Gary Vaynerchuk and his VeeFriends platform are taking VeeCon 2024 to Los Angeles, marking the multi-day event’s first appearance on the West Coast. The third annual superconference focused on business, tech, and pop culture will be held at the iconic LA LIVE Entertainment District downtown, but that’s not all that’s changing next year.

VeeCon 2024 is slated for Aug. 9 to 11, while the two previous iterations of the event took place in May. The third edition also has a refreshed focus, much like the second edition did. Per an official press release, event organizers are describing VeeCon 2024 as “a contemporary business conference that is all about the now.” Programming will be centered around five core themes, including business, marketing, technology, innovation, and pop culture. No sponsors or speakers have been announced as of this point.

“With its world-class venues and accessibility, Los Angeles offers a dynamic environment for attendees to engage and connect with each other,” Vaynerchuk said in a press release. “We’re incredibly excited to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to the city of LA and VeeCon attendees in 2024.”

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VeeCon’s Evolution

Back in May, I took a very deep dive into the business behind VeeCon, down to details about how the event is planned and executed. I also spoke to Vaynerchuk himself, event organizers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees about the evolution of the event. The inaugural VeeCon in 2022, which took place at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, was heavily focused on Web3 and the world of NFTs. After a downturn in the Web3 market, programming for the 2023 edition shifted to a broader focus that encompassed tech, pop culture, marketing, business, and entrepreneurship. Those are the five terms I used to describe Veecon 2023, and the early indications are that the 2024 installment will double down on programming focused on those industries.

Vaynerchuk told Boardroom earlier this year that the conference will evolve with the industries that impact it. If that’s true, then I can bet we’ll hear more about artificial intelligence, the evolution of content creation, and the digital media landscape at VeeCon 2024.

Hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Veecon 2023 attracted 5,000 attendees, down roughly 1,500 of the crowd who attended in 2022. VeeFriends President Andy Krainak told Boardroom that even as the conference evolves, the brand will stick to its commitment to token-gating VeeCon for at least the first three years of the event. This means all Series 1 VeeFriends holders will receive airdropped tickets to the event — then, it’s up to them whether to attend the superconference or sell their tickets on a secondary marketplace.

There are 10,255 VeeCon tickets in total, matching the exact number of VeeFriends Series 1 NFTs in circulation.

You’ll likely catch us on the ground in LA next year! In the meantime, keep it locked on Boardroom for future updates on VeeCon 2024.

Don’t miss Gary Vee’s Boardroom Cover Story conversation with Rich Kleiman on all things VeeCon, emerging tech trends, and more:

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The post VeeCon 2024 Heads to Downtown Los Angeles appeared first on Boardroom.

Coinbase is a sponsored partner of Boardroom.

Coinbase is expanding its Base blockchain network to the general public. The company announced on Thursday that it will do so through a three-week-long celebratory campaign called Onchain Summer, starting Aug. 9.

Onchain Summer is a collaborative effort between Coinbase and over 50 brands, platforms, marketplaces, artists, and creators aiming to make crypto and blockchain tech more accessible to the masses. Over the next week, Coinbase will role out support for its Layer 2 Ethereum blockchain, Base, on Coinbase Wallet, the Coinbase app, and Coinbase NFT. When OnChain Summer starts on Aug. 9, anyone will be able to explore and engage with decentralized apps on Base at near-zero blockchain gas fees.

Before laying out what Coinbase Onchain Summer has coming, here’s everything you need to know about Base.

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What is Base?

Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) blockchain network that’s incubated by Coinbase. L2 blockchains are extensions to L1 blockchain networks, like Ethereum, that allow developers and users to build and interact more easily. Jesse Pollak, Coinbase’s head of protocols and creator of Base, is the mastermind behind the new blockchain network that first launched in a testing phase around February. Pollak told Boardroom at VeeCon 2023 that Coinbase is on a mission to bring a million creators and a billion users onchain through user-friendly blockchain tech and apps such as Base, Coinbase Wallet, and the Coinbase app.

Base leverages the Ethereum network’s security, is low-cost compared to building on L1 blockchains, and is more developer-friendly than your typical blockchain network. Coinbase built Base’s open-source development stack in collaboration with Optimism, a L2 blockchain developer. The crypto exchange built Base to create an environment for developers to build decentralized apps onchain with ease. Builders can access Coinbase’s suite of products and tools when they develop on Base.

While Base is incubated by Coinbase, the crypto leader plans to fully decentralize the blockchain in the future. After nearly six months of a successful testnet period, Coinbase will launch Base mainnet and open the blockchain network up for general availability on Aug. 9. Coinbase and Coinbase Wallet will support Base’s big launch through an onchain festival packed with various events and opportunities.

The Coinbase Onchain Summer

Coinbase’s Onchain Summer campaign will kick off with a multi-week celebration of blockchain-enabled art, music, gaming, and more, all built on Base. Coca-Cola, Atari, and OpenSea are among the businesses and Web3 ecosystem builders who will run onchain events alongside Coinbase.

“We’re committed to uplifting builders and creators — the tinkerers, the curious, the ones who live in and see the future — in real life, online, and onchain. We believe in the transformative power of that builder community: when you combine new ideas, technologies, and people, you have an unwavering force for change,” Pollak said in a blog post.

Coinbase will share the full lineup of partners, a schedule of NFT mint events, and more on the Onchain Summer website on Aug. 9. More details about Base’s mainnet launch and access to decentralized apps on the network will also come next week. Coinbase is already getting Onchain Summer started with an open mint for a commemorative NFT called Bridge to Base, available on the campaign’s website.

As part of the campaign, Coinbase is partnering with PropHouse to award more than 100 ETH in grants to developers building on Base. Per Base’s blog, here are the different grant opportunities:

• Onchain Summer – August 9 – 18: Make art, a website, or whatever you’re inspired to for Onchain Summer on Base.
• Build on Base – August 12 – 23: Deploy a protocol, build infrastructure, or a new application on Base.
• Stand with Crypto – August 14 – 24: Make a one-minute video sharing a story about an onchain use case or advocating for sensible legislation.
• Based Accounts – August 16 – September 13: Build something that unlocks new or improved user experiences on Base using account abstraction.

Coinbase is also working with Superhack to host a virtual hackathon from Aug. 4 to 18, featuring $175,000 in prizes.

If you aren’t looking to build on Base, that’s okay. There is still something you can learn and interact with on the network. Get your Coinbase Wallet (or any crypto wallet you use) ready for OnChain Summer and the new offerings Coinbase is launching to bring more consumers to the blockchain. You’ll need a little bit of ETH, but here are six ways to learn about Base, per Base’s blog:

1. Mint the commemorative Bridge to Base NFT at onchainsummer.xyz.
2. Bridge ETH to Base by visiting bridge.base.org and mint a commemorative NFT.
3. Learn about Base, bridge ETH, mint a commemorative NFT, and earn enough ETH for about ten transaction fees on Base while supplies last. Complete the quest either in your Coinbase app or in your Coinbase Wallet app.
4. Learn about and bridge to Base with Galxe. You’ll be able to mint an NFT and earn a chance to win a small ETH reward after completing the quiz and bridging to Base. Start collecting loyalty points to climb up the leaderboard.
5. Complete a Bridge to Base quest on Layer3. Learn about Base, complete the quiz, bridge ETH, mint your commemorative NFT and get an ETH reward in your wallet.
6. Mint.fun: Anyone can mint to bridge with mint.fun and get your mint fee of 0.001 ETH back on Base. If you’re a mint.fun pass holder, you can mint for free and get your NFT and a small amount of Base ETH for free.

Check out this blog for more.

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The post Coinbase: Bringing Base to the Masses appeared first on Boardroom.

Coinbase is a sponsored partner of Boardroom.

One might argue that NFTs are dead, but seven-figure sales throughout the year prove otherwise.

Though NFTs definitely aren’t as popular as they were a year ago, they are still a big part of the crypto industry. Between January and June 2023, NFT sales raked in approximately $5.2 billion compared to the $22.2 billion the market saw during the same time period last year, according to CryptoSlam data. Some big market moments drove the bus, including April’s introduction of the PEPE coin, a meme coin that drove up gas fees and cost to trade NFTs for a bit. After much anticipation, Nike’s .SWOOSH project unveiled some nostalgic AF1 digital sneaker collectibles, and Y00ts moved to the Polygon blockchain while DeGods moved to the Ethereum network.

And let’s not forget about Limit Break’s sketchy crypto advertisement during the Super Bowl earlier this year.

Let’s take a look at what else has been happening across the crypto market.

Coinbase Catch-up

Earlier this year, we checked in with Coinbase about the developing and evolving world of Web3 and blockchain technologies. As a recap, the crypto exchange detailed three key themes in a report on the crypto market in 2023:

• A flight to quality among institutional investors
• Creative destruction that will eventually lead to new opportunities
• Foundational reforms that usher in the next cycle

In recent years, we’ve seen Coinbase sprout up across the sports industry through various partnerships and activations. This year, the crypto exchange has been in the limelight, going head-to-head with the SEC on crypto regulations. Coinbase is cementing itself as more than a company that operates a crypto exchange; it’s becoming a leading authority in the crypto space.

When it comes to the SEC, there has been a bit of back-and-forth between the two entities, with Coinbase solely focused on getting some set crypto rules from the commission in order to operate in good faith. The SEC has been making it hard for crypto exchanges with various lawsuits, but Coinbase doesn’t seem to be backing down any time soon. The SEC sued Coinbase for allegedly operating as an unregistered national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency. This lawsuit came after the SEC reviewed and approved Coinbase’s business practices before the crypto exchange went public in April 2021. 

Despite the battle with the SEC, Coinbase has been vocal about the power of crypto and blockchain technologies. Following a national survey that found one in five Americans own crypto, Coinbase launched a national campaign earlier this year that highlights its mission to make crypto a tech that can modernize the global financial system. The Block reported that Coinbase’s international exchange attracted nearly $2 billion in trade volume last month, despite momentum slowing across the market.

We’ll have more exclusive insights soon on Coinbase’s ongoing battle with the SEC and how it might affect the exchange on the stock market.

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NFTs Today

As we sunset our biweekly-ish NFT Sales Roundups in favor of a biannual check-in on the market, we pulled some data on sales volume from the first six months of 2023, with data exclusively from CryptoSlam. Though it’s not reflected in these top sales, Bitcoin Ordinals, a protocol that allows NFTs to be attached to Bitcoin tokens, was one of the biggest innovations to arrive this year that propelled the Bitcoin blockchain beyond just a ledger for tracking digital payments.

“We’ve reached a point of maturation to a degree where many NFT traders are coming to understand that not all NFTs are equal,” CryptoSlam’s Yehudah Petscher told Boardroom. “A majority of NFTs are closer to “meme” coins or crypto than they are utility tokens. Still, plenty of builders are innovating by using Web3 tech. From bands using NFTs as fan club passes to artists using NFTs to establish provenance and then games building out ecosystems using NFT assets. The NFT space is still very young but growing fast. The future is very bright for NFTs. Let’s start calling them blockchain collectibles, though.”

See below for some of the statistical highlights from the first half of the year. All data measured from January to June 2023.

10 highest-selling NFT collections (by sales volume):

1. Bored Ape Yacht Club: $809.1 million
2. Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $700.8 million
3. Wrapped Punks: $568.4 million
4. Azuki: $535.3 million
5. Otherdeed: $341.9 million
6. Bored Ape Kennel Club: $189.8 million
7. Doodles: $180.5 million
8. Moonbirds: $179.9 million
9. CloneX: $171.9 million
10. Pudgy Penguins: $160.7 million

10 highest-selling NFT mints:

1. Azuki’s Elementals: $37.7 million
2. DeFi Apes: $7.7 million
3. PORSCHΞ 911: $3.5 million
4. SMB Gen3: $2.9 million
5. a KID called BEAST: $2.6 million
6. Mad Lads: $1.5 million
7. ArcheWorld Land: $1.3 million
8. Gambulls: $1.2 million
9. Solcasino.io: $1.2 million
10. AssetDash Vanta: $1.1 million

5 of the Biggest NFT Sales:

Sewer Pass #21915 sold for $1.6 million (1,000 WETH) on Feb. 27.

This NFT was awarded to pro gamer Mongraal after he achieved the top score in Yuga Labs’ Dookey Dash game.

CryptoPunk #5066 sold for $1.4 million (857 ETH) on Feb. 6.

Bored Ape #7090 sold for $1.3 million (800 ETH) on Feb. 7.

Bored Ape #4980 sold for over $971,000 (530 ETH) on May 15.

Bored Ape #5840 sold for over $800,000 (500 ETH) on Jan. 29.

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The post The State of Crypto: January to June 2023 appeared first on Boardroom.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that roughly 464,900 buyers spent over $113.5 million on NFTs in the past seven days, with NFT sales volume down 23% compared to last week. NFT transactions are down 1% overall, with roughly 2.2 million processed between July 14 and July 21. Despite a slight downturn, notable Web3 brands including Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks attracted seven-figure deals this past week.

NFT Sales & Blockchain Volume Changes Over the Past Week, per CryptoSlam:

• The top five blockchains — Ethereum (-11.1%), Bitcoin (-70.3%), Solana (-26.2%) Polygon (-12.8%), and ImmutableX (-2.9%) — all traded in the red this past week.
• A new Ethereum-based NFT collection called Garbage Bags attracted $1.1 million in sales during its minting process this past week.
• The Ethereum blockchain attracted $72.7 million in sales while Bitcoin, the second highest by NFT sales volume, only attracted about $9 million.
• Don’t call it a comeback. Pudgy Penguins sales are up again (+81.6%), with the project seeing about $1 million in sales and ranking 18th highest overall for sales volume.

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Highest-selling NFT Projects, Also via CryptoSlam:

• Gods Unchained Cards: $4.7 million (+1.3%)
• DMarket: $4.5 million (+33.9%)
• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $4.2 million (-37.8%)
• CryptoPunks: $4.1 million (-6.3%)
• Uncategorized Ordinals: $3.2 million (-51.5%)

More Recent NFT & Crypto News:

• Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong met with House Democrats in a closed meeting earlier this week to discuss digital asset legislation including setting parameters around taxes, privacy, and national security.
• NARS partnered with five women who are digital artists for a special NFT collection inspired by its iconic Orgasm shade. The collection’s auction kicked off on SuperRare on July 19.
• AI and metaverse tech company Futureverse closed a $54 million Series A funding round led by 10T Holdings with participation from Ripple.

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Top NFT Sales of the Week

Bored Ape #1734 sold for $1.2 million (600 ETH) on July 13.

CryptoPunk #8531 sold for $1.06 million (550 ETH) on July 15.

Azuki #5787 sold for $213,055 (110 ETH) on July 15.

Fidenza #875 sold for $164,313 (86.69 ETH) on July 20.

Pudgy Penguin #7705 sold for $131,862 (69 ETH) on July 17.

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CryptoSlam’s data shows that roughly 1.3 million buyers spent over $194.4 million on NFTs in the past seven days, with NFT sales volume down 24% compared to last week. NFT transactions are down 14% overall, with roughly 2.1 million processing through between June 30 and July 7. Legacy NFT projects, including Bored Ape Yacht Club, Azuki, and Mutant Ape Yacht Club, topped sales this week.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum (-15.9%), Bitcoin (-40.8%), and Solana (-71.4%) sales are down this week, with the blockchains respectively attracting $129.3 million, $22.7 million, and $11.4 million.
• Pudgy Penguins’ sales are surprisingly up 83.3%, with the project bringing in $2 million in sales across 214 transactions.
• Polygon (+39.8%) and BNB Chain (+84.9%) sales got a nice bump this week, with the blockchains respectively attracting $8.5 million and $7.8 million.
• Azuki NFTs are trading in the red across sales, transactions, buyers, and sellers, but the project still ranked second highest for sales volume.

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $20.8 million (+89.4%)
• Azuki: $11.2 million (-43.3%)
• Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $9.1 million (+88.1%)
• Uncategorized Ordinals: $8.8 million (-62.6%)
• The Captainz: $6.9 million (+48.9%)

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More recent NFT and crypto news:

• Yuga Labs is working on a book about CryptoPunks with design company Zak Group to detail every pixelated NFT in the 10,000-piece collection.
• Ubisoft is developing a blockchain-based role-playing game for PC called Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles.
• Bitcoin ATM provider Bitcoin Depot launched on the Nasdaq on July 3, making it the first crypto company of its kind to go public.

Top NFT Sales of the Week

Bored Ape #3953 sold for $371,524 (200 ETH) on July 6.

An AI-generated nude portrait sold on SuperRare for $343,761 (175 ETH) on July 3.

Azuki Golden Skateboard Shrine #6 sold for $257,103 (135 ETH) on July 5.

Ringers #514 sold for $164,934 (88 ETH) on July 7.

CryptoPunk #8471 sold for $152,648 (79.95 ETH) on July 5.

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The post NFT Sales Roundup: Pizza-Eating Bored Ape Sells For $371K appeared first on Boardroom.

Everyone’s concept of time is unique. As to how we experience it as a factor in our everyday lives, our mileage tends to vary. However, there’s something about looking at an image and experiencing a stylized time lapse before your eyes.

Photographer Stephen Wilkes is best known for this inventive approach, and over the last several decades, he has perfected the technique as technology has gotten better and better.

Unlike portraiture that captures a single moment, Wilkes is renowned for joining hundreds of shots together digitally to produce one cohesive scene. His long-running exhibition, aptly titled Day to Night, features landscapes captured over a day-long period, often bringing together 1,000 or more photographs to achieve the final result. For one of his latest projects, the Syracuse University alum took a similar approach and reimagined it for one of basketball’s most dynamic athletes.

During Kevin Durant’s time with the Brooklyn Nets, Wilkes sat in the same position for 20 home games and photographed the All-Star forward’s performance from tip-off to the final buzzer.

From there, he stitched every image and instead of making a single photo, produced a cutting-edge clip:

Boardroom spoke with Wilkes to get an expert view on how this project took off, his thoughts on NFTs, and how photography is constantly changing before our very eyes.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

VINCIANE NGOMSI: Your work hasn’t always emphasized sports — what was so special about this project that drew you into that world?

STEPHEN WILKES: Well, I’ve had kind of an interesting path in terms of my career when it relates to sports. I started with Nike; it was my first big commercial client, and I photographed Michael Jordan in 1989. We did a whole series of posters, which was great. After that, I actually started to photograph athletes a lot, so I was very into photographing sports in the early part of my career and then mid-career. I eventually started a whole series on sports photography, and that led me to shooting Vince Carter on another project. It seems like every few years, I seemed to evolve into another sports project, but there is certainly a large gap as I started to become known as a fine artist.

My connection to Kevin [Durant] and Rich [Kleiman] was really through my fine art, and I’ve always been a fan of Kevin’s. After watching him play a game, we just started talking about collaborating on something. Then, COVID-19 happened and suddenly there was this unique opportunity for me to sort of capture Kevin at work. He had recently signed with the Nets and suddenly he was in my hometown, so plans started to take shape.

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VN: Can you speak more about how this specific project with KD came to be?

SW: There was this unique opportunity for me to sort of witness Kevin’s comeback sequentially at home, so we had a conversation about it and Rich helped make it happen. I think for me, it was really about how could I tell the story. My work is based on time, and this was a unique opportunity where I could really study someone who’s such a remarkable athlete, but over the course of a season. So, Barclays [Center] was able to commit and give me a single spot where I could essentially photograph him from the exact same point of view.

We completed it over the course of 20 games and that allowed me to take photographs that not only captured time changing in one day, but actually over the course of an entire season, and all of these moments obviously reflect Kevin playing against every major player in the game. In trying to capture that, what I discovered really was the multitude of things Kevin does on a basketball court.

VN: From that consistent vantage point, what are the things you noticed the most about KD’s demeanor, personality, and playing style?

SW: One thing I found so interesting as I started to watch him game in and game out was the depth of focus he has on the court. I want everyone to understand that when Kevin was on the court, I never really saw anything else. In order to achieve the moments I caught, you can’t be looking at anything else. So, by really focusing on him, I’m able to capture every move that he makes, and through that observation, through studying him over the course of those 20 games, it was like watching poetry.

Another thing that struck me beyond his athleticism was Kevin’s intellect on the court. I think that unless you really watch a player, you don’t immediately pick [that] up. The way he understands exactly where to be at a certain point in the game, the way he anticipates where the ball’s going to be, or how his ability to maximize his energy in any given situation but not overexert is remarkable. So few can play 48 minutes on a court, and I’ve watched Kevin do it several times.

VN: Anyone who views this particular piece will interpret it in their own way, but are there any particular Easter eggs that you think we should be on the lookout for?

SW: I don’t like to give away the Easter eggs, but there are definitely seminal moments in there, one being his three-pointer against the Bucks. There are also very specific moments that I think a fan who knows the game and watched him during his time with the Nets can easily pinpoint. Another thing that makes the picture neat is the more you look, the more there’s to see — you notice Kevin doing an interview on the sideline, him on the bench, you see him stretching before the game. It’s like I basically created a “Where’s Waldo” of Kevin.

VN: I’d say art is entering a renaissance in the digital space, including various ways people are collecting pieces. How are you — if you are — altering the methods in which you work to fit what is changing before our eyes?

SW: Honestly, I look at all of these technological innovations as new tools. In the end, I’m a storyteller, so I want to tell stories in a way that brings people into a specific sensibility. I say often that when you see my prints in person, you notice I try to create almost a visceral experience for the viewer. It’s as if I want you to feel like you’re with me. In the arena, we’re looking at the game together, you’re witnessing this with me. I’m always trying to push my vision in terms of how I can tell this story in a different way.

I’m always interested in what’s new and I think I’m just constantly living my life with curiosity, and it’s through curiosity that I’m pushed into areas some people might consider out of their comfort zone. I’m a photographer. I’m not a technologist, nor am I a scientist. I’m not interested in that. I just want to shoot it straight.

But I’m driven by an idea of actually taking these new tools and using them in a way to push the medium outward. My heroes are Eadweard Muybridge, Carleton Watkins, and Harold Edgerton. These people took technology and figured out a new way for us to see the world. That’s something I’m very passionate about and very interested in doing. I’m just trying to tell stories, but also use technology in a way that elevates the medium and changes the way we experience things never seen before in still photography.

VN: Speaking of technology, let’s talk NFTs. How does a project like this continue the conversation surrounding the evolving role of digital art in popular culture?

SW: I think NFTs are here to stay. I believe this medium is very exciting as an artist because I know my name is permanently recorded in my art. In the conventional sense, when you’re selling a print, that print may be bought by somebody else. Next thing you know, somebody’s selling it for five times what you sold it for, but the artist never makes a dime on that.

One of the amazing things about NFTs is this ability for the artist to gain some revenue streams through secondary sales. That’s a really important thing in the art world. Being able to create something unique and then get a revenue from that over decades, you or your children can benefit from, it’s a really important thing.

The NFT space is evolving as we speak. I always say it’s reminiscent of early video games. The previous generation were the ones beginning to really embrace this concept. Their memories as a child are of Pac-Man and the visualization of art; it was kind of that campy video art. That was the first thing that started evolving, but I think now, photography’s starting to really move into that space.

I didn’t want to just create a JPEG of this project. I wanted to create a whole new way of looking at the space through a photograph, and NFTs allow you to do that.

VN: You’ve captured jaw-dropping landscapes and things that can be difficult to process, including natural disasters. Regarding this particular project, you exude so much joy talking about it, but how do you get yourself through the moments that feel more difficult?

SW: One of the things I study is creativity. Something I find interesting about the creative process is when you’ve been doing this for a while — in my case, almost five decades — at a certain point you begin to look back at your work and the pictures just speak to you. You start to think, ‘Well what was I going through at that moment that I was able to just have that happen?’ And by the same token, you remember the moments where you felt flat on your face, where you went out all day and you got nothing.

And what I’ve discovered over the years is the ability to be present, embrace my fear, and to feel somewhat uncomfortable. It allows me to work in a way that’s really powerful. I’ve become very focused, but also drop all my expectations and I just live in the moment. But I think the ability to have creative license as an artist is the most important thing. That allows you to sort of live in the moment and also take some risks, experiment, go to places maybe you weren’t thinking of going. I try to keep myself as open as I can.

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The post From Photography’s Cutting Edge, Stephen Wilkes Shoots His Shot appeared first on Boardroom.

Bitcoin NFTs are still leading the charge for individual sales, but legacy Ethereum-based NFT projects are hanging on.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that roughly 834,280 buyers spent over $140.9 million on NFTs in the past seven days, with NFT sales volume up about 3% compared to last week. NFT transactions are up 2% overall, with roughly 2.3 million transactions going through between June 16 and 23. Bored Ape Yacht Club, DMarket, and Gods Unchained Cards are at the top of the sales leaderboard this week.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum (+10.3%), Solana (+28.2%), and Polygon (+4.9%) sales are up this week, with the blockchains respectively attracting $84.8 million, $10 million, and $6.3 million in activity.
• Sales for the BAYC-adjacent NFT collection HV-MTL are up 39% after the blue-chip NFT project announced that the first season of the forging event will begin on June 29.
• Bitcoin sales are down 23.2%, with the project attracting $16.8 million.
• CryptoPunk sales are down 9%, with the NFT project attracting $1.6 million across only 16 transactions.

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $10.4 million (+47.8%)
• DMarket: $5.7 million (-20%)
• Gods Unchained Cards: $5.4 million (5.2%)
• Uncategorized Ordinals: $5.2 million (-56.7%)
• Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $4.8 million (+66.6%)

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More recent NFT and crypto news:

• Cybercriminals are using phishing attacks to compromise Discord servers and Twitter accounts to steal $73 million from more than 32,000 crypto wallets.
• FC Barcelona is partnering with World of Women to develop the second installment in its NFT collection that honors past and present soccer players.
• Web3 card trading game Gods Unchained is on a mission to go mainstream after launching its product in the Epic Games Store.
• Bitcoin surged past $30,000 for the first time in two months, marking MicroStrategy’s first turn toward profitability for the company’s $4 billion in Bitcoin assets.
• Crypto detective ZachXBT raised over $1 million from donations for his legal defense after NFT trader Jeffrey “MachiBigBrother” Huang hit him with a defamation lawsuit.

Top NFT Sales of the Week

An uncategorized Bitcoin Ordinal sold for $3.5 million (134.2752 BTC) on June 16.

Bored Ape #2376 sold for $286,712 (149.70 ETH) on June 21.

CryptoPunk #5662 sold for $136,922 (72.69 ETH) on June 21.

DeGods #8906 sold for $131,433 (70 ETH) on June 22.

CloneX #783 sold for $77,708 (45 ETH) on June 18.

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The post NFT Sales Roundup: Bitcoin Ordinal Sells for $3.5M appeared first on Boardroom.

Web3 and blockchain technology have brought about several new opportunities for innovation and decentralization across various industries. 

Among these trends, the implementation of NFTs into digital gaming experiences has emerged as a powerful catalyst for the mainstream adoption of Web3. 

Combining the dynamic world of gaming with the unique properties of NFTs, this fusion has the potential to not only revolutionize the gaming industry, but also drive the widespread acceptance of technologies like blockchains that operate on decentralized principles.

Let’s take a closer look at why NFT gaming is poised to play a special role in pushing Web3’s mainstream adoption worldwide.

Broader Utilization & Application of Digital Assets 

One of the main reasons tokenized gaming has gained traction as quickly as it has is its ability to provide true ownership of digital assets. 

Unlike traditional gaming, where in-game items and characters are owned by the game developer, NFT gaming allows players to own their digital assets securely on the blockchain. 

These assets can be bought, sold, and traded freely, giving players true control over their virtual possessions. 

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For example, think about how collectible character skins and gear function in games like Fortnite such that they can be bought, sold, traded, and gifted. Essentially these skins could be put on the blockchain ,  ensuring immutable authenticity of ownership and providing major safeguards against would-be hackers.

Using NFTs and blockchain technology, this could be the case for all your favorite games. 

The concept of true digital ownership resonates with gamers, who want to monetize their in-game efforts and build meaningful value within virtual worlds.

Unlocking Revenue Opportunities Through Play-to-earn

NFT gaming catalyzes an innovative concept known as “play-to-earn” by which players can earn real-world value through in-game activities. By leveraging blockchain tech, games like Axie Infinity, Upland, and Galaxy Fight Club allow players to monetize their time and skills within their respective virtual environments.

In NFT games — as well as in gamified metaverses like The Sandbox and Decentraland — players can acquire rare and valuable items, characters, or land, which can be traded on NFT marketplaces for cryptocurrencies or fiat currencies. This opens up new economic opportunities, empowering gamers to turn their passion into a potential income stream. This can serve to acquire more users not just to compete and engage, but develop entirely new gaming experiences within existing metaverse worlds as blockchain protocols permit.

A Fun & Easy Path to Educational Experiences

Understanding blockchain technology and its role in the broader decentralized phenomenon of Web3 phenomenon is generally considered intimidating and accompanied by a steep learning curve.

NFT-based games promote a more grounded, inviting environment not just for entertainment as such, but learning experiences by which users can wrap their heads around how blockchains work, for instance, without having to go down a rabbit hole of technical jargon and network theory.

The mechanics of NFT games get users in the door by offering much of the familiar experience of traditional gaming, but there’s more value on offer than your standard console or PC video game provides in that they lower the barrier for entry for learning the principles that animate the ever-expanding world of Web3.

The Road Ahead

All told, NFT gaming represents a pivotal, dynamic step toward the mainstream adoption of Web3 technology in industries far beyond simply media and entertainment.

By combining the innate appeal and community-building of video games with the transformative potential of blockchain tech and digital tokens across several types of networks and marketplaces, this emerging trend has the potential to revolutionize the gaming industry and reshape the way players interact with virtual worlds and one another. Immutably authenticated ownership, play-to-earn mechanics, and community-driven economies all represent incentives for new users to internalize and ultimately adopt blockchain technology on an expanding scale.

The post Is NFT Gaming the Key to Bringing Web3 Into the Mainstream? appeared first on Boardroom.

While jetting around from Milan to Berlin to Paris to London, LaMelo Ball utilized his first global “Melo Faster Tour” with Puma to debut his third signature shoe with the brand.

“This right here, the first MB.03 coming out,” the Charlotte Hornets star said during the tour. “Only can get it if you get the NFT. Beautiful shoe.”

The wildly colorful launch edition that’s come to be expected from the “1 of 1” touting talent was created in collaboration with NFT collectible company Gutter Cat Gang. Since launching during the summer of 2021 with a series of 3,000 unique NFTs, Gutter Cat Gang has served as a digital Web3 community of collectors utilizing their token holdings as membership. 

Last season, we saw nearly a dozen NFT-related custom sneakers take the hardwood in the Association, with the latest LaMelos looking to lead the way when it comes to a fully integrated official launch. The debut edition of the MB.03 has rightfully been dubbed the “GutterMelo.”

Both “M.E.L.O.” and “Gutter Cat Gang” phrasing can be found along the heel of each shoe, with additional graphics like a Cat illustration atop the tongue. As seen on Ball’s first two signature shoes, the familiar tagline of “Rare,” “Not From Here” and “1 of 1” all return on the MB.03.

Featuring NITRO foam cushioning, the brand describes the third signature shoe of the series as being “built for performance by bringing the disruptive and unique character of Melo onto the court through unrestrained design.”

With a unique colorway and unveil comes a unique launch release. The “GutterMelo” MB.03 will first be made available as a digital collectible on June 29, with buyers able to purchase the limited edition series through the OpenSea marketplace for $175.

Starting the following month — from July 18 through August 20 — the digital collectible will also serve as an access token ticket to claim a physical pair of the sneakers. Keep up with the latest drop updates on the newly launched microsite GutterMelo.com.  

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The post LaMelo Ball Unveils Third Puma Signature Shoe With NFT Launch appeared first on Boardroom.

There were multiple seven-figure NFT sales this week. Let’s jump into the numbers.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that roughly 117,900 buyers spent over $184.7 million on NFTs in the past seven days, with NFT sales volume up about 9% compared to the previous week. NFT transactions are down nearly 10% overall, with roughly 2.2 million transactions going through between June 2 and 9. Bored Ape Yacht Club sales are back on the rise, along with other blue-chip NFT projects like Azuki, DeGods, and Sorare.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum (+16.2%), Bitcoin (+4%), and Mythos Chain (+21.6%) sales are up this week, with the blockchains respectively attracting $115.2 million, $29.2 million, and $8.7 million in activity.
• DeGods sales are up 66.5%, with the project seeing $3.5 million in sales across 185 transactions.
• Solana and Polygon sales are down roughly 5% each, with the projects respectively attracting $8.6 million and $6.5 million in activity.
• Bored Ape Yacht Club is back on top and trading in the green across the board, including sales (+71.8%), transactions (+63.4%), buyers (27.5%), and sellers (+20%).

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $17.9 million (+71.8%)
• Azuki: $11.5 million (+10.5%)
• Uncategorized Ordinals: $10.9 million (+1.9%)
• DMarket: $8.7 million (+21.8%)
• Gods Unchained Cards: $5.9 million (+2.6%)

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More recent NFT and crypto news:

• The SEC sued Binance and Coinbase this week, but the lawsuits have a lot of differentiating factors you should know about.
• Bored Ape #2758 inked a movie deal with Pirexia Films and will star in a film slated for release in January 2024. The holder behind the star NFT will also receive a salary equivalent to that of a Screen Actors Guild member.
• Doodles is partnering with CAMP stores to launch its first retail and entertainment experience this summer in stores across LA, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, and more.

Top NFT Sales of the Week

A $PPAI BRC-20 NFT sold for $1.35 million (49.58 BTC) on June 3. $PPAI, aka PepeAI, is a meme token powered by the Ordinal Tools community.

Fidenza #545 sold for $1.17 million (625 ETH) on June 6.

Azuki #9236 sold for $307,082 (161.23 ETH) on June 3.

CryptoPunk #8849 sold for $142,716 (75 ETH) on June 3.

Bored Ape #4663 sold for $98,132 (52 ETH) on June 4.

The post NFT Sales Roundup: Bored Ape Sales Are Back on the Rise appeared first on Boardroom.

Many NFT projects have struggled and/or failed in the past few months due to overvaluation, market factors, and regulatory concerns. But there are a few that have continued to make waves despite the downturn.

Rumble Kong League is one of the outliers who recently announced a new multi-year partnership with global sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), through which CAA Sports will serve as the official sports agency partner to RKL’s parent company, Rumble League Studios Inc.

Co-founder of Rumble Kong League, Marcus Bläsche, believes this is a great step in the right direction for the young brand that’s focused on trying to build something where brands, athletes, and players all come together under a Web3 roof.

“We are a young company. We have to establish ourselves. We have to build credibility, and we will do that through the product. I think where the value for CAA and us lies in the type of activations that we can do. So for us, marketing and acquisitions are going to play a huge role at the end of the year and we can activate the talent roster there, which is important.

“If we’re building an organic and endemic campaign with an athlete or with a brand, it will automatically generate a lot of eyeballs on their end. For us, it allows us to tap into new markets and talk to fans talk to athletes directly and give them an outlet. For us, this is where CAA can shine.”

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Although Bläsche is optimistic about the direction of the brand and partnership with CAA, also an early investor in Rumble Kong League, he isn’t oblivious to the negative sentiment surrounding crypto and NFTs at the moment.

“The last year has been rough for NFTs and Web3. So, in terms of the credibility of NFTS or crypto as a whole, it was a little bit of a rough patch. However, for us, the financial aspect has never been the focus of why we’re doing this,” Bläsche said. “We see the opportunity being bringing assets and digital ownership to people and make a fun game. From Day 1, the premise is that we want to give everyone true ownership of the digital assets that if you buy in a game, should be yours. We want to enforce that.

“For us, it was about blockchain technology that is enabling this for the end user, but also at the same time creating a fun game because this is something that the space is lacking.”

Another thing that has helped RKL gain traction is the involvement of star athletes, particularly around hoops with athletes such as Paul George, Stephen Curry, and JaVale McGee all in the mix. Bläsche said the company likes to involve athletes like PG and Curry “in early steps of game development,” with George doubling down on that sentiment, telling Boardroom he’s looking forward to “working with their team to support projects for The Paul George Foundation.”

Through this partnership with CAA, one that will seemingly benefit all parties, Rumble Kong League hopes to explore other opportunities for collaboration and campaigns with athletes, taking the company to a new level.

“We talked to them about how we can build campaigns together with them to increase their fan base and touch into a new area. Some of the campaigns we’ve talked with them about involve us doing something more charitable and speaking more to their vision as well,” said Bläsche. “It’s not just a cash grab. It’s something that brings value to everyone that is involved in it. It’s important to build campaigns that are bringing something digital, but also real activations, or something physical that fans can enjoy.

“One thing that we see as well with NFTs is that they are creating a strong community that is believing in the same course, and we want to bring something to let us know serving them, but also the wider gaming audience.”

As far as what’s next and the long-term vision for Rumble Kong League, the sky is the limit when taking into account the global talent roster at CAA and RKL’s capacity to branch into other sports with various athletes.

“You can be an athlete, a musician, or build cars in your free time, but you can still love basketball. We want to give our fans the feeling that anyone is welcome. We still want to create a gaming environment that is all-around basketball at the end, but that still is inclusive and can bring an outlet to anyone,” Bläsche said. “We’re looking at doing things in the metaverse where maybe there’s gonna be an NFL player we work with and players will be able to jump in the air and throw a football into the hoop or something. Those are the kinds of things we can do because it’s a game that is very dynamic and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

“My dream would be to have a basketball game, maybe a football game, and then maybe a hockey game. We’re very much about competitive gaming, different themes, and tribes, and we want to bring this to life first in basketball. Then, if everything goes well, we’ll dive into [other] sports.”

Rumble Kong League shows no signs of slowing down despite market concerns. After all, it has all the ingredients to build a sustainable long-term brand.

Impeccable leadership, long-term horizon, a devoted community, and last — but certainly not least — partners who believe in its potential.

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The post After Deal With CAA, Rumble Kong League Isn’t Slowing Down Anytime Soon appeared first on Boardroom.

It’s been a minute, but we’re back with the latest NFT sales news you need to know about this week.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that over 497,700 buyers spent over $152.9 million on NFTs in the past seven days, down roughly 9% compared to the previous week. The overall volume of NFT activity is up 3.6% overall over the same period, however, with roughly 2 million transactions consummated between May 19 and 26. Bitcoin-based NFT sales plummeted a bit over this span, but an $ORDI BRC-20 NFT sold for $684,505 earlier Friday — that’s your biggest NFT sale of the week.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum (+4.5%) and Solana (+35.7%) sales are up this week, with the blockchains respectively attracting $88.8 million and $11.5 million in activity.
• $ORDI BRC-20 NFT sales fell to $3.4 million, down 36.4%. Overall, the Bitcoin blockchain attracted $22.7 million in sales, down 45.6%.
• Polygon (-31.9%) sales are down to $5.9 million, while Cardano (24.3%) saw an uptick with $2.02 million in sales.
• DMarket, the top-selling NFT project this past week, is a Mythos-based project. Usually, Ethereum-based projects dominate the charts.

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• DMarket: $7.3 million (-16.9%)
• Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $5.3 million (+8.2%)
• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $5.1 million (-36.7%)
• Gods Unchained Cards: $4.9 million (+55.9%)
• Milady Maker: $3.9 million (+85.2%)

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More NFT and crypto news:

• Red Bull collaborated with innovation consultancy Vayner3 to launch its Doodle Art Program, which curated the Red Bull Doodle Art Collection. The new NFT collection mentored by Doodles lead artist Burnt Toast features 61 exclusive digital art pieces up for grabs.
• Binance launched an NFT loan program that will initially support Ethereum loans and NFTs from Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Azuki, and Doodles.
• The Solana blockchain is rolling out a ChatGPT plugin to assist users with smaller tasks like NFT purchases and research.
• Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier confirmed that the crypto wallet provider may share its users’ private keys with the government if the company is ever subpoenaed. That’s for users who opt into Ledger’s new recovery program.
• SuperRare is back in NYC with another pop-up digital art gallery for two months, kicking off with a solo exhibit from AI artist Claire Silver.

Top NFT Sales of the Week

CryptoPunk #4680 sold for $316,305 (174 ETH) on May 22.

Autoglyph #376 sold for $281,765 (155 ETH) on May 20.

Bored Ape #3263 sold for $181,488 (100 ETH) on May 19.

DeGods #7842 sold for $102,249 (55 ETH) on May 23.

Noun #100 sold for $72,385 (40 ETH) on May 21.

The post NFT Sales Roundup: Bitcoin Blockchain Activity Down 45% appeared first on Boardroom.

This is not another run-of-the-mill story about Gary Vaynerchuk. It’s a deeper look into the business behind VeeCon, how stakeholders feel about this year’s superconference, and what we can potentially expect to see next year. We laid out what you needed to know ahead of the event, but what we saw on the ground was far more than that.

We’ll dive into some insights from Vaynerchuk, too, but first, let’s hit some high-level takeaways from the second annual VeeCon conference:

• The Veecon branding in Indianapolis was strong, spanning the airport escalators, floors and screens, transportation vehicles, hotel room keys, and all throughout the stadium, of course.
• Attendance was down to about 5,000 after last year drew roughly 6,500 attendees.
• There were more (and bigger) brand activations and opportunities to connect with the leaders behind emerging companies.
• The Web3 and NFT communities came in strong, and it’s clear the true blockchain builders are creating right now.
• Lucas Oil Stadium might have been too big of a space for VeeCon, but it was nice to have space to spread out.
• The panel lineup could have been diversified a bit more to include more women and people of color.

Instead of opting for a fun recap of the event, Boardroom spoke to event organizers, Web3 leaders, sponsors, and partners about how Veecon has evolved and still kept Web3 at the center. Let’s jump into it.

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Vaynerchuk’s Vision

Vaynerchuk repeatedly admitted that putting on VeeCon this time was a bit harder because attendees, sponsors, partners, speakers, and other key stakeholders now had an expectation for what it should be like based on last year’s experience. Still, he and the teams across all of his businesses put their thinking caps on to create an event that was still worthwhile, despite this pivotal moment and change across Web3.

Vaynerchuk said a big part of Veecon’s success comes from the team behind it, which includes many folks who have been working under his wing for 10+ years.

“Intertwined family and talent are how it all comes together,” Vaynerchuk said. “VeeCon is about nice people trying to do good things.”

Vaynerchuk stuck to his guns for the most part with the core makeup of the conference. The event stayed token-gated and will continue to draw attendees with NFT tickets at least through the 2024 conference since that’s the promise Vaynerchuk made to the VeeFriends community last year.

“I don’t even know what the alternative could have looked like. It would have been over for me, in my mind,” Vaynerchuk said if VeeCon became a non-token-gated event this year. “I gotta see this through for these three years, and then I’ll take a step back to see where I can go from there.”

The conference kicked off with a field day, followed by a few days of panel discussions and nightly entertainment. This is the same skeleton makeup of the event we saw last year. What was most different about this year is the focus of the content. The inaugural VeeCon conference was focused on Web3 education. This year had a broader focus on technology, pop culture, business, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Vaynerchuk said this switch was intentional not just because there’s a bit of a downturn in Web3 but because he’s a man who follows the trends. He confirmed that the conference will continue to change based on the market trends and what his community wants to see.

“The focus is value,” Vaynerchuk told Boardroom. “Last year, the value was that nobody knew stuff, so let’s teach them the 101 and have some fun. I was like, okay, we got that part down. This year is about pop culture and business operations. There is a difference between Scooter Braun, who is a pop culture businessman, and Anish Melwani [Chairman and CEO of LVMH], who is a behind-the-scenes business person. They both bring different values.”

As for the Web3 leaders who spoke this year, Vaynerchuk said VeeCon was selective with who should participate to showcase the serious builders in the space. He believes Web3 will experience a slow build back up.

“These are the individuals who aren’t leaving. The same ones who didn’t leave in Web2. I’ve seen this movie before. I remember when the internet crash happened, and people stopped believing in it. They called the internet a fad,” Vaynerchuk said. “It was very clear to me that there’s a group of individuals who are here through the ebb and flow of Web3.”

As far as pros and grows, there were a few things that were top of mind for Vaynerchuk that he wanted to change from last year. One big one is the setup of his selfie stations, which allowed attendees to book a photo op with him ahead of time. VeeCon also updated the distance of the side stages and provided clarity on how to find them. The field day kick-off party last year transformed into a full-day event this year with free water, which attendees were adamant about getting this year. Merch sales were also run differently this year to give attendees more options and opportunities to snag exclusive gear.

A hot topic surrounding VeeCon is where it will happen. Vaynerchuk said Veecon’s location each year will depend on how good the people are in the chosen city and if the conference is able to be the premier event. I asked him at the IRL press conference if we could ever expect to see Veecon in a busy metropolitan area like New York City, Miami, or even LA, and in short, he said no. There’s too much competition and congestion in those cities for what VeeCon is capable to produce at this stage.

Vaynerchuk said this year’s VeeCon marked a transition into the conference he’s always dreamed of producing, which he describes as something Woodstock-esque (the 1969 music festival, of course) with a deep business spin on it. He envisions his conferences always including panels and entertainment that follows the times.

“The content will always be focused on today. This could absolutely be called TodayCon with the content because that will always be the framework,” Vaynerchuk said.

VeeFriends’ Expansion

In order for VeeCon to be successful this year, the VeeFriends team and universe had to expand on multiple fronts. VeeFriends President Andy Krainak told Boardroom that VeeFriends the company only had 14 employees when VeeCon happened last year. That team has expanded to 52 members with a dedicated events team that includes 11 staffers. VeeCon partners without outside agencies to put on its superconference and will continue to do so with a dedicated internal team heading all of the event’s moving parts now.

“VeeCon was a success last year, but I don’t think anyone really understood what was going on in the background,” Krainak said. “There were obstacles and hurdles, and the first thing we wanted to do post-VeeCon last year was hire an events team internally.”

Krainak’s said he learned a lot of operational lessons after Year 1 of VeeCon, like how to mitigate lines, expand staging capacity, and improve on programming overall. For him, this year was more about leaning into business while still upholding the conference’s biggest promise of giving VeeFriends Series 1 holders access ahead of the rest of the interested attendees. For NFT tickets available on the secondary marketplace, Krainak said the conference tried to market to more attendees, specifically in Indiana, but some people just don’t have an interest in learning the basic ropes of Web3 to gain access.

“I think the biggest thing with any NFT project, and for anyone building in the space, I would avoid roadmaps and stay true to your intent,” Krainak said. “Things are gonna change, but our intent has always been to have three VeeCons with a max capacity of 10,255 because that’s how many VeeFriends Series 1 holders there are. I’m excited to see what happens for the future of VeeCon. I definitely think there could be an extra 20,000 people in here.”

After selling out of the main conference tee, which came in green and black, Krainak said he’s excited to continue to expand conference merch next year. As for Veecon’s planning timeline, Krainak said the team has already shortlisted about four locations for the 2024 conference. When it comes to the selection process, Krainak said VeeCon has two case studies now to showcase how the conference drives economic value, tourism, and more when it comes to town.

“Hopefully, next year is going to be the best one yet,” Krainak said. “Selfishly, I want more. I want VeeCon sold out. I want 10,255 tickets scanned. It’s going to take a lot of traditional marketing and Web3 marketing. This is a business conference but we do have to market to Web3 because every ticket is an NFT.”

Krainak wasn’t able to share revenue projections or outlooks, and we don’t know how much VeeCon actually costs to produce. He did tell Boardroom that the team behind the conference is “hopeful that next year and beyond, VeeCon will be a successful business in and of itself to drive revenue,” but for now, they are mostly focused on brand building and building the business of VeeCon.

What Key Web3 Stakeholders Are Saying

VeeCon 2023 welcomed a lineup of nearly 200 speakers spanning discussions on over 70 panels across three days. Since Web3 is still at the epicenter of the event, we caught up with a few key stakeholders in the industry who shared how they felt about this year’s conference.

Sara Baumann, co-founder of Women and Weapons

Sara “Sparky” Baumann is the co-founder and lead artist behind Women and Weapons, an NFT collection of 10,000 diverse women equipped with various weapons, including nunchucks, daggers, brass knuckles, and more. Some of her favorite parts about Veecon this year are the improved layout around the conference floor and the experiential offerings for attendees and Web3 enthusiasts.

“We don’t just want panels; we want to have experiences. Veecon listened to that loud and clear, hence why we had an interactive field day and cool things like the slide, Electric Avenue, and NFT Land,” Baumann said. “I think the team did a really good job of making sure that the event is well-rounded and not just about learning, but also about having fun.”

Baumann landed a speaking gig this year at Veecon by applying through the conference’s online application. Last year, the VeeCon team reached out to her to speak, so adding an application layer was a new part of the process. Women and Weapons also hosted an activation in the NFT Land area, but Bauman and her team opted not to do that this year.

“I think last year’s VeeCon, which was also phenomenal, was much more Web3 and NFT focused,” Baumann told Boardroom. “There was less of an emphasis on branding as well. There was a more significant emphasis on branding this year, which, to me, says they’re reaching outside of the Web3 echo chamber.” Web3 is a small space, and over the last year, it’s become even smaller. I think it’s very wise of Gary and his team to move in the direction of making VeeCon about Web3, business, and entrepreneurship.”

Even though Baumann leads a brand that’s primarily Web3, she felt it was important to participate in VeeCon this year to reach an audience outside of the Web3 bubble. Women and Weapons is focused on building out its flagship character, Nova, to expand storytelling beyond the Web3 industry.

“I think a lot of us brands are recognizing that it’s important for us to reach outside of the Web3 bubble to really scale our brands and to survive,” she said. “Similarly, that’s exactly what’s happening at VeeCon.”

Baumann said she will always go hard for Vaynerchuk and his work and that she’ll, without a doubt, be back for year three of Veecon.

“There is a lot of magic, positivity, and happiness in the area that I think everybody feels is very palpable,” she concluded. “It’s not just about Web3. Veecon is about business and entrepreneurship. I’m going to be here for a million years if they keep having them.”

Jesse Pollak, Coinbase’s head of protocols and creator of Base

Coinbase had a significant presence at VeeCon 2023 and secured another partnership role, just as it did last year. Coined the Coinbase Club, the prominent crypto exchange sponsored the speaker lounge at the conference. Jesse Pollak, Coinbase’s head of protocols and creator of Base, attended and spoke at VeeCon for the first time this year. Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain developed by Coinbase that’s currently in its testing phase.

“Our mission is to bring a million creators and a billion users on-chain, and we think that’s directly connected. The million creators are going to bring the billion users on-chain,” Pollak said. “As we were thinking about how we’re going to get those million creators to bring the billion users, where else do you go? VeeCon. That’s why we’re here. We’re trying to meet the people.”

Pollak felt it was important to be a part of this year’s VeeCon to expand Base’s mission and make friends in the Web3 space. He even spent some time on the conference floor creating some social media content and learning the ropes from other content creators at the event. He considers VeeCon to be the epicenter of the creator economy and declared that he’ll be back next year.

“I say we were in crypto winter, now builder spring, and we know what comes next…something summer,” Pollak said. “Builder spring is when the rest of the world doesn’t know what’s going on, but everyone in it knows we’re here.”

Latashá, head of community at Zora and co-founder of Zoratopia

Zoratopia co-founder Latashá also spoke at VeeCon for the first time this year after Deadfellaz Co-founder Betty inspired her to attend. Latashá is an independent music artist, entrepreneur, and head of community at Web3 and NFT company ZORA. Her passion is navigating and building her own system for producing music without a label. Latasha has been an independent artist for nearly a decade, so she was eager to bring her expertise in music and Web3 to VeeCon.

“I love to build a lot of shit. I like to make music, but I also like to make visual art and music visuals. I like nails. I’m big into everything, and I believe that artists should be multi-faceted. That’s my whole game,” Latashá told Boardroom. “Connectivity and representation are very important to me as a person of color and Black woman in Web3. We are often not in these spaces, and our stories aren’t often told. Our stories are very imperative. Deep down in my spirit, I believe Web3 is made for the marginalized communities to excel and become their greatest selves, so I had to be here.”

Latashá said it was nice to be amongst her Web3 community and genuinely connect since she typically doesn’t have time for that. The VeeCon team reached out to Latashá to secure a speaking slot in this year’s conference after she had to miss the inaugural event due to other obligations. From a logistics standpoint, Latashá said she enjoyed that everything was near and walkable around Indianapolis, which helped her travel to multiple events compared to other conferences like NFT.NYC and Outer Edge (formerly NFT LA). She also envisioned VeeCon happening in a smaller space, not a stadium. Still, Latashá thinks VeeCon nailed it on panel selection and focuses.

“In my personal opinion, sometimes these events are so much better when they’re smaller,” she said. “I do like how they bridge worlds here. I feel like a lot of conferences I’ve been attending bridge Web2 and Web3 or different platforms. I really like that. There were panels and stories not just focused on Web3 here, and that’s fire. These events are usually really tech, but this wasn’t that technical. It was just baseline what you need to be a great entrepreneur.”

Latashá said she’ll definitely return to VeeCon next year if she gets invited to speak. Moving forward, she’d like to see VeeCon head to a big metro city with a more connected audience.

“It would be really interesting to see a VeeCon in New York,” Latashá said. “I do like the small-town feel because it keeps us all in one spot, but I genuinely feel the audience wasn’t what I expected to see.”

Partnership Insider

VeeCon 2023 welcomed more than 20 title sponsors, including Tubi, Starry, Lids, Bose, Bud Light, Gala Music, Cheetos, Coach, Coinbase, Crown Royal, Meta Quest, and Tarte. NFT Land included activations from Boss Beauties and Barbie, World of Women, CyberKongz, Dapper Dinos, Alien Frens, Pudgy Penguins, and many more.

To include some context on the sponsorship and partnership front, Boardroom caught up with a few leaders behind some of the most popular activations at this year’s event.

Rick Seeger, co-founder of Dapper Dinos

Dapper Dinos Co-founder Rick Seeger has felt the VeeCon experience from multiple angles. He participated last year as just a speaker, but this year his team just focused on producing an activation set up in NFT Land.

“It’s definitely a different vibe this year. What you’re seeing is a consolidation in the space…bear market things with more business focus,” Seeger said. “This year focused a lot more on the business of NFTs and Web3, and where Web2 and Web3 cross over.”

Dapper Dinos’ relationship with VeeFriends and VeeCon is an interesting one, though, since the NFT project is VeeFriends’ first official Pre-Launch Partner. VeeFriends created a Pre-Launch Program in late 2021 to support up-and-coming NFT projects and brands.

Seeger and his team got to attend VeeCon last year to talk about the project they were building, and this year, they debuted their flagship idea. As part of the program, Seeger told Boardroom that Dapper Dinos didn’t have to front a partnership cost to participate in VeeCon, though the construction of the project’s activation cost roughly $20,000. Dapper Dinos constructed an arcade experience in NFT Land that included two arcade cabinets featuring its flagship DapperDash video game.

Since the project has a lean team of about five full-timers, they actually did all the work on the backend to bring the activation to life themselves. The activation attracted countless attendees, and the exposure to the game was immeasurable, Seeger shared.

“It was important for us to be a part of VeeCon this year to show that we’re still building. It’s not a pride thing. It’s the fact that you can make it,” Seeger told Boardroom. “Last year: giant bull. This year: giant bear. You have to keep building your IP and building your brand. Last year we were new, and this year, we have a published game available for iOS and Android devices.”

Seeger believes VeeCon’s broadening of content proves that the conference is going mainstream. Needless to say, we can expect to see Dapper Dinos again next year.

Sarah Buxton, CEO of Gala Music and Gala Film

Gala, a Web3 company on a mission to fully decentralize music, gaming, and film ownership, is known for putting on flashy activations, and the company took up space once again on the VeeCon conference floor.

Gala Music and Gala Film CEO Sarah Buxton said she often gets tired of the conference cycle and the repetitiveness of the same panels and discussions. Her viewpoint changed when she first attended Veecon last year to represent Gala Games. She said she was engulfed in conversation with various creators, builders, Web3 experts, and entrepreneurs.

“This is only possible because of blockchain technologies and Web3,” Buxton said about VeeCon’s early success. “When it’s hard, lean in harder. This is too big to stop.”

Gala Music built out an activation that was tough to miss. It was the largest activation at VeeCon 2023, positioned right behind the main stage.

Gala Music also built out a mobile recording studio and welcomed 16 musicians to compete for a chance to open up for Jordin Sparks on the main stage during the final bow at VeeCon. Artists had to record a song live, and VeeCon attendees got a chance to vote for their favorite to take the stage. Attendees could tune in to the live recordings via headphones linked to Gala Music’s station. Three winners were ultimately selected to perform ahead of Sparks, who also announced she’ll be taking her talents to the Gala Music platform following her headliner performance at VeeCon 2023.

Gala Music did much more with the space, like recording podcasts and welcoming attendees to unwind and relax even when recordings weren’t happening.

Gala Music’s activation clearly took some time and proper planning. Buxton said Gala Music didn’t want to do some ordinary branded partnership, so the company worked closely with event organizers to conceptualize the musical competition exclusively for Veecon attendees. As a lead partner this year, Buxton exclusively told Boardroom that the company’s activation on VeeCon’s main floor cost an estimated $400,000. Dishing out that big check seemed like no sweat to Buxton, who said supporting Vaynerchuk means supporting something bigger in the space because he represented a mentality, attitude, and openness the Web3 industry needs.

“I’m never about cost, I’m about value,” Buxton said. “It felt good for us. We’re completely self-funded, so we can do what the hell we want. We don’t have any investors. It’s not cheap, but I’m hoping it’s valuable.”

Compared to last year, Buxton said VeeCon logistically got it right, making for a more intimate experience with the stadium setup this year. She specifically shouted out the rainbow slide, which was a hot commodity every day of the event. Maybe the slide was a trade-off for the Ferris wheel, which seems out of commission for the majority of last year’s conference.

“What’s really nice is they’ve taken the good elements of last year and elevated the stuff that needed to be changed, including where the main stage is set up,” she said. “I slid into VeeCon. There aren’t many experiences like that. We’re all big kids, really. I was blown away.”

Buxton said VeeCon would be a success if attendees walked away feeling empowered to create something new and double down on their ownership over that creation.

“I want them to realize they have responsibility and ability in equal measure to be better and be able to do something positive,” Buxton said. “There are now ways and means to do that, and sometimes, it doesn’t cost a thing.”

Buxton said she’ll be back next year, and she may even bring Gala Film to complete the trifecta of Gala’s presence at VeeCon.

What’s Next for VeeCon?

If the conference follows what it did after the inaugural event, we’ll likely hear where Veecon 2024 will be sometime in early November. It will still be token-gated, but as for the focus? I guess we’ll have to wait and see which emerging industries will take over the internet this next year.

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Gary Vaynerchuk’s second annual VeeCon superconference kicks off in Indianapolis on May 18 with three days of programming.

The internet tycoon told journalists during a virtual press conference that he wants attendees to think of VeeCon as the “coolest business conference” packed with discussion centered on entrepreneurship, marketing, innovation, and technology, layered with pop culture. The speaker lineup is loaded with over 190 biz gurus, innovators, and public figures, including, Jessica Alba, Neil Patrick Harris, Drew Barrymore, Scooter Braun, Arianna Huffington, Timbaland, and many more. Attendees will also hear from CEOs, CMOs, and industry leaders from LVMH, Chase, Crocs, Coach, GE, and more on the future of leadership at Fortune 500 companies.

“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to bring a phenomenal lineup of industry icons, business leaders, and brand partners to Indianapolis this week,” Vaynerchuk said in a news release. “Our event focuses on what matters for business – understanding shifts in consumer behavior, popular culture, and the impact of technology on brands. This is a conference like no other — and will be the marketing industry event for years to come.“

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A Peak Into VeeCon 2023

This year’s VeeCon will commence with a field day at White River State Park on May 18, featuring community activities, activations, and musical performances from Busta Rhymes, Richie Evans, and Tia Corine. The rest of the programming and panel discussions will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium across multiple stages and brand activations. Jordin Sparks, Esther Povitsky, Andrew Schultz, Busta Rhymes, and other performers will headline evening entertainment each day.

VeeCon looked a lot different in its inaugural year when Web3 was the primary programming focus. Vaynerchuk said during his press conference that last year, he was hyper-focused on Web3 education, and while that continues through different avenues, he wanted to start transitioning this year’s event into the conference he’s always envisioned building.

While Web3 isn’t exactly the center of this year’s event, the evolving industry is still a part of the conference’s core DNA. Some of the Web3-focused activations include a VeeFriends Museum, a signature Gary Vee Garage Sale for collectibles, an NFT showcase, and an art gallery featuring 25 Web3 artists. Industry leaders, including Deadfellaz’s Betty, FEWOCiOUS, Sara Baumann, Luca Netz, Shannon Snow, Jimmy McNelis, ThankYouX, Farokh, and more, will grace the VeeCon stages to speak on the power of Web3 technologies.

You can find a full list of the speaker lineups here for day one and day two of the conference. Like last year, VeeCon attendees can follow along with the event and build their own schedules through an app. As far as changes this year, Vaynerchuk said he’s hoping to streamline the waitlist for his selfie stations. There will also be more types of merchandise and opportunities to buy merch throughout the stadium as opposed to one merch station, which caused some chaos last year. Vaynerchuk said the main stage configuration will be a bit different, and the logistics of getting around to the micro stages have been improved.

VeeCon 2023’s premier partners include Anheuser-Busch, Bose, Gala Music, Lids, Meta Quest, Tubi, and Visa. Attendees can also experience brand activations from a portfolio of sponsors, including, Coinbase, Fritos, VideoAmp, Cheetos, Crown Royal, Coach, Mattel, Pepsi, and more.

Vaynerchuk has stuck to his guns about producing VeeCon as a token-gated event. Tickets to VeeCon were airdropped to VeeFriends Series 1 NFT holders to gain admission to the premier event. VeeFriends Series 1 NFTs guarantee entry to VeeCon 2022, 2023, and 2024, but holders can sell tickets on secondary marketplaces. There are 10,255 VeeCon tickets in total, matching the amount of VeeFriends Series 1 NFTs.

For those wondering why Vaynerchuk moved VeeCon to Indianapolis, he said he likes to choose locations that aren’t busy but have good logistics and kind people year-round. Boardroom will be at the conference, bringing readers an on-the-ground look at this year’s VeeCon.

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Snoop Dogg and Gary Vaynerchuk first announced their partnership at VeeCon 2022, the first annual edition of the latter’s NFT-powered conference. Now, the pair is building on that foundation with the release of a new rap single under Death Row Records.

No, this is not a joke — Snoop Dogg and Gary Vee started teasing the new song titled “Please Take a Step Back” earlier this week, and finally dropped Friday. The new track is out now on all major music streaming platforms.

Snoop Dogg drops a few verses on the new track, which also includes a snippet from a 2015 video of Vaynerchuk speaking about taking a step back to appreciate the social and technological era we found ourselves in. The internet mogul talks about getting motivated every day to tackle life goals. Overall, the track pays homage to Snoop and Gary Vee’s shared passion for entrepreneurship and positive mindsets. “Please Take a Step Back” is a specific line Vee utters in the motivational video; little did he know it would be getting the hip-hop treatment nearly a decade later alongside one of the genre’s all-time legends.

Collaborating to drop this song is only part of phase one in Snoop Dogg and Vaynerchuk’s ongoing partnership, which is rolling out across three phases. As part of phase one, VeeCon 2022 ticket holders can burn their NFT tickets in VeeFriends’ Burn Island to retrieve and mint an NFT from the “Please Take a Step Back” NFT collection. Eligible holders have until May 8 to secure an NFT, and the overall supply of the collection will be determined by how many VeeCon 2022 NFT tickets are burned.

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During phase two, “Please Take a Step Back” NFT owners will have two opportunities to snap rare blue-chip NFTs via Burn Island events. One selected winner from a competition will receive Gary Vee a big asset from Vee’s NFT collection, Bored Ape #1452. Up to two winners will be rewarded in the second completion with notable NFTs and digital currency from the Yugaverse, including Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Otherdeed, Bored Ape Kennel Club, and ApeCoin. It’s unclear what type of competition or system the third and final phase will entail, but 10 individuals will be rewarded with an exclusive experience to join Vaynerchuk in Atlanta on Aug. 9, to attend the High School Reunion Concert featuring Snoop, Wiz Khalifa, Too $hort, Berner, and more.

More details about the competitions and exclusive opportunities will roll out in the coming weeks — stay tuned.

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The post Snoop Dogg and Gary Vee Have a New Song and They’re Gonna Need You to Take a Step Back appeared first on Boardroom.

Puma is collaborating with Yuga Labs’ 10KTF Web3 brand to release custom sneakers.

The 10KTF brand is an online shop in the virtual city of “New Tokyo.” This new sneaker collab is an extension of the partnership Puma launched with Yuga Labs and 10KTF last summer. As part of the sneaker deal, Puma’s renowned Slipstream sneaker brand will be iterated into various NFTs. Puma and 10KTF dubbed this new sneaker drop “Grailed PUMA Slipstream.”

Beginning April 27, Puma Nitro NFT holders and 10KTF community members can get a customized physical edition of Slipstream sneakers. An NFT counterpart that holders can use in the 10KTF ecosystem will accompany them. The limited release includes 2,000 pairs of Slipstream sneakers that Alexander John, a legacy Puma collaborator known for his innovative designs and creative direction, will custom-design.

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“We want to continuously reimagine the traditional sneaker release format — and this partnership allowed us to do just that,” Puma chief brand officer Adam Petrick said in a release. “We were able to bridge the gap between physical and digital and showcase one-of-a-kind designs in partnership with long-time PUMA collaborator, Alexander John.”

Some of the sneakers will feature Bored Apes and Super PUMA.

Eligible Puma Nitro NFT holders and 10KTF community members must have a PFP active in the 10KTF ecosystem to receive a limited edition pair of Slipstream sneakers. Users’ virtual avatars in the 10KTF world will dictate the NFT version of the shoes, while the physical sneaker will have a chip linked to its NFT counterpart. That scannable chip links to a smart contract, verifying the NFT counterpart on the blockchain.

“Most apparel and shoe pipelines are built around mass production of a single shoe,” Michael Figge, chief creative officer at Yuga Labs, said in a statement. “Together, we’ve reworked that pipeline allowing collectors to become a bigger part of our story.”

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When Mike Dudas, Jim Daily, and Chris Maddern initially came together to build LinksDAO, it was cultivated around a singular mission: Create a decentralized autonomous organization for golf enthusiasts and own one of the world’s greatest golf courses.

In March, the second part of that dream was realized after a little more than a year of launching.

LinksDAO outfoxed several other competitors and won the bid to acquire Scotland’s Spey Bay Golf Club, which had been listed for over $900,000.

CEO Jim Daily had been leading the charge to reach this milestone but recognizes how critical the members were in getting this deal done — the community has always been the center of everything they’ve set out to accomplish, and sharing this landmark with those who bought in and supported the mission from the beginning was special.

“One really critical part of our project to this point has been community contribution. This was a golf course that went up for sale publicly, and over the last year, we’ve formed all the relationships to know about all the good options that were coming up,” Daily told Boardroom. “This opportunity was identified by some members of the core team and then also by a handful of community members within the first day of being on the market, so it was kind of two-prong: One, we have a team in the diligence process that allows us to see all the really good places that are coming up for sale, and then two, we have a really active and incredible community that’s also on the lookout. So, it was brought up in multiple places pretty quickly.”

The Web3 and blockchain space has admittedly taken its fair share of hits recently, which has had a negative effect on a lot of other DAOs and similar projects. Nonetheless, LinksDAO has been able to maintain engagement and membership within its community through personal interaction, tangible value, and IRL opportunities among various benefits promised to new and existing members.

“I think the overarching focus that we’ve had on delivering an enormous amount of value well beyond the initial idea is critical. That’s one piece that a lot of Web3 projects have not really achieved to the point that they would have liked. We’ve driven benefits from over 30 strategic partners and companies giving big discounts and incredible value to our members,” Daily said. “We’ve developed private golf course networks that our members are able to tap into and take advantage of. We have a great event strategy and hosted a couple of large-scale in-person events. We also have regional chapters and regional meetups. I think we have an incredible community team that’s always engaging our community on Discord. We’ve had benefits at professional PGA golf tournaments; we’ve really had an obsession with delivering real tangible value associated with NFT ownership. I think that is the primary reason why.”

Another major focus of the organization has been inclusivity, which has historically been a huge issue for country clubs and golf networks to face. Traditional golf club memberships tend to be more about who you know and how much money you have, a recurring barrier to prevent individuals from lower-income communities from participating in the sport. LinksDAO is working hard to remove those barriers to give equal access to people from all over the world.

As Daily described that particular effort:

“What we’re trying to do is smash that concept and make joining this club permissionless. So, if you want to be a member of this community, you can join, and we welcome you with open arms. We also want you to be an integral part of it. There’s also the financial piece, where we want to make sure that we are providing the most affordable and accessible membership for everybody that’s providing value far beyond what they would ever spend on joining. Then, it’s about just making sure that all of our community members are getting together, conversing every single day by the thousands on Discord and elsewhere. We also make sure that we have a strict philosophy to be kind to people, welcome [new] people, form new bonds, and strengthen the community no matter where somebody comes from, or what their background is. I think that we’ve seen all of that really play out organically in an extraordinary way.”

Inclusivity is a theme as it relates to the varying levels of talent throughout this community as well, ranging from amateur players just trying to have fun and learn the game to veteran golfers with years of experience. LinksDAO even counts professional athletes from other sports among its ranks — Stephen and Seth Curry were early members. As aid NFT holders and collectors, they immediately saw the value in what the organization was offering. When they joined, it offered the community some authentic validation and notoriety, as its “Leisure Membership” went from a market value of 0.29 ETH ($892.13) to 0.72 ETH ($2,209.81), and the “LinksDAO Global Membership” went from 1.12 ETH ($3,442.89) to 2 ETH ($6,236) at the time.

Bringing in celebrity names wasn’t even a focal point for the DAO’s founders — the Curry brothers simply liked the product and found it easy to get excited about.

“We didn’t go out and have conversations with them and say, ‘Hey, come join our community!’ They found this project and said this is really cool and we want to be a part of it and bought the NFTs organically on their own,” Daily said. “That’s another thing for us, too: We’re not pumping our product through celebrity involvement. If celebrities want to come to be a part of the membership, we’d love to have them, but what we’re really focused on and obsessed with is how we can make everybody in the community feel like they’re getting the most out of what this project is.”

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Now that they have a foundational home base at Spey Bay Golf Club on Scotland’s Moray coast, the long-term building blocks are starting to lock into place as to what this organization can truly be. Individual members will always play the fundamental role in what’s to come and how their community takes shape over time, but Jim Daily and his fellow co-founders have specific objectives for the future of the group and the experiences they hope to provide:

“There’s going to be a couple of things that happen with the physical course. It’s an extraordinary place that’s right on the ocean in one of the most beautiful areas on the planet. It’s the home of golf. For me, there’s no better way or better first home for the modern global golf club than a golf course from 1907 that’s in the home of golf,” the CEO said of the milestone. “Scotland has some of the best golf courses on the planet. They’re really affordable and anybody’s welcome. It’s a country that aligns more with our philosophy in terms of bringing extraordinary experiences in the world of golf to everybody, so I think it’s just the perfect place for us — and then the community does, too, because nearly 90% voted ‘Yes’ on whether we should put in a bid. This opens up a chapter where now we have our first physical club, which is the first of many and we want to have 10 by 2030. We also have members in 40 countries now and want as many of them as possible to be able to access the physical properties and have that experience.”

Another step to maximizing the potential of this community? Continuing the inclusivity mission by broadening access to more individuals to join and participate. On a practical level, that means bringing in enthusiasts who not only have fresh ideas and understand the Web3 landscape.

“We also plan to open up the membership for the first time in over 15 months from when we first sold our membership passes,” Daily said. “They initially sold out in less than 48 hours and we haven’t made any additional membership passes available until now. So, ultimately we want to onboard younger, digitally savvy, and engaged golfers into the community so they’re able to bring a new perspective, new community conversation, and new experiences for everybody. That’s really what we’re focused on.”

What LinksDAO has accomplished within a year is a testament to what’s possible when a little entrepreneurial spirit attracts like-minded enthusiasts in pursuit of a common goal.

That’s the true power of Web3 and they’re setting the blueprint for how communities should be built.

And although Daily and Co. are still at an early stage of this process, the future is bright for community-led brands that can innovate and provide tangible value to their members that seamlessly bridges the gap between digital and physical.

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The post LinksDAO Stayed the Course. Now, it Owns One appeared first on Boardroom.

Tyga has been making most of his headlines of late due to his budding romance with Avril Lavigne, but fortunately, we’re not here to talk about that. Rather, the rapper is now speaking out against Kreation Technologies, a UK-based Web3 company that filed a lawsuit against him in September of 2022.

Kreation accused Tyga, a.k.a. Micheal Stevenson, of breaching a $500,000 contract he inked with them that required the promotion of an NFT collection; the company also named Newstyle Media in the same lawsuit. The filing accuses both Tyga and Newstyle Media of promissory fraud and breach of contract. Kreation Technologies explained to the court that it entered into a deal with Newstyle Media that acted on behalf of Tyga.

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Tyga was slated to participate in four NFT drops, and the rapper agreed to help “facilitate the design, creation, production, marketing, sale, and distribution of NFTs” in exchange for the use and incorporation of his name, image, likeness, music, and artwork, court documents show. Kreation Technologies agreed to pay Tyga $500,000 minimum, with $100,000 due up front and the rest of the payments rolling out as he satisfied set requirements. The company also agreed to pay Tyga additional percentages of profits after the company made back its initial $500,000 investment from NFT sales.

The first Pharaoh-inspired NFT collection dropped last summer on digital marketplace Magic Eden and included 10,000 NFTs with a techno-futuristic twist. Kreation Technologies scrapped the rest of the slated NFT projects within the deal, however, after Tyga allegedly failed to promote the first one in question.

Months after the first drop, Kreation took to the courts to claim that Tyga didn’t hold up his end of the deal since he didn’t promote the project across his social media channels. The company also claimed that the artist canceled media interviews and missed other scheduled promotional appearances on platforms like Reddit and Twitter Spaces. Kreation Technologies and Tyga’s partnership started to spiral after NFT sales were down; the company claimed Magic Eden later received a letter from Tyga’s lawyers to remove all NFTs that used the rapper’s likeness.

Tyga is now fighting back by denying wrongdoing and asking a judge to dismiss the claims. In short, the rapper said it’s not his fault that Kreation Technologies failed to launch a successful NFT project, so the company is looking for a scapegoat to help make its money back. Tyga’s legal team is also claiming that the project failed because of the crypto market downturn but didn’t comment on the rapper failing to promote the project as promised.

Up until this point, Tyga’s legal camp didn’t comment on the matter.

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The post The Tyga NFT Lawsuit: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Boardroom.

Meta is back in the limelight with bad news affecting both the technology and web3 industries.

The big tech company announced that it’s ending its support of NFTs on Instagram and Facebook while also laying off 10,000 more employees. This news comes less than a year after Meta announced its support of digital tokens on its platform. The company also cut 13% of its workforce in November, which amounted to roughly 11,000 employees.

Meta has let go of a total of 21,000 employees over the course of four months. The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared the new layoff news in a long-winded Facebook post on Tuesday morning and shared that the first wave of layoffs will happen as soon as this week. The layoffs will come in three waves, with Meta’s recruiting, tech, and business teams getting hit the hardest. The big tech company will also halt hiring for around 5,000 open roles it hasn’t filled yet.

“This will be tough and there’s no way around that. It will mean saying goodbye to talented and passionate colleagues who have been part of our success. They’ve dedicated themselves to our mission and I’m personally grateful for all their efforts,” Zuckerberg said in the post. “We will support people in the same ways we have before and treat everyone with the gratitude they deserve.”

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After the company-wide restructuring concludes sometime after May, Zuckerberg said Meta would lift the hiring and transfer freezes across affected departments. Meta’s CEO is chalking this wave of layoffs to the company’s disappointing revenue growth last year.

“Higher interest rates lead to the economy running leaner, more geopolitical instability leads to more volatility, and increased regulation leads to slower growth and increased costs of innovation,” he wrote. “Given this outlook, we’ll need to operate more efficiently than our previous headcount reduction to ensure success.”

The layoff news may come as a bit of a surprise since Meta recently posted a positive fourth-quarter earnings report. But we can’t forget that the company just lowered Quest prices last week after sharing an ambitious VR roadmap.

Farewell to NFTs

Meta’s decision to sunset support of NFTs on its platform signals the company’s pullback from leveraging Web3 technologies. Meta has made it clear that it’s hyperfocused on building out its VR and AR business. Still, it makes perfect sense that industry leaders are questioning the big tech company’s viability after its moves this week.

Stephane Kasriel, Meta’s commerce and fintech lead, shared the news in a Twitter thread about the company winding down its work with NFTs. Meta first announced its support of digital collectibles on Instagram in May 2022. Since then, the company has been testing minting, selling, and sharing NFTs on its platforms with select creators.

“We learned a ton that we’ll be able to apply to products we’re continuing to build to support creators, people, and businesses on our apps, both today and in the metaverse,” Kasriel said in the Twitter thread. “Let me be clear: creating opportunities for creators and businesses to connect with their fans and monetize remains a priority, and we’re going to focus on areas where we can make impact at scale, such as messaging and monetization opps for Reels.”

Some other opportunities Kasriel mentioned are streamlining payments with Meta Pay and integrating tech to make checkouts and payouts on Meta platforms easier. One big thing that sticks out to me with this announcement from Kasriel is that Meta’s NFT integration was more about money than anything else. The real builders in web3 know that investing in digital collectibles means far more than that.

If Meta goes back to the drawing board on its web3 plans, maybe the company should start by ideating around how to leverage blockchain technology in a way that supports creators on its platforms.

Still, we’ll be watching to see what happens with Meta next.

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The post Meta Cuts Another 10K Employees & Sunsets NFT Integration appeared first on Boardroom.

Blockchain technology has the potential to transform a wide range of industries. Due to its efficiency, immutability, and transparent nature, businesses and individuals alike can take advantage of a new paradigm of transacting and transferring information for any number of objectives.

In sports, some of these use cases have already been widely explored, from NFT ticketing to fantasy and sports betting to the physical/digital pairing of memorabilia and collectibles.

But there’s another possible application that’s stirring up conversation among leagues, teams, and the athletes they employ: the ability to leverage blockchain technology for athletes’ contracts.

In essence, other than their magnitude in many cases, professional athletes’ contracts aren’t so different from the kind we’re familiar with in our own everyday lives. Before an athlete is employed by a team, an agent or representative typically negotiates the contract with the respective team or organization in charge regarding base pay, length of commitment, incentives, etc. From there, the athlete goes out and performs just like we’re expected to at our jobs. As they perform, then they get paid, and if they reach certain established goals or milestones set within the terms of the contract, then they are also able to receive additional bonuses.

Obviously, the contract structure can vary slightly from sport to sport, but you know the drill.

Since there are certain considerations that must be met and fulfilled by both parties throughout any given season, however, that can sometimes complicate the agreement between teams and players and create inefficiencies along the way. Leagues and teams also have relationships with various brands, media partners, and local and community organizations, a web of associations that requires a ton of data collection and management day-to-day.

Through its decentralized structure and immutable attestation across its networks, blockchain technology provides a path to making these agreements less cumbersome and can help these relationships to operate more effectively. 

With so much at risk , stakeholders in the world of sports should always be looking at the best methods to ways to streamline success for everyone involved — let’s talk about a few key benefits they can reap with an assist from the bleeding edge.

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Why sports teams should put their athletes’ contracts on the blockchain

1. Automatic execution of payments/bonuses when conditions are met.

Regardless of the sport, most athletes have specific incentives embedded within their contracts which can determine the max money they’re able to earn in any given competition year. When these incentives are met (winning major awards like MVP, winning postseason games, achieving statistical milestones, etc.), athletes can get paid sometimes massive bonuses.

Leveraging blockchain tech, teams can automate these payments using smart contracts — quite simply, once an athlete reaches a particular bonus benchmark, they can get paid right away. This method can also help mitigate contract disputes between players and teams where there might be slight discrepancies regarding interpretations of legal fine print, as a blockchain network’s protocols are unanimously acknowledged and protected.

2. The ability to distribute payments in different currencies (i.e, Bitcoin, Ethereum, or USDC)

Throughout the past few years, many athletes have elected to take payments or bonuses in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. For example, Odell Beckham Jr., Russell Okung, Stephen Curry, and Cade Cunningham are just a few examples of notable athletes who have taken some portion of their salaries in cryptocurrency, but converting fiat to crypto can also come with challenges at times.

With blockchain, distributing payments digitally becomes a much easier process that enables athletes to elect to get paid directly in whichever currency they choose without the need to process a conversion. This is especially beneficial for the next generation of athletes who are digitally native and have an inherent interest in new technology. It also aids international athletes who might experience issues with exchanging funds for their native currency or waiting long periods of time to get paid due to organizational instability.

3. Better management of players’ IP (data, NFTs/collectible “Moments,” etc.)

Every athlete on any given professional sports team isn’t just an employee; they’re businesses unto themselves within a larger enterprise. This means all of the information pertaining to their health, intellectual property, and statistics is critical to everyone involved, including fellow athletes, teams, leagues, and sponsors. On a blockchain, all of this can be recorded permanently on a digital ledger to which all parties can have incorruptible access. In theory, this allows teams to manage and organize all data related to any given player for themselves and third parties much more seamlessly.

For example, players can have all of their performance statistics, physical assessments, and brand assets unified within one unchangeable ledger. This also would help ensure that there is no illegal access, scrutiny, or replication/theft of the player data other than for individuals like coaches, general managers, trainers, and franchise owners that the blockchain’s protocols specifically designate.

Will we see this across all sports and other competitive leagues?

So far, the relationship between blockchain technology and major sports is still new and emerging.

Conceptually, implementing decentralized technology to manage contracts in every organization across all major sports would be a game changer in the way business is conducted. Nonetheless, accomplishing this comes with a number of hurdles and systemic changes, as it constitutes a paradigm shift in how we process, depict, and store massive amounts of data.

It must be noted as well that, at least traditionally, sports leagues have been slow to adopt new technologies. And given that there is still a ton of skepticism around Web3 as a whole, it could take a while before we see any of the possible use cases implemented across all sports and leagues.

That being said — there is still a strong interest in the industry as we’ve seen an increase in the number of NFT, metaverse, and crypto partnerships in sports which is optimistic, and innovative startup leagues like Fan Controlled Football are making experimental strides on this front that, if successful for the long haul, are sure to be emulated by the world’s major sports organizations in some form or fashion.

All told, blockchain has the potential to empower individuals and groups. Whether it’s athletes, artists, or other creators, the format grants more control and more privacy over personal information and the ability to create and exchange digital assets. As sports and technology become more intertwined, it’s perhaps only a matter of time before blockchain starts to permeate the space — and authenticating and attesting contracts wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

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The post Should Athletes’ Contracts Live on the Blockchain? appeared first on Boardroom.

A year ago, Boardroom featured eight of the coolest Black women in Web3.

Since then, those women have continued to build and cement why they made it on the list. Take Simone Berry’s launch of People of Crypto, for instance, or Ariana the Techie raising $3.3 million to build Mueshi, or Kirby Porter launching and wrapping the first season of New Game Labs’ podcast for athlete-creators. The accomplishments and the progression are endless.

To that end, we want to highlight another wave of ladies on International Women’s Day who are building the products, brands, and initiatives of the future in emerging industries.

Here are 10 women making waves across the Web3 and tech spaces that you need to know.

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Shannon Snow, COO of World of Women

Shannon Snow, COO of NFT community World of Women, joined the iconic Web3 brand last summer with one goal in mind: to help the brand expand and build its strategies beyond Web3.

WoW is known for its NFT collections featuring colorful, diverse, and powerful women avatars. Snow was an avid supporter of the brand before joining its leadership team, and she’s keen on being transparent with WoW’s progression — consider her recent Twitter thread in which she details some key takeaways from WoW’s first company offsite retreat focused on training, planning for the future, and more.

Latasha Gillespie, Head of Global DEI, Amazon Studios

Latasha Gillespie, Head of Global DEI at Amazon Studios, has worn several hats along her career path. She worked in finance and HR before realizing she had a passion for helping people, leading her to her current role with the e-commerce and media titan. Gillespie isn’t just helping the iconic company meet DEI employment needs — she’s also making sure staff and talent feel safe and secure in Amazon’s ever-expanding entertainment environments.

Betty, Co-founder & CEO, Deadfellaz

The world didn’t know what Deadfellaz co-founder and CEO Betty looked like until she revealed her identity at VeeCon 2022. Since then, Betty has continued to grow her Web3 brand, which has attracted a loyal community invested in far more than its green gender-neutral “undead” NFTs. Betty is every bit of a media mogul and an advocate for the evolving creator economy.

Johanna Faries, SVP & GM, Call of Duty

Did you know that one of the most popular first-person shooter gaming franchises is led by a woman? Activision Blizzard exec Johanna Faries started her corporate leadership career in traditional sports and esports before transitioning to the gaming industry. In her role at Call of Duty, Faries is constantly thinking about how her team is operating efficiently and ways to grow CoD’s community.

Avery Akkineni, President, Vayner3

Avery Akkineni is the founding president of Vayner3, a strategic consultancy working with brands and creatives to bring their web3 initiatives to life. When people hear Vayner, they automatically think of the brand’s namesake, Gary Vaynerchuk, but Akkineni is a name behind the brand that you need to know, too.

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Summer Watson, President, Vol. 1 Music

Summer Watson was instrumental in bringing the Aku Web3 brand to life, but she has since left the company to focus on her own projects. Still, Watson is a builder in the industry that peers respect and want to support. She understands the value of blockchain technology and how it can be instrumental in reshaping industries like music.

Anjelic Vendette, VP and Head of Marketing, Alo Yoga

Anjelic Vendette, Vice President and Head of Marketing at Alo, can geek out about the power of Web3 all day. She’s the mastermind behind the fashion and lifestyle brand’s foray into digital goods and services, which started with the launch of a digital environment in Roblox called the Alo Sanctuary. Since then, Vendette has spearheaded the launch of Alo’s first blockchain-enabled clothing collection and the release of a digital fashion collection.

Megan Holston-Alexander, a16z partner & Head of Cultural Leadership Fund

Megan Holston-Alexander, a partner at a16z and driver of the VC company’s Cultural Leadership Fund, is on a mission to make sure Black entrepreneurs and creators always have a seat at the table. She has helped grow CLF’s internal team and spearheaded the fund’s investments in over 300 a16z portfolio companies. In December, CLF introduced the Black Digital Art Collective to invest in and onboard Black artists to Web3 and the blockchain. Holston-Alexander isn’t leading CLF to just cut checks. She’s investing in Black communities, artists, and creators for the long haul.

Chelsey Northern, Web3 communications & PR expert

Chelsey Northern’s Twitter bio reads, “storyteller for creators of the future,” and that description of her and her work couldn’t be more true. Northern leads communications and PR efforts for big brands such as FaZe Clan and Deadfellaz. She’s a network connector in the space and often works behind the scenes, but she’s also someone who understands the power of Web3 and is working to make sure the rest of the world does, too.

Lindsey Byrnes, lifestyle & entertainment photographer

Lindsey Byrnes is a devoted NFT collector with nearly 300 digital collectibles under her belt. She also often puts her photographs on the blockchain and played an instrumental role in bringing Fan Controlled Football into the Web3 era. Byrnes is still building in the space and soon have her work featured in a Sotheby’s auction hosted in conjunction with Unicorn DAO called “My Body, My Business.”

The post Meet 10 Women Taking Charge Across Web3 & Tech appeared first on Boardroom.

Candy Digital announced a partnership with Getty Images to release rare images from Getty’s storied archive as digital collectibles.

Exposure: by Getty Images & Candy is dropping an NFT project called the ’70s Music & Culture Collection that features moments from that musical and cultural era. Collectors can expect to see iconic artists, moments, and photographers who helped shape the music culture in the ’70s. Getty Images experts and archivists curated the photos captured by Don Paulsen, David Redfern, Fin Costello, Richard Creamer, Steve Morley, and Peter Keegan. Musical icons, including Gladys Knight, James Brown, John Lennon, Elvis, David Bowie, and Stevie Nicks, will be featured in the collection.

This is the first time Getty Images is cracking open its archive to sell photos to individual collectors, marking a new era for the visual media company.

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“The launch of the ’70s Music & Culture Collection draws on Getty Images’ timeless and meticulously preserved archives allowing individuals to own unique moments in music history that engage their passion,” said Peter Orlowsky, Getty Images’ SVP of strategic development, said in a statement.

The collection drops on March 21, with digital collectibles ranging in price from $25 to $200 and will be available for purchase at Candy.com. As part of the new partnership, Candy Digital will allow fans to mint an introductory image for free for a limited time. For non-cryptocurrency native folks, the collection is also available for purchase through credit card payments.

“Candy Digital is focused on working with premium IP partners in sports, entertainment, and culture to leverage technology to enrich the fan and collector experience,” Candy Digital CEO Scott Lawin said in a press release. “Our partnership with Getty Images underscores our commitment to store and provide access to important and impactful photographic records using blockchain technology.”

The collection will be released as an open-edition mint, meaning there is an unlimited supply of NFTs in the collection for a specific time.

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The post Candy Digital & Getty Partner to Drop NFT Project appeared first on Boardroom.

NFT sales volume is down this week, with sales for blue-chip projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club, Otherdeed, and Mutant Ape Yacht Club taking a big dive.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that over 594,000 buyers spent over $187.1 million on NFTs in the past seven days, down nearly 37% compared to the previous week. NFT activity is up 3% overall, with roughly 1.7 million transactions going through between Feb. 24 and March 3. Once again, Yuga Labs-focused sales brought in the most this week.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum (-41%) and Solana (-16%) sales are down this week, with the blockchains attracting $153.1 million and $14.5 million, respectively.
• Doodles (-78%) and Moonbirds (-74%) sales are drastically down, with the projects attracting $972,565 and $1.3 million, respectively.
• ImmutableX (+6%) and Cardano (+11%) sales are up, with the blockchains attracting $6.1 million and $2.3 million, respectively.
• For the first time in a long time, Yuga Labs’ projects didn’t dominate top NFT sales, even though BAYC still reigns superior.
• Fan token sales are down nearly 15%, with the market bringing in $686.1 million. Some of the top-selling fan tokens include SANTOS FC ($127.4 million), FC Porto ($125.8 million), and Lazio ($75.4 million).

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $10.5 million (-60%)
• MG Land: $9.4 million (+31%)
• Sewer Pass: $8.1 million (-13%)
• Momoguro: Holoself: $7.9 million (0%)
• Otherdeed: $5.3 million (-51%)

More NFT and crypto news:

• Silvergate Capital’s stock took a plunge after the crypto bank delayed its annual report and admitted that its business might not be as viable as it expected. Coinbase, Galaxy Digital, and other crypto exchanges dropped Silvergate as their banking partner.
• While all of Yuga Labs’ top NFT collections are trading in the red this week, the Web3 giant is preparing to launch a Bitcoin-based project called TwelveFold.
• RTFKT launched a new partnership with Ledger that includes a capsule collection of Ledger products and educational programming.
• Disgraced FTX co-founder and former director of engineering Nishad Singh finally pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to testify against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

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Top NFT Sales of the Week

Sewer Pass #21915 sold for $1.6 million (1,000 WETH) on Feb. 27. This NFT was awarded to pro gamer Mongraal after he achieved the top score in Yuga Labs’ Dookey Dash game.

Autoglyph #335 sold for $400,349 (250 WETH) on Feb. 24.

Azuki #2904 sold for over $350,000 (220 ETH) on Feb. 26.

Bored Ape #7114 sold for $188,321 (114.95 ETH) on Feb. 26.

CryptoPunk #4456 sold for $182,261 (110 ETH) on March 1.

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The post NFT Sales Roundup: Top Sewer Pass Sold for $1.6M appeared first on Boardroom.

Yuga Labs’ new NFT project is far different from the PFP-based collections it has launched in the past.

The Bored Ape Yacht Club creator announced a limited-edition NFT collection called TwelveFold earlier this week. The new project includes 300 generative art collectibles powered by the Bitcoin blockchain network.

You heard that right. Yuga Labs is getting in on the Bitcoin NFT craze.

Before laying out what Yuga Labs is doing with its new project, you must first understand Bitcoin NFTs.

Bitcoin NFTs, Explained

Bitcoin-based NFT projects have been the talk of the town across the digital collectibles and cryptocurrency industries in recent weeks. The true phrase to describe the new digital collectibles attached to the most prominent cryptocurrency on the market is Bitcoin Ordinal NFTs. Per the protocol itself, Ordinals allow users to inscribe data onto Bitcoins. Data includes images, audio, and videos, which is why the NFT market is staking its claim on the new method.

Ordinal NFTs have only been around since mid-January, thanks to Casey Rodarmor, the software engineer who created the Ordinal theory protocol. The protocol subdivides a single Bitcoin into 100 million units. Each unit is called a satoshi, or the smallest denomination of Bitcoin.

With 100 million satoshis up for grabs in one Bitcoin, Web3 creators are attaching NFTs from new and notable collections to them. The Ordinals website details every NFT on the Bitcoin blockchain using the Ordinals protocol, which has surpassed 215,000 inscriptions already.

If this idea is still too hard to grasp, all you need to understand is that this new protocol brings NFTs to the Bitcoin network, which has never been done before because the blockchain wasn’t designed to handle that kind of crypto activity. Still, Bitcoin’s network is equipped to support NFTs fully.

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Key Facts About TwelveFold

You can say Yuga Labs is dipping its toes in the Bitcoin NFT trend since it’s only releasing 300 NFTs for TwelveFold’s first drop. The collection “explores the relationship between time, mathematics, and variability,” Yuga Labs founder Greg Solana detailed in a news release.

“When measuring time, the calculation base used is not uniform and varies from base 60 (60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour) to base 12 (12 months in a year) and so on,” Solana said in a statement. “TwelveFold is a base 12 art system localized around a 12×12 grid, a visual allegory for the cartography of data on the Bitcoin blockchain.”

TwelveFold will feature a mix of hand-drawn art and 3D graphics. Yuga Labs will let interested collectors bid on the NFTs via an auction. All bids must be made in Bitcoin, which means interested parties have to already have some of the crypto on hand if they want to purchase a TwelveFold NFT. The Web3 company tweeted that it would release more details on the auction late this week, though no new updates have been shared since Feb. 27. But fear not: Yuga Labs said it would provide a 24-hour notice ahead of the auction.

“Stepping into the Ordinals Discord a month ago felt like getting a glimpse of the 2017-era Ethereum NFT ecosystem,” Solana said in a statement. “It’s the type of energy and excitement we love at Yuga.”

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The post Everything You Need to Know About Yuga Labs’ TwelveFold Project appeared first on Boardroom.

Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends announced more than 60 speakers for VeeCon 2023 on Wednesday, highlighted by big names like Deadfellaz co-founder and CEO Betty, Deepak Chopara, and Boardroom co-founder Rich Kleiman.

Busta Rhymes is also set to grace the stage, and will do so on the opening night of the second annual token-gated conference. Rhymes will headline the opening night concert, with more musical performance announcements coming soon.

The event starts on May 18 with a field day at the TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park in Indianapolis. The rest of VeeCon’s festivities will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium on May 19 and 20.

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Here are more speakers slated for keynotes and educational panels at Veecon 2023:

• Andy Krainak, president of VeeFriends
• Arlan Hamilton, founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital
• Chris Lyons, president of Web3 media at a16z crypto
• Champ Medici, founder of Welcome To The Block
• Daymond John, co-star of ABC’s Shark Tank and CEO and founder of FUBU
• Jasmine Maietta, Founder and CEO of round21
• Jeff Carvalho, managing director at Highsnobiety
• Jimmy McNelis, CEO of Nameless
• Lisa Mayer, CEO and co-founder of Boss Beauties
• Richard Dickson, president and COO of Mattel
• Sara Baumann, artist and founder of Women and Weapons
• Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects and CEO of HYBE America
• Snowfro, founder of Art Blocks and Cceator of Chromie Squiggle

“These are incredible individuals who are making a high impact on society and business,” Vaynerchuk said in a statement. “I’m also extremely excited about the names we haven’t announced yet, as this year’s event is going to be bigger and bolder than 2022.”

Interested attendees must still be VeeCon NFT ticket holders to gain admission to the premier event. VeeCon will release tickets to VeeFriends Series 1 holders in the coming weeks. Non-VeeFriends Series 1 holders can access tickets via secondary marketplaces from holders selling them. With VeeFriends Series 1 NFT holders getting guaranteed entry to VeeCon 2022, 2023, and 2024, each year’s event will have a cap of 10,255 tickets, since that’s how many NFTs are in the collection.

Vaynerchuk’s camp will release the full slate of VeeCon speakers on the event’s social channels.

The first VeeCon speaker lineup comes a few days after Kevin Rose’s PROOF and Moonbirds projects canceled the PROOF of Conference, a competing event that was scheduled to happen in LA the weekend before VeeCon. Rose attributed the event’s cancelation to less interest in Web3 conferences right now due to the downturn across the crypto industry.

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The post VeeCon 2023 Announces First Round of Speakers appeared first on Boardroom.

Notable Web3 project VeeFriends announced a new platform on Wednesday that gives its NFT holders access to events, rewards, and other rare digital valuables.

Welcome to Burn Island, a platform that lets VeeFriends NFT holders “burn” their assets — click here to learn about what that means — in exchange for access to events, physical goods, virtual rewards, and rare digital collectibles. Burn Island’s website goes live next week. Eligible VeeFriends holders must have a VeeFriends account before venturing to Burn Island.

As a refresher, when a token is burned, it’s taken out of circulation on the blockchain and sent to a crypto wallet created only to retrieve digital assets. VeeFriends’ new platform provides its holders with more access to its ecosystem and also implements deflationary technology to its various collections, a press release states.

“At VeeFriends, we are continuously working on innovative ways to bring value to our community and drive excitement,” VeeFriends President Andy Krainak said in a statement. “The goal behind the launch of Burn Island is to create potential opportunities for increased rarity and holders to get the opportunity to engage in new experiences.”

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What Burn Island is offering

VeeFriends’ primary goal in launching Burn Island is to grow its brand, business, and intellectual property. The project is known for its storytelling mechanics, so it’s no surprise storytelling, and themed initiatives will be a huge part of the platform.

Burn Island activates through a mechanism called Eruptions, which are a series of sequential events with different burn eligibility requirements. These Eruptions will always have predetermined start and end dates, which gives VeeFriends holders time to reach eligibility requirements for rewards. To keep things fair, Burn Island will establish clear burn eligibility requirements before launching a new Eruption.

The first Eruption will commence on Feb. 21 and ends on March 2.

Some special features on Burn Island include Burn-Swaps, which allow holders to trade in NFTs for items offered during Burn Island Eruptions, and Sweepstakes, which offers holders a chance to win a prize by burning an NFT as an entry. 

“We are on track to achieve what I had envisioned for VeeFriends, and we will continue to create real-life value through these NFTs. I am excited for what’s to come and for the opportunity to grow this amazing community even more,” VeeFriends Founder and CEO Gary Vaynerchuk said in an official news release. “As I’ve said from the inception of VeeFriends, we are building with a long-term vision; and we will continue to grow, innovate and evolve the IP for holders.”

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The post Welcome to Burn Island, the VeeFriends NFT Community’s Newest Rewards Platform appeared first on Boardroom.

Puma is celebrating 75 years of existence by putting its iconic mascot on the blockchain with a new PFP (“profile picture”) NFT collection.

Puma released a string of comic books in the 1970s that chronicled the adventures of a green cat named “Super PUMA.” The brand’s upcoming NFT collection will draw inspiration from Super PUMA comics and highlight its most historic sports moments over the last seven and a half decades. Puma envisions fans using NFTs from the new collection as their social media profile pictures, a popular trend across the Web3 community.

Puma’s new NFT collection comes one year after the brand registered its ENS domain, Puma.eth, to cement its Web3 focus even further.

“Puma’s growing Web3 community played an important role in the launch of this new project,” PUMA Chief Brand Officer Adam Petrick said in an official news release. “We listened to what our community wanted, and the Super PUMA PFP NFT is the result of that. It’s a great project to kick off our 75th anniversary as an expression of our brand mantra – Forever Faster – leaning on our history and heritage to push sport and culture forward through design and innovation.”

Super PUMA first returned to the brand’s universe during New York Fashion Week 2022 after being last seen on a New York runway in 2017 for Rihanna’s Fenty show. Last year, the German brand hosted “Futrograde,” an immersive runway show that leaned on digital innovations from the past, present, and future.

This new collection will feature 10,000 Super PUMA NFTs in total, with a portion set to be airdropped to Nitro Collection NFT holders. Puma’s Nitro NFT project gives holders access to futuristic and exclusive physical and digital sneaker drops.

The company will continue to use its Nitro project as a vehicle to release innovative footwear. Outside of the Nitro airdrop, 4,000 Super PUMA NFTs will be sold publicly. Another 2,000 NFTs will be allotted for Puma’s partnership with 10KTF, an online shop in the virtual city of “New Tokyo.”

Airdrops for Nitro holders will begin in late February, with the public sale to follow shortly after. The Super PUMA comic will continue to be integrated into different business units and products across Puma, a rep from the brand told Boardroom.

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The post Puma Celebrates 75 Years With Limited-edition NFT Drop appeared first on Boardroom.

NFT creator and blockchain gaming firm Limit Break may have the only crypto-focused Super Bowl advertisement slated to air this weekend.

Limit Break launched in August 2021 when it dropped its flagship NFT project, DigiDaigaku, free of charge. The blockchain-based game developer is building its own free-to-own gaming model that includes developing multi-player Web3 games. One big part of Limit Break’s business model is providing free-to-own NFTs and digital gaming assets.

Limit Break is gearing up to run a live NFT mint event during its Super Bowl LVII commercial. The company is releasing 10,000 DigiDaigaku Dragons live for holders to mint. While the rest of the world is criticizing the crypto industry for having significantly fewer Super Bowl ad spots this year, Limit Break CEO Gabriel Leydon has as excitedly been counting down on his Twitter feed for the release of his company’s ad.

Limit Break is embedding a QR code in its 30-second commercial allowing 10,000 viewers to access one free token each. Interested holders need a crypto wallet to store the Dragon NFT, which can ultimately be used to interact with DigiDaigaku characters in Limit Break’s yet-to-be-launched gaming ecosystem.

VentureBeat reported that Limit Break’s Super Bowl ad campaign cost $6.5 million. That sounds like a lot of funds to dish out in the middle of a very uncertain moment for crypto companies, but Limit Break raised $200 million in venture capital last fall to deliver on its Web3 business plans.

Limit Break has been releasing free digital gaming assets for months. The gaming company is working on the flip side of other blockchain-focused game developers, which typically charge gamers for the digital collectibles they use in-game. Limit Break gives away its gaming assets free of charge to show its supporters that it doesn’t need to use money from pre-game launch sales to build a thriving gaming ecosystem.

“Limit Break’s free-to-own NFT model is literally game-changing, and these asset releases are key moments building to our upcoming Super Bowl commercial,” Leydon said in a news release. “Whether you are an existing fan or new to our community, we encourage everyone to take advantage of the release of these digital collectibles during the Super Bowl broadcast on February 12.”

Much has changed since Super Bowl LVI

The crypto world had a buzzy moment during Super Bowl 2022, a moment that passed and fizzled within a year. Super Bowl LVI included big campaigns from Coinbase, Crypto.com, eToro, and FTX.

Coinbase’s bouncing QR code ad is still being talked about, especially since the crypto giant isn’t returning with another campaign this year. Crypto.com and eToro didn’t sign up for Super Bowl ads either, and it’s no surprise FTX won’t be back with another following its inevitable bankruptcy filing last November.

Multi-asset trading and investment platform Etoro told CNN Business it’s more focused on putting its dollars behind a heavy marketing push instead. The company decided not to nab another Super Bowl ad spot because of crypto market conditions.

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The post Limit Break is Releasing 10K Free NFTs During its 2023 Super Bowl Ad appeared first on Boardroom.

The top three highest-selling Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs in the past seven days all dawn the rare blue beam eyes.

Why are people snatching up these special Bored Apes? We’re opening a case to find out. In the meantime, let’s dive into the latest edition of Boardroom’s NFT Sales Roundup.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that over 460,950 buyers spent over $218.7 million on NFTs in the past seven days, down nearly 7% compared to the previous week. NFT activity is up 2% overall, with roughly 1.3 million transactions going through between Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. Once again, Yuga Labs-focused sales brought in the most this week.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum (-8%) and Solana (-7%) sales are down this week, with the blockchains attracting $174.9 million and $27.5 million, respectively.
• Aside from Yuga Labs’ Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Sewer Pass, all the top 10 NFT projects by sales volume are trading in the green.
• ImmutableX (+50%) and Cardano (+26%) sales are up, with the blockchains attracting $4.3 million and $3.9 million, respectively.
• The ‘a KID called BEAST’ project climbed the ranks this past week, landing at #10 for the highest sales volume ($3.6 million).
• Fan token sales are down 26%, with the market bringing in $625.3 million. Some of the top-selling fan tokens include SANTOS FC ($116.6 million), Lazio ($78.3 million), and FC Porto ($77.06 million).

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Otherdeed: $15.7 million (+44%)
• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $12.6 million (+14%)
• Doodles: $11.2 million (+67%)
• Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $10.6 million (-13%)
• Checks – VV Edition: $10.2 million (+251%)

More NFT and crypto news:

• Rug Radio partnered with digital artist Cory Van Lew for its new NFT collection launching on Feb. 6. The PFP-focused collection will mint across three sessions to give collectors a fair chance to grab one.
• Blue-chip NFT project Cool Cats announced a strategic rebrand and redirection to focus on entertainment. The project will be creating more storytelling and partnership opportunities centered on its Blue Cat character. 
• BAYC holders and ApeCoin investors have until Feb. 7 to join Rosen Law Firm’s class-action lawsuit against Yuga Labs, which accuses the Web3 brand of misleading investors about financial benefits.

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Top NFT Sales of the Week

Bored Ape #5840 sold for over $800,000 (500 ETH) on Jan. 29.

Bored Ape #8483 sold for $491,495 (310 ETH) on Jan. 31.

Punk #2311 sold for $515,600 (303 ETH) on Feb. 2.

Fidenza #157 sold for roughly $204,000 on Jan. 28 before someone sold it for 100 ETH less at an estimated $41,000 on Feb. 2.

Autoglyph #352 sold for $164,620 (104.69 ETH) on Jan. 28.

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The post NFT Sales Roundup: Bored Ape With Beam Eyes Sells for $800K appeared first on Boardroom.

Doodles is launching its next NFT collection on Dapper Labs‘ Flow blockchain, the company announced Wednesday.

The blue-chip digital collectibles project first teased Doodles 2 last June and announced its launch on a different blockchain network. Doodles’ new identity-focused collection will allow holders to customize their NFT traits. This means collectors can design their own Doodles by personalizing various traits, including hairstyle, emotion, and wearables. Customized Doodles 2 NFTs will be tradeable on the Flow blockchain, while the inaugural Doodles collection, Dooplicator, Space Doodles, the DoodleBank, and Genesis Box projects will remain on the Ethereum network.

“Doodles is breaking new ground for what it means to be a Web3 brand, where opportunity and IP are unlocked and expanded for our community,” Doodles creators Jordan “Poopie” Castro, Evan “Tulip” Keast, and Scott “Burnt Toast” Martin said in a joint statement on Twitter. “We want our holders to be able to express themselves (and their Doodles) in multiple places.”

The Web3 project’s founders were keen to move Doodles 2 to Flow because of the blockchain network’s familiar onboarding experience and to introduce more audiences to the Doodles universe. All Doodles holders can tap into the project’s expanding world through interconnected environments on the Flow and Ethereum blockchains. Moving to the Flow blockchain was just Doodles’ first step on its multi-chain journey.

The first part of the Doodles 2 product experience will launch on Jan. 31 when the Web3 brand activates its “Dooplication” experience. Since Doodles 2 NFTs are customizable, the Dooplicator NFT holders will allow Doodles collectors to bring OG traits from the inaugural collection to the new one. For every wearable unlocked, a Doodles 2 Beta Pass will be awarded. Beta passes grant holders access to the first iteration of Doodles’ customizable trait tool. The project will release videos and illustrations before the experience’s launch to detail how everything will work.

Doodles founder Poopie said in a tweet thread that frictionless conversion is critical for the mainstream success of Doodles 2. Some of those frictionless opportunities on Flow include letting newcomers create crypto wallets using existing Gmail accounts and purchasing wearables with credit cards.

Doodles closed a $54 million Series A fundraising round at a $704 million valuation to launch the next phase of its Web3 brand. The project also acquired the animation studio Golden Wolf for an undisclosed amount.

After the Dooplicator launch, Doodles will focus on its Genesis Box reveal, letting Doodles collectors mint second edition Doodles 2 wearables.

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The post Doodles 2 is Headed to the Flow Blockchain appeared first on Boardroom.

As the NBA took to Paris earlier this month, it’s no surprise that the world’s foremost athletic brands came along for the ride. Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot was no exception, as the NFT giant hosted the final event of a multi-city activation connecting digital collectors from all 30 NBA teams.

Previous visits included Portland, Toronto, and Miami, with a current or former NBA player surprising fans at each. In Paris, Top Shot surprised attendees at Au Canon des Invalides with a visit from former Bulls star Joakim Noah.

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At each stop, collectors were able to purchase a pack featuring the player who attended the event. So, Portland were treated to Terry Porter, Jose Calderon represented Toronto, and for Miami, Glen Rice.

“Growing up, I collected basketball cards because I was a big fan of the game,” Noah told Boardroom during the Friday afternoon event. “I wanted to be involved in anything that had to do with the game. It’s 2023 and it’s a digital world. Even though I didn’t really know too much about blockchain before, I’ve learned a lot thanks to Top Shot and the fans.”

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This showing and the previous three further emphasize how the league and its players continue to seek avenues to bond with players. Sure, the sneaker and jersey communities have a head start in the memorabilia race. But as millions pivot to relying on the internet to foster relationship building, brands like Top Shot are capitalizing on the popularity by providing supporters a valuable piece of history.

Another clear-cut theme consistent among NBA fans in Paris was the necessity for more of an overseas presence. As a New York-born athlete with both French and Swedish roots, Noah told Boardroom that a heavy presence in France’s capital only foreshadows more good things for the future of basketball.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I remember living 25 years ago as a kid and going to see the Bulls play with Michael Jordan. It was a huge inspiration to me and being here as a retired Bulls player years later is a full-circle moment. The game being global really inspired me to play at the highest level, and I just want to pass on my passion to the next superstar.”

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The post NBA Top Shot & Joakim Noah: Building the Blockchain Connection appeared first on Boardroom.

NFT sales volume is amping up, with new and seasoned projects rising to the top.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that over 297,700 buyers spent over $257.4 million on NFTs in the past seven days, up 15% compared to the previous week. NFT activity is down 1% overall, with roughly 1.4 million transactions going through between Jan. 13 and Jan. 20. NFT projects from the Yugaverse led the charge on top sales this week.

NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• The Ethereum blockchain attracted $203 million in sales, up 20%.
• Fan token sales volume is up 102%, with the market bringing in $1.1 billion. Some of the top-selling fan tokens include Atletico Madrid, Santos FC, Lazio, and FC Porto.
• Solana (-2%), Cardano (-2%), and ImmutableX (-17%) sales are down this week, with the blockchains bringing in $38.8 million, $3.1 million, and $2.7 million, respectively. Though its numbers trail far behind Ethereum, Solana is the second-highest blockchain by NFT sales volume.
• Newly minting project Mutant Hounds ranked #9 for the highest-selling NFT collection by sales volume. The project is getting a lot of attention from BAYC owners, and the mutant hounds have an eerie resemblance to MAYC NFTs.
• Flow and Polygon sales are up 64% and 49%, respectively. Both blockchains pulled in roughly $2.1 million in sales.

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $22.3 million (+60%)
• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $18.1 million (+17%)
• Bored Ape Kennel Club: $12.9 million (+47%)
• Azuki: $10.5 million (-16%)
• Otherdeed: $6.6 million (+29%)

More NFT and crypto news:

• Even though DeGods and y00ts will soon move to Ethereum and Polygon blockchains, sales skyrocketed for their NFTs on Solana’s platform this week.
• Yuga Labs launched its mint event for Dookey Dash, a skill-based NFT game for BAYC and MAYC holders. Players had to purchase a Sewer Pass NFT and embark on an endless runner game similar to Temple Run.
• Moonbirds finally got its verified Twitter checkmark this week, and the project launched its third Moonbirds Grails mint. The unique mint event is only open to PROOF Collective pass holders and nested Grail trait Moonbird holders.
• CryptoSlam, the blockchain data analytics firm we use for our biweekly NFT Sales Roundups, merged with Web3 media company Forkast.News.

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Top NFT Sales of the Week

Bored Ape #4025 sold for $613,501 (395 ETH) on Jan. 16

Punk #7674 sold for $451,866 (286.69 ETH) on Jan. 18

Otherdeed #89263 sold for $270,968 (186.69 ETH) on Jan. 14

Azuki #4104 sold for $196,151 (127.50 ETH) on Jan. 18

Dmitri Cherniak’s Ringers #905 from Art Blocks sold for $132,620 (85 ETH) on Jan. 18

Read More:

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The post NFT Sales Roundup: Robot Bored Ape Sells for $613K appeared first on Boardroom.

35V has a strategic marketing partnership with Coinbase

Coinbase has made a name for itself by touting a user-friendly cryptocurrency exchange and self-custody wallet, but as the Web3 industry continues to expand, the company hopes to bring even more people into the fold.

There are many use cases for cryptocurrencies, and builders in the Web3 industry find new ways to leverage them every day.

Some may be skeptical of the crypto landscape based on recent market volatility — especially as the crypto winter drags like the longest season outside of Westeros — but Coinbase remains steadfast about a promising future.

Jessica Willams, Coinbase’s head of brand partnerships, told Boardroom that cryptocurrencies could also potentially be used as a store of value or a means of exchange in the broader Web3 ecosystem.

“Cryptocurrencies will continue to be an important part of Web3 because they are an integral part of many decentralized applications and blockchain-based protocols,” Willams said. “As Web3 technologies continue to mature and gain wider adoption, it is likely that cryptocurrencies will play a significant role in their development and use.”

Coinbase recently published a report highlighting its outlook on the crypto market this year. The crypto exchange company identified three key themes it expects to prevail in 2023:

• A flight to quality among institutional investors
• Creative destruction that will eventually lead to new opportunities
• Foundational reforms that usher in the next cycle

With crypto being such an instrumental aspect of Web3’s growth trajectory, Boardroom talked to Williams about Coinbase’s approach to the developing world of Web3 in 2023 and how the company’s initiatives and focus areas match the growing industry’s needs.

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Sports and Crypto

There is an organic synergy between sports, crypto, and Web3, with much potential for growth at the intersection of all three. Token gating, fan engagement, and POAPs (proof of attendance protocols) are a few of the use cases Williams mentioned that could be used for crypto-focused initiatives in sports.

“Overall, the intersection of sports and crypto has the potential to bring a number of benefits, including new ways to engage with fans and team communities, efficiency, security, and accessibility,” Williams said.

Here are some ways the sports industry can leverage Web3 technologies, per Williams:

• Token gating: Token gating could be used to further gate sports events or plus-ups to the experience of sporting events. We’ll see more teams and players selling NFTs that can be utilized for VIP experiences, meet and greets, and other plus-ups to enrich the sports experience for fans.
• POAPs: Like every kid who saved their ticket stub going to sporting events back in the 90s, proofs of attendance on the blockchain will surge in sports as teams and leagues look to engage fans and encourage collecting POAPs for downstream engagement.
• Fan engagement: Web3 technologies, like decentralized apps and blockchain-based protocols, can potentially enable new, more interactive and engaging ways for sports fans to connect with their favorite teams and athletes.
• Crowdfunding: Web3 technologies could facilitate crowdfunding campaigns for sports teams or events, allowing fans to contribute directly to the success of their favorite teams.
• Social media: Decentralized social media platforms built with Web3 technologies could give fans more control over their own data and allow them to interact directly with their favorite athletes and sports teams.
• Virtual reality: Web3 technologies could create immersive virtual reality experiences for sports fans, allowing them to feel like they are a part of the action even if they can’t be there in person.

Gaming

Gaming startups attracted the most venture capital attention across Web3 last year, so seeing what companies build will be interesting. There are various ways Web3 founders are using NFTs in the gaming ecosystem. Take SoRare, for instance, which has built a fantasy soccer game that allows users to buy, sell, trade, and manage virtual teams with NFT player cards. DraftKings, SimWin Sports, and World Champion Fantasy have similar business models; some have even partnered with popular NFT projects.

“As the adoption of blockchain continues to grow in the gaming industry, it is likely to have a significant impact on the future of gaming with gaming NFTs becoming broadly marketable and valuable assets,” Williams said. “Web3 will completely alter the profit model for both game developers and game players.”

Williams mentioned initiatives like Coinbase Pay, Wallet, and Node could help make in-game NFTs fungible as gaming assets.

“Blockchains, as decentralized and robust Web3 platforms, offer numerous benefits to game developers, such as improved security, improved ownership and control over in-game assets, and easier and more secure implementation of in-game transactions,” she said.

—

Check out this blog post for more on how Coinbase is building in Web3. And for more on Coinbase’s approach, check out its 2023 Crypto Market Outlook report.

Read More:

• ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI
• From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True
• Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop
• Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game
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The post Coinbase Forecasts the Future of Web3 in Sports, Gaming, & Beyond appeared first on Boardroom.

PROOF Collective, the Web3 brand behind the Moonbirds NFT project, inked a deal with Hollywood’s United Talent Agency (UTA) to take its pixelated owl NFTs to new heights.

UTA will bring its expertise in various divisions — including film, TV, licensing, marketing, video games, and more — to expand Moonbirds’ partnerships. PROOF founder Kevin Rose announced the news in a thread of tweets, saying UTA would be working on PROOF’s behalf to vet, broker, and executive partnership and expansion opportunities.

PROOF will work closely with UTA’s Head of Web3, Lesley Silverman, who also works with other notable Web3 brands such as CryptoPunks and Deadfellaz.

“After meeting quite a few agencies, it was clear that UTA is uniquely positioned to push our brand into new markets,” Rose said in a tweet. “We’re already working on upcoming partnerships we know you’re going to love and couldn’t be more excited to kick off 2023 with a bang.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the Moonbirds universe, here is everything you need to know.

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What’s Next for PROOF and Moonbirds?

PROOF and Moonbirds have a lot of things coming down the pipeline in 2023.

This UTA partnership announcement comes after PROOF raised $10 million from Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six venture capital firm last April. PROOF turned around and closed a $50 million Series A funding round last fall and announced plans to drop its next NFT collection, Moonbirds Mythics. That new collection is launching sometime this year, along with the Moonbirds DAO, which will oversee Moonbirds licensing, capital deployment, and PROOF’s treasury.

Most notably, PROOF is gearing up to host its inaugural conference in downtown LA called PROOF of Conference, running from May 11-13. The conference’s website says it will celebrate art, culture, community, and technology. Ticket sales start sometime this month, and from the looks of it, the conference may be open to all attendees, not just Moonbirds and PROOF NFT holders.

Elsewhere in the PROOF universe, the web3 brand is still developing its native token, PROOF token, and releasing PROOF Collective NFTs. These exclusive NFTs grant holders access to PROOF’s world and decision-making processes.

Read More:

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• From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True
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The post PROOF Collective Signs with United Talent Agency appeared first on Boardroom.

Most know Paul George as the seven-time NBA All-Star currently playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the NFT and metaverse communities are probably more familiar with the veteran’s work with Rumble Kong League. A platform that brands itself as the “sports ecosystem,” RKL allows users to select their favorite NBA players to compete in virtual 3-on-3 basketball games. Co-founded by Marcus Bläsche and Nick Vale, Rumble Kong partners include George, Stephen Curry, and Andre Iguodala.

Boardroom picked the 32-year-old George’s brain about his interest in NFTs, eliminating the stigma surrounding the digital space and how his foundation is working to further Web3 education.

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VINCIANE NGOMSI: What interests you about NFTs and the Web3 space?

PAUL GEORGE: The Web3 space seems full of people who want to learn, create new cultures and solutions, and grow themselves as well as their businesses. I want to always surround myself with different types of people who challenge my opinions, perceptions, and overall approach, whether that be on the court or in business. I also enjoy the art, style, and design that I see cropping up in the space.

VN: What’s been the most fascinating thing you’ve learned since becoming involved in this side of tech and digital?

PG: Spending time talking with and, more importantly, listening to friends of mine in different professional circles is helping me cultivate more of an appreciation for the business of sport and where it meets tech and digital. I’ve learned that culture drives commerce, and that as a culture shaper in the sports and emerging tech world, I have a unique opportunity to help big brands respond to the things that my fellow athletes draw inspiration from. 

VN: What drew you to Rumble Kong League?

PG: For me, being a part of the Rumble Kong League community, and the opportunity to contribute to such an innovative project was a no-brainer. I see the vision for RKL, and the vibe feels right. I want to engage with all types of people who love hoops and hoop culture. I also really appreciate knowing that through projects like Rumble Kong League, The Paul George Foundation can create real positive impact in my community, and hopefully inspire others as well.

VN: Why do you think NBA players are so open to exploring Web3 and the metaverse?

PG: I believe the budding relationship between sports and Web3 is important in transforming the way athletes, brands, and ball clubs interact with each other and fans. Seeing how my partners choose to engage their communities and finding a way to help bring these initiatives to light as a way to walk out the story is a key part of my commitment.

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VN: Are pro athletes utilizing their platforms to prolong their high-earning years and feed into community enrichment initiatives now more than ever, or is this a new iteration of an old practice?

PG: It is important to remember that this is still an emerging market and we need to be clear about why we see these projects, including our own, as potential culture drivers capable of standing the test of time. I joined the Rumble Kong League community through a team that I organically interacted with because I love being part of the Rumble Kong League community. It was a really exciting opportunity for me. I love the vision behind having hoops competition in an innovative league in the Web3 space. Myself and a growing list of folks in the league see this emerging tech and market as an organic way to leverage our platforms in Web3 for community enrichment. I look at not only the opportunity in front of me but how we can make an impact together. I’m not only looking forward to building this metaverse league but working with RKL to support projects for The Paul George Foundation that can create a real positive impact in my community, and hopefully inspire others as well.

VN: How can we de-stigmatize the opinions some people have about NFTs and the metaverse being a “trend?”

PG: By continuing to build cool, exciting, and easy-to-use products and services that we enjoy and find useful. I know that the idea of having all my favorite highlights and game-watching moments memorialized on a perfect ledger in the blockchain is exciting to me. The idea of sharing that ledger with my kids down the line. 

VN: Could growing excitement around NFTs replace the retro method of buying, selling, and trading player cards?

PG: These things aren’t one-for-one replacement, but I do think that digital assets will continue to be the norm for emerging generations. NFTs and the blockchain give us new possibilities and ways to enjoy interacting with our favorite players and teams — I’m excited to be at the forefront of it. 

VN: How does the PG Foundation stand to benefit from your venture into Web3?

PG: When I think about my Web3 ventures in talking with the guys at Rumble Kong League, I also look at how we can make a larger impact together. I’m not only looking forward to building this metaverse league together, but also working with their team to support projects for The Paul George Foundation that can create a real positive impact in my community, and hopefully, inspire others as well. I’m dreaming of ways to share exclusive experiences and opportunities with hoop fans who want to contribute to The Paul George Foundation’s charitable initiatives. 

Read More:

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• From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True
• Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop
• Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game
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The post Boardroom Q&A: Paul George and His Partnership with Rumble Kong League appeared first on Boardroom.

It’s the first week of the new year, and it’s looking up for the NFT market. Historically, the NFT industry has peaked at the top of the new year, so we’ll be watching to see if that trend continues in 2023.

If you’re new to this column, NFT Sales Roundup is Boardroom’s biweekly forecast of the NFT market. Check out our 2022 recap here and all previous versions of the roundup here.

CryptoSlam’s data shows that over 390,100 buyers spent more than $192.6 million on NFTs in the past seven days, up 19% compared to the previous week. NFT activity is up 3% overall, with roughly 1.1 million transactions going through between Dec. 30 and Jan. 6. Blue-chip projects like  Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, and Azuki soared back to the top of the list for most sales this week.

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NFT sales and blockchain volume changes over the past week, per CryptoSlam:

• Ethereum and Solana sales are up 18% and 29%, respectively. The Ethereum blockchain attracted $150.3 million in sales, while Solana brought in $32.3 million.
• MineablePunks, an NFT project generated using on-chain CryptoPunk assets, attracted $6.7 million in sales. That’s down 40%, but the project was the sixth-highest-selling in the last week.
• ImmutableX and Flow sales are down 2% and 5%, respectively. ImmutableX brought in $2.9 million in sales and Flow brought in $1.1 million.
• Fan token sales volume is up 47%, with the market bringing in $606.8 million. Santos FC, Lazio, FC Porto, and Manchester City Fan Token topped the list for sales volume.
• Cardano sales jumped 46% in the past week with $2.6 million, which was the largest increase in sales across the blockchains.

Highest-selling NFT projects, also via CryptoSlam:

• Bored Ape Yacht Club: $19 million (+56%)
• Mutant Ape Yacht Club: $13 million (+83%)
• Azuki: $11 million (+93%)
• Bored Ape Kennel Club: $8 million (+55%)
• CryptoPunks: $6 million (+51%)

More NFT and crypto news:

• Fanatics is not down with the NFT market’s volatility, so the sports apparel and collectibles retailer is selling its 60% majority stake in Candy Digital to Galaxy Digital.
• Logan Paul is back in the hot seat after YouTuber Coffeezilla accused him of abandoning his NFT gaming project CryptoZoo and not paying developers behind the project. Paul denied these claims.
• Crypto lender Genesis Global Trading laid off 30% of its workforce as its parent company, Digital Currency Group, shuttered its wealth management division.

Top NFT Sales of the Week

Punk #2066 sold for $1.3 million (1,155 ETH) on Dec. 30. This CryptoPunk is one of 88 zombie punks in CryptoPunks’ flagship collection of 10,000 NFTs.

Bored Ape #4743 sold for $379,203 (300 ETH) on Jan. 4

Azuki #7257 sold for $361,529 (289 ETH) on Jan. 4

Dreadfulz #164 sold for $268,906 (215 ETH) on Jan. 5

g00fs #1351 sold for $215,849 (180 ETH) on Dec. 31

Read More:

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• From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True
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The post NFT Sales Roundup: Zombie CryptoPunk Sells for $1.3M appeared first on Boardroom.

The Web3 community has correlated gmoney’s identity with his CryptoPunk — Punk 8219 — for the past two years or so. During Art Basel 2022, the NFT pioneer finally decided to dox himself.

gmoney revealed his identity earlier this month for various reasons; one being because of the mass loss of confidence in the crypto industry this year. He built his Web3 persona around his CryptoPunk, during the height of the NFT industry in January 2021. Even though gmoney’s face is revealed, much of his online presence will stay the same. He told Boardroom that he doesn’t plan to change his profile pictures on any of his social media accounts; they will remain Punk 8219. He doxxed himself to represent the Web3 space in person better while planning to continue running his digital presence the same.

“I think it’s made it a little bit harder for me to “walk around at NFT events because I’m more recognizable,” gmoney told Boardroom about his initial thoughts after revealing his identity. “Overall, I like it because I’m connecting with more people.”

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The Time is Now for gmoney

gmoney doxxed himself on the same day within hours of y00ts Founder Frank DeGods, aka Rohun Vora, a former Y-Combinator fellow and UCLA dropout turned Web3 enthusiast. He hopes more Web3 founders will reveal their identities to instill trust during a time when the crypto industry needs it the most.

“I really think we need strong and visible leaders,” gmoney said. “I felt like I took the pseudonymity as far as I could. I need to be a little more visible to open up the next chapter and go mainstream.”

While everyone knows what gmoney looks like now, he has always been present in Web3 spaces these past two years, unmasked. If you ever caught any of his video interviews online, his face has always been covered by an avatar filter of Punk 8219. But if you ever conversed with him in person, you know he didn’t shy away from showing his face. He trusted the Web3 community to respect his wishes to stay anonymous, and he even said he was surprised to see no one ever leaked photos of him.

The Web3 giant is known for pushing back on the expectation of showing his identity before he was ready.

One aspect of revealing himself that gmoney is excited about is the ability to give non-verbal cues when talking to people via Zoom interviews for his podcast. It seems simple, but it’s an aspect of conversing that gmoney has been missing out on with his physical identity behind a stagnant screen when virtually communicating.

gmoney wears many different hats in the Web3 world, but most notably, he’s the founder behind the phygital Web3 luxury fashion house 9dcc. He launched his fashion company earlier this year, which formalizes the ownership of items using blockchain technology as a documentable avenue. 9dcc dropped its first NFT collection earlier this year called ITERATION-01. Each NFT corresponds with a specific shirt size of 9dcc’s oversized black lux tees that dawn blockchain-verifiable patches. NFT holders were airdropped vouchers granting them access to a physical t-shirt.

After the success of 9dcc’s first drop, gmoney worked with a unique designer for the fashion brand’s second collection, which was released at Art Basel.

Selling Out 9dcc’s Second Drop

gmoney and 9dcc collaborated with generative art creator and Art Blocks founder SnowFro for the brand’s ITERATION-02 drop. Working with Snowfro was a full circle moment for gmoney, who first got into collecting NFTs by mass minting a group of Chromie Squiggles NFTs from Art Blocks. The ITERATION-02 collection features a variety of 9dcc’s oversized white lux tees with the brand’s logo and thick lines inspired by Chromie Squiggles.

The fashion brand handled approximately 450 sales and live mints at its Art Basel pop-up shopping experience for ITERATION-02 before selling out in under six minutes online. Different rarities throughout the collection drive up interest in secondary sales.

“It’s been really fun, and the community has been so engaged,” gmoney said about the rollout of 9dcc’s second collection. “A lot of logistics and innovation had to happen to make an NFT on the spot, mint it, and put that on a garment that links to a unique asset on-chain, all within a matter of 10 minutes. To me, that’s a huge technical feat that hasn’t been done at scale, and we did it with 1,200 shirts over the course of a week.”

gmoney is most excited to see that the Web3 community is really getting familiar with 9dcc and what he’s building with the fashion brand. That’s another reason why he doxxed himself, so he could put his identity in front of the brand and meet people face-to-face at 9dcc’s pop-up during Art Basel.

What’s Next for gmoney?

gmoney’s physical identity is out in the world now, but his real name and life history remain hidden. He will continue going by gmoney while he further cements himself in Web3.

The NFT guru will continue advising Adidas on its Web3 strategy, and the pair is fine-tuning the details of a long-term partnership. He’ll also continue producing his podcast under his Admit One ecosystem.

As for 9dcc, gmoney said the brand has a couple of new collections lined up with potential collaborations in the pipeline that he’s really excited about. He’s on a mission to create IRL opportunities and connections for the web3 industry that typically happen online within communities.

“As a true crypto native, I want to be out there pushing the true core ideals behind crypto so that people understand it’s not this Ponzi scheme,” gmoney said. “Why are we here? Ultimately, crypto is for self-sovereignty and non-censorship in a digital world.”

gmoney is most looking forward to running activations and being more visible at web3 events in the future to teach people the real power of decentralization.

“We’re laying the groundwork for future generations of how humanity will interact with each other in a more digital world,” he said.

Read More:

• ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI
• From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True
• Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop
• Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game
• CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan Summit Returning in 2024

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The post What’s Next for gmoney? appeared first on Boardroom.

In the cryptocurrency industry, investors often use the term “burn” to describe a token that has been taken out of circulation on the blockchain, but burning crypto tokens is a much more tedious process to understand.

When a token is burned, it’s sent to a crypto wallet that was created only to retrieve cryptocurrencies. These wallets are linked to burner addresses that don’t have private keys — also known as the “seed phrase” you need to access a wallet — and can never send cryptocurrencies sent to them. Tokens sent to these wallets take cryptocurrencies out of circulation forever.

Burning crypto is necessary for various reasons, but it’s most beneficial in maintaining a token’s value. Let’s explore some more benefits below.

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Benefits of burning crypto

The value of tokens could go up when some are removed from circulation because there is less supply. Not all cryptocurrencies have a maximum amount, so crypto burning may affect values differently. For coins like Bitcoin, there can only be 21 million ever created. For this reason, burning crypto could help boost a coin’s price when some are sent to the graveyard. The Ethereum blockchain uses the burn mechanism to merge miners to its new proof-of-stake network.

Check out Boardroom’s explainer on Bitcoin halving to explain what happens as the coin reaches its max supply.

Additionally, removing tokens from circulation adjusts availability naturally. Some blockchains use crypto burning as a consensus mechanism, which requires crypto miners to burn coins to mine new blocks on a blockchain. Another way to put it is miners have to spend a little money to make more money. Some blockchains leverage crypto burning to take other tokens out of circulation. For example, mining a new specific coin may require a miner to burn Bitcoin.

One of the most significant use cases for crypto burning is to keep algorithmic stablecoins actually stable. Stablecoins often burn tokens to maintain their dollar-pegged value. When a stablecoin’s demand rises and the price begins to fall below the dollar amount, the protocol’s smart contract automatically will either burn coins to drive the price up or release new tokens to attempt to balance out the price.

Sometimes burning crypto has little or no impact on a token’s value, and scammers have often used masked burning events to attempt to steal crypto from investors.

Burning crypto x NFTs

Burning tokens can happen for various reasons, and the NFT market has leveraged the process to create rewards for holders. For instance, when Yuga Labs first launched the Mutant Ape Yacht Club collection, the Web3 brand airdropped Mutant Serums to every Bored Ape holder to transform their apes into Mutant Apes. Mutant Serums came in the form of NFTs, which are still crypto tokens, that remained in circulation until holders burned them to create Mutant Apes. In order to use the serum to create Mutant Apes separate from the original Bored Apes, Mutant Serums had to be sent to the abyss and taken out of circulation forever.

NFT projects have often used the process of burning crypto when doing revel drops, which requires holders to purchase assets before learning what they look like and burning the token they purchased to find out.

All told, the process of burning crypto can be a bit confusing on its face. If you’re interested in getting into the game, however, it’s a necessary one to understand when investing in certain assets.

Read More:

• ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI
• From March Madness to Man United: Brands Make Fan Dreams Come True
• Everything is On the Table for Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera & The Shop
• Boardroom Talks: Amar’e Stoudemire Always Understood the Game
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The post Burning Crypto Tokens: What Does it Mean & How Does it Work? appeared first on Boardroom.

World of Women made it clear that “the time is WoW” at its first-ever gala event in Miami earlier this month.

The web3 brand, known for its NFT collections featuring colorful, diverse, and powerful women avatars, hosted the exclusive event for the WoW community during Miami Art Week and Art Basel. The gala’s Galactic Glamour theme was inspired by WoW’s second NFT drop, the World of Women Galaxy collection, which includes 22,222 NFTs donning artwork of futuristic women designed by WoW CEO and Chief Creative Director Yam Karkai.

Hosted by Ros Gold-Onwude, the night was filled with glitz, glam, and a special set from DJ duo Sofi Tukker. WoW also gave updates and provided new info on its various projects, including announcing a partnership with Ledger to launch Ledger Quest, a gamified crypto educational platform. The web3 brand is working closely with The Sandbox on an initiative called Let’s Mint, which focuses on educating young girls on web3.

WoW has a lot coming down the pipeline, so Boardroom took a deeper dive into what’s to come from one of the most popular web3 brands.

Meet WoW COO Shannon Snow

Avid WoW supporter Shannon Snow joined WoW’s leadership team as COO this past June. It was a natural transition in her career, and she’s helping the brand build strategies that expand beyond web3. As someone who grew up around art and technological advances, Snow was excited to see WoW’s inaugural gala event come to life.

“I grew up going to Basel, and it’s been awesome to see the NFT community merge with it. The fact that WoW was such a big part of the Basel story this year blows my mind,” Snow told Boardroom in an exclusive interview. “It’s cool to be in the metaverse, but what’s most important is who you meet there.”

Boardroom spoke to Snow about WoW’s growth plans, upcoming projects, and where she sees the web3 brand expanding in the next decade.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

MICHELAI GRAHAM: How did you first get involved with World of Women?

SHANNON SNOW: I was a WoW holder and a passionate community member. I had been working in tech my whole career already. I like to say I grew up at Google. I was at the company for over ten years, working my way up from entry-level positions to grow with the company and building teams. I followed my beloved boss from Google over to Meta, where I had many roles, including leading their Disruptors team, as well as my final role, where I was leading the US entertainment division.

I became fascinated by Web3 and the metaverse, so when the opportunity came up to work for WoW, I was just a holder, but I was already a huge fan of the company. I saw that they were hiring for a COO, and I knew that I wanted to continue to have an impact in tech and use it for good, which has always been my center. I went for the role and felt super lucky to transition from focusing on the metaverse to really focusing on representation in Web3.

MG: What goals do you want to accomplish in your first year at WoW as COO?

SS: The main goal has always been to create a lasting brand. I think that what’s been so incredible about WoW is it shot out of a cannon when [WoW CEO Yam Karkai] initially launched the collection. All of these collections were launching, and they were innovative, but what was lacking was representation. There weren’t women avatars, and there wasn’t a way for women to feel represented. I think that’s a big part of why it resonated with so many people: they wanted to feel represented. They wanted to feel seen. As we look at the next chapter, the market is in a very different place. For myself, the founders, and the team, it’s been about how we continue to expand our impact—figuring out how to grow the scope of our mission beyond the NFT community and into the overall community.

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MG: How has WoW been able to stay so steadfast on its mission during this crypto downturn?

SS: We realize this has already been a tough market for everyone in NFTs and crypto, so it’s important to show care. We’re showing up and making sure we’re showing empathy in the community because it is a volatile time. Our long-term mission of equality, representation, and inclusion guides us as a project. These aren’t short-term challenges. This isn’t something we expect to solve on the timelines of Web3. These are generational issues, and we like to think long-term about the impact we’re building toward. Sometimes that can be heartening. When you have a tough week, remember what you want the future to look like 50 years from now. That can be a comfort. There is a broader perspective and mission we’re working toward that helps keep us grounded when we have some of these short-term ups and downs.

MG: How did WoW’s inaugural gala at Art Basel earlier this month come together?

SS: We’ve had a lot of success with community-led meetups and held some iconic events. At NFT.NYC, we hosted a concert with Madonna, a WoW holder, and supporter. It was just this huge moment of celebrating someone who shares our values of diversity, inclusion, representation, and being yourself no matter who you are. That was the start. While we have many celebrity holders of WoW, what’s really important, too, is our community and how we come together. For the gala, it was about hosting our first event for the community celebrating our community.

We wanted to recognize that the entire community creates the special mission alignment that is WoW. We wanted to have an event that celebrates every community contributor so they can see the magic they created in this global project.

MG: What do you say to women looking to break into web3 but are kind of feeling that imposter syndrome?

SS: The advice that most helped me early in my career is that no one’s done it before, so you can’t really do it wrong. This was fitting for my experience when I graduated from Standford. I was across the street from Google when it was going through its huge growth phase. Their whole approach to hiring was to hire smart people who believe in the mission and are willing to learn. At that time, search was new, and no one was really an expert. The most essential qualities we hired for were a passion for the mission and the ability to learn. I think those two skills are so applicable right now in web3. Even the people who know it all are making mistakes, experiencing volatility, or not knowing what the right thing is. Just show up with curiosity and passion for what this next generation of technology can make.

MG: Where do you see WoW’s progression in the next year? 10 years?

SS: It has to be a mix of things that are really foundational and that we know can drive core value to the business right now to bring people into web3 and web3 innovation. We’re working a lot on our business plan for 2023 and how we will continue to invest in the foundations of the business. At this stage, it’s important to think about diversification, like, not only building for web3 but building into how we onboard people in this community.

We have a great partnership with The Sandbox and a $25 million grant specifically to bring more women and girls into web3 and the metaverse over the next five years. We’re always thinking about innovating from a web3 and technology perspective and ensuring we bring in new audiences.

That also includes licensing and making sure the WoW brand is exposed outside of the web3 market. We will be sharing news soon around our partnership with Jazwares to create dolls of WoWs that we hope will showcase the beauty and art of WoW but also introduce WoW to a whole new generation of women and girls who may not have NFTs yet. We have a whole slate of other physical goods partnerships, including Nicole Richie’s brand House of Harlow and Hasbro’s Monopoly, which are all scheduled to drop early next year.

We’ve always thought that WoW is the front door to the metaverse for women and girls. We’re continuing to think about how holders can use WoWs as their digital identities beyond PFPs.

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The post Boardroom Q&A: Shannon Snow, World of Women’s COO appeared first on Boardroom.

There is much going on in the Bored Ape Yacht Club universe lately, and the Web3 project’s parent company just got a new leader around the same time another significant NFT theft was revealed.

Daniel Alegre has been named the new CEO of Yuga Labs, the company shared on Monday. The announcement comes three days after the former gaming exec stepped down as president and COO of Activision Blizzard. Alegre succeeds Nicole Muniz, who served as the lab’s first CEO since January 2022. Muniz will continue working with Yuga Labs as a partner and strategic advisor.

“Daniel has held one of the highest level roles at one of the largest gaming companies in the world,” Yuga Labs co-founder Wylie Aronow said in a statement. “He brings valuable experience across entertainment, e-commerce, and global strategic partnerships, all of which are critical aspects of an immersive web3 world built by creators and for creators.”

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Yuga Labs explicitly noted in its official news release that Alegre will “become Yuga Labs’s new CEO in the first half of 2023,” which means this could be more of a short-term plan. Still, Alegre joins the web3 giant with an extensive resume that includes leadership roles at Google, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Candy Crush. The web3 company’s new CEO will be most charged with bringing Yuga Labs’ gamified metaverse project Otherside to fruition. Alegre will step down from his post at Activision on March 31, 2023, and join Yuga Labs full-time.

As part of his new role, Alegre will use Mutant Ape #3850 as his new profile picture.

Alegre is taking over leadership of Yuga Labs during a tumultuous time for the brand following the filing of a class action lawsuit and the recent theft of roughly 14 Bored Apes.

Another Bored Ape Scam

The recently stolen Bored Apes were valued at a combined $1 million, and all of them have already been sold off, according to their owner, Twitter user @_sevenseason_. The collector fell victim to a scam that didn’t require the scammer to pay any gas fees. The former BAYC holder thought he was signing a licensing deal with web3 social IP platform The Unemployed. Instead, 14 Bored Apes were stolen due to a contracts loophole on OpenSea.

The holder, who also owns 10 Mutant Apes, according to OpenSea, is still attempting to recover the stolen NFTs.

This isn’t the first Bored Ape scam, and it probably won’t be the last.

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