| We've got a number of blockchain developers in our team and rent out their time to interested parties, so we see a number of these options come up. There are a few different business models possible: * When ICOs are issued, tokens are sold in exchange for other currency (typically BTC, ETH, or fiat currency like USD). The reason is to have more-established forms of money available to pay developers working on the technology, so this means you can actually pay people conventional cash (in the short term). * In the long term, most protocol developers monetize via software built on top of the underlying technology or powering the underlying technology. BlockCypher is one example (https://www.blockcypher.com/) You can offer pro versions if folks run them internally for a fee. * It's also common to offer consulting/human services related to technology you developed. (https://gem.co/ is a good example) * Decentralized protocols don't mean you can't take a cut of transactions – they mean everyone has a chance to take a cut of transactions! Most blockchains call these "miners" and open it up to everyone, but the initial protocol developer may also set up/offer a pool to take advantage of this process. This happens quite often with industrial/commercial blockchain used by larger industry groups. * More generally, technology running on open protocols can be centralized/proprietary even if the underlying tech is open – the same rules apply. TCP/IP and HTTP are open and decentralized, but we have plenty of money-making businesses here on the web! |