. "Visa was a company that was built in collaboration with competing companies," she says. "We have the same model. We connect many different platforms together to build that market, and that is really hard to do." This also means users can un-stake their ether on a moment's notice--Alluvial provides them a receipt instead of the actual ether, which they can then use to buy or sell with others. Coinbase and Figment are also investors in Alluvial, which has raised $18 million to date.

Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.