Aeternity is a smart contract driven blockchain platform that aims to integrate real world data and improve the overall performance of smart contracts. Aeternity has a hybrid consensus algorithm that combines PoW for verifying transactions, and PoS for governance purposes. The platform is based on a system of state channels that allow users to interact privately with each other and record this information off-chain.

Kadena is a software development company that builds blockchain-based platforms for a range of businesses. They develop purpose-built blockchain solutions for their clients by using proprietary solutions that are aimed at being both secure and scalable. Kadena offers both private and public blockchain platforms, with smart contracts written in the Pact programming language. They've also developed an innovative proof-of-work architecture called ChainWeb that could have a variety of applications.
Kadena's founders have experience working for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and JPMorgan Chase Bank. The company has raised significant funding and is well positioned to be play a big role in developing future blockchain solutions for large financial institutions.

Skycoin began as an ambitious infrastructure project aimed at replacing the Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithms that dominate current blockchain platforms. It has since evolved into a project focused on creating a decentralized mesh-Internet and a platform for other blockchain-based projects. Skycoin is developing an ecosystem with a variety of goals, including: the elimination of mining rewards, development of energy-efficient custom hardware, advancing security and privacy, and achieving transaction speeds that rival current digital payment systems. The ecosystem consists of the native SKY coin, Skywire (decentralized mesh-Internet), Skyminer (hardware and access point for Skywire), Skyledger (decentralized open blockchain network), and a suite of DApps. The consensus algorithm is called Obelisk. The network's nodes agree based on a Web-of-Trust consensus. The ability to influence transaction verification is distributed over the network creating a web of trust. To eliminate mining completely each node on the network connects to a list of nodes that it sees as trustworthy.