---
description: >-
  Stead is a platform to fund floating infrastructure. The tokens derive their
  value as tickets that allow the rental of the floating assets they funded,
  such as boats, fish cages, or floating houses.
---

# Introduction

<figure><img src="https://4267213320-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FET034mQs5VxyAIMNmgQV%2Fuploads%2Feq4Al9RU9hNMoeGTHlyt%2FFull%20logo.jpg?alt=media&#x26;token=4b650924-14bc-4f29-8e8f-cfa519a236de" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The global market value of floating Aquaculture Fish Cages was 2.09 Billion in 2022. In addition, the global market for boats, including fishing boats was 30.56 Billion in 2019. For both of these industries receiving loans or other forms of financing can be considerably more difficult than receiving mortgages for housing, especially in some developing economies. This is the first problem that Stead solves, by making capital more available for those wishing to invest in floating infrastructure. Thinking about scaling up these operations, and using Stead as a platform to finance the construction or acquisition of merchant vessels, show even more promise, the global market value of merchant ships was 1.2 Trillion dollars in 2021.



All of these numbers sound like their is a huge market waiting to be tapped into, a lot of opportunity for blockchain based platforms to compete with traditional finance, and come out on top. But their is also another emerging technology where the opposite is true. Seasteading is the science of constructing permanent human habitation in the ocean. This emerging technology will allow mankind to use the 71% of the Earth's surface that it is not currently using, and compete directly with the global Real Estate market, which sits at 326.5 Trillion. Using technology developed by ArkPad, a single family home seastead can be built for less than $200,000, despite this, you will be hard pressed to find a bank in the US or other countries that are willing to commit such a large sum to the building of a floating structure, as it is a less known and understood asset than a land based house. Thus the second reason for the need for this token is to allow the crowdfunding of the construction of seasteads, not through loans, but rather through a ticketing system that cannot be misconstrued as a security. \


