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Animoca Brands and Brinc are launching the nonfungible token (NFT) accelerator: Launchpad Luna.
The program is designed to identify, mentor, and invest in promising blockchain and NFT startups that are driving digitalization and shaping the future of the web.
Launchpad Luna will also accept high-potential startups seeking to adopt blockchain and NFTs into their core business. Global blockchain and NFT startups will benefit from funding of up to $500,000 and end-to-end support.
NFTs use blockchain, the transparent and secure digital ledger, to uniquely identify digital items. That allows for the authentication of digital collectibles or the auctioning of one-of-a-kind that can be authenticated through blockchain, the transparent and secure digital ledger behind cryptocurrencies. Polygon enables users of companies like OpenSea, an NFT marketplace, to buy and sell NFTs without onerous fees.
NFTs have exploded in applications such as art, sports collectibles, and music. NBA Top Shot (a digital take on collectible basketball cards) is one example. Built by Dapper Labs, NBA Top Shot has surpassed $700 million in sales, just seven months after going public. And an NFT digital collage by the artist Beeple sold at Christie’s for $69.3 million. Gaming has a couple of new unicorns, or startups valued at $1 billion, in Animoca Brands and Forte. NFTs are now selling at a rate of $62 million a week, though the initial hype around NFTs is dying down from a peak in May of $175 million a week, according to Nonfungible.com.
Above: Animoca Brands’ REVV and SAND NFT tokens.
Image Credit: Animoca Brands
The new accelerator has support from various mentors and corporate partners working towards the advancement of the NFT space, including AppWorks, Blockparty, Dapper Labs (the company behind CryptoKitties, NBA Top Shot, and FLOW), EllioTrades, Featured by Binance, Gabby Dizon (co-founder of Yield Guild Games), Harmony (ONE), Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), Mai Fujimoto (Miss Bitcoin), Mateen Soudagar (DCLBlogger), Metakovan (Metapurse), Mindfund, Sebastien Borget (co-founder of The Sandbox and chairman of the Blockchain Gamer Alliance), Virtually Human Studio (creators of ZED RUN), WhaleShark, and various others.
The Launchpad Luna accelerator will identify and foster NFT innovation in the fields of culture, art, entertainment, media, gaming, streaming, collectibles, insurance, finance, and data management; DeFi and additional verticals will be added in the future.
Launchpad Luna aims to shape the blockchain industry to embrace awareness of environmental concerns such as climate change. Admission to the program will be prioritized for climate-conscious projects that drive digitalization, that place emphasis on proof-of-stake protocols and sidechains instead of proof-of-work, and that have lower overall physical footprints. Accepted entrants will receive training in optimizing a blockchain business to minimize energy use and carbon emissions. This is in line with Brinc’s plan to invest and support the development of more than 1,000 climate-conscious startups in the next five years.
Above: Animoca Brands wants to be the leader in blockchain gaming.
Image Credit: Animoca Brands
Startups accepted into the Launchpad Luna program will benefit from a unique combination of technical resources on product development, token design, fundraising, marketing, research, analytics support, and data management. Startups will also receive support to help them scale all aspects of their businesses, including access to world-class mentors in the crypto world along with key exchanges, chains, marketers, and investors within the networks of Animoca Brands and Brinc.
In early 2021, Brinc took over management of the investments into 50 AI-focused companies from Zeroth.ai, Animoca Brands’ accelerator for artificial intelligence startups. This collaboration laid the foundation for the new accelerator program as both organizations recognized a broader opportunity to scale value creation by leveraging each other’s expertise.
Brinc and Animoca Brands bring together market-leading expertise in their respective fields. Brinc has made over 160 investments and is one of the world’s leading venture accelerators. Animoca Brands has invested in more than 60 businesses that are built around the use and/or trade of NFTs, and has launched various blockchain projects including The Sandbox metaverse and the REVV Motorsport token and platform.
Applications are now open here.
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