UPDATED 22:30 EDT / SEPTEMBER 04 2017

EMERGING TECH

Paris Hilton endorses initial coin offering for ‘first AI big data marketing cloud for blockchain’

As cryptocurrencies plummet thanks to news that China has banned initial coin offerings, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. heiress Paris Hilton has jumped on the bandwagon.

The Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. heiress this weekend endorsed an ICO by LydianCoin Pte. Ltd., a company that describes itself as the “first A.I. big data marketing cloud for blockchain.” The flurry of celebrities such as Hilton and boxer Floyd Mayweather backing ICOs has some observers speculating that “peak blockchain has arrived.”

Lydian states on its website that its ICO is for an “intelligent marketing platform for the blockchain community powered by Gravity4.” It’s offering tokens that will allow “cryptocurrency-enabled purchasing of targeted, A.I. driven digital marketing and advertising services.”

Because ICOs are hot right now, China aside, the company noted that ICOs have raised more than $2 billion in 2017 “despite using dated marketing strategies that fail to enlarge the pool of educated engaged consumers.” It should be noted at this point that we’re not making any of this up and are using direct quotes.

The news in a field of dubious ICOs is that Hilton endorsed Lydian’s ICO, saying in a tweet Sunday: “Looking forward to participating in the new @LydianCoinLtd Token! #ThisIsNotAnAd #CryptoCurrency #BitCoin #ETH #BlockChain.” Hilton claimed that her miraculous conversion to the world of initial coin offerings was not paid for.

However, the Lydian ICO comes from Gurbaksh Chahal, a controversial Indian-American “internet entrepreneur” who is best remembered in the tech world for pleading guilty to beating his girlfriend 117 times and then spending a year in jail after violating his parole conditions.

Although Chahal has been described by some as getting a “free pass” in the tech press since he finished his jail term, the endorsement of his ICO by Hilton has not gone unnoticed. Blockchain investor Adam Draper, son of famed venture capitalist Tim Draper, wrote on Twitter that “It’s about time someone solved the problem of #AI #BigData #marketing #cloud for the #BlockChain – @ParisHilton.” Due to some, seemingly, not understanding sarcasm, Draper Jr. was then forced to clarify his initial tweet, adding that “And if it wasn’t clear, I’m being sarcastic. This coin being promoted by @ParisHilton is most definitely a garbage #ICO.”

It’s not clear how much Lydian is looking to raise, though a filing linked on the site notes that it will be offering 40 million LydianCoins in the ICO. Unlike most forthcoming ICOs, it also doesn’t offer a date for the fund raise, stating only that it’s coming soon.

SiliconANGLE has asked Hilton if she could share some of her deep insight on the subject, in this case if she could provide a date for the ICO. Should she respond, this post will be updated.

Image: anemieasy/Deviant Art

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