Did you know that Shopify and Thirdweb are going to launch a toolkit that allows developers to build Web commerce apps3 quickly and easily? Read our blog post to learn more details about their partnership and what is going on in the crypto industry.
Contents
π Macro - The story of NFT Bucharest is just beginning;
ποΈ Last week's news - 9GAG, Shopify, Getty Images, UN (United Nations), Decentraland;
π° Investments/Financing - Matchday, Wildxyz;
π£ Projects news/Updates - DeGods, ZenAcademy, Mega Mutant Ape NFT, Yuga Labs;
βοΈ Legal - NY Attorney General claiming ETH would be security;
βοΈTools - Cent.co;
π Veefriends - Veecon Tickets;
βοΈ NFTility - InPeak;
π Dictionary - gas fee, airdrop;
πΈ Sale of the week - Fidenza for half a million $;
π Macro
NFT Bucharest Warm Up is over. But the story is just beginning. 38 speakers (even 40 if we talk about Subcarpati and NONE32X32, the artist from Craiova who is preparing a HOMAGE, dedicated to BrΓ’ncuΘi). And 400+ people checking in on the event. We wrote more about what happened, with thanks here.
What else is important? A few lessons:
1) Yes, we can! And yes, we were nervous and although we gave it our best shot, we couldn't be sure it would turn out so well. But what happened showed us that it's only natural that the ambitions we have for the NFT Bucharest main event in the fall are over the roof!
You absolutely must believe in your chance! Don't be afraid to make that phone call, write that message or ask that "tough" question. That positive answer might be easier than you think!
2) As an underdog it's much easier to make waves! If you know you're working on something that you feel is or can become great, chances are you're right. Just keep being consistent. Sure, it applies especially if you're passionate, and both at bedtime and when you wake up, you're obsessively thinking about how you can improve the product you're working on. Believe in your dream!
3) Make decisions quickly. And change them even faster if new data comes in. On Monday morning, 4 days before the event, we knew we were going to go to another hall (where 180 - 200 people max would fit). On Monday we announced that we were changing the hall because we felt that more could be done and even if we were making our own work (which between us was a lot of work anyway) harder in the short term, we were making it easier in the long term!
As for the NFT Bucharest main event in autumn, we can tell you this: Romanians and Romania will be proud!
But we need all of you. First give NFT Bucharest a follow, on Instagram, Linkedin & especially Twitter. We left links in the comments. Afterward, we wanted to let you know that the first invites will go to newsletter subscribers. So if you have friends who are not yet subscribed here, cmon, and give them a link today!
Oh, by the way, the pictures are coming out today. Share all over and invite your friends to give follow. Yes, Romania can be put on the international NFTs map. But we all need to contribute, each in our own little way!
Thank you to all the speakers. You have raised the level of Romania enormously:
Special thanks to all sponsors and partners without whom this event could not have taken place:
ποΈ News from last week
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9GAG, the company behind Memeland, has filed a trademark application with the USPTO to create and distribute "proof of fandom." The plan also includes software for customizing metadata and managing loyalty programs for rewards.
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Shopify and Thirdweb have announced their partnership to launch Commercekit, a toolkit that allows developers to build Web commerce apps3 quickly and easily. This revolutionary technology will give merchants a better understanding of their customers, allowing them to offer personalized services and experiences.
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Candy Digital and Getty Images have launched "Exposure: by Getty Images & Candy", a digital collection featuring photographs and cultural moments from the 1970s. Music and photography fans have a unique chance to get their digital collectible for free until March 15 and win a Polaroid Go Starter Set and a collection of 10 images. The collection will be released on March 21, and Volume 1 will be available for purchase individually or in collections.
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Retreeb and the UN launch a collection of NFTs to fight malnutrition. The collection is made up of 17 pairs of NFTs representing utopia and dystopia. Discover them now and help avoid the worst-case scenario.
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NFT Evening has created a navigation guide for Decentraland. Understanding the Decentraland map can be a challenge, but with the help of NFT Evening we can discover the districts, best coordinates to visit, and land prices. We also find out how to buy land and what to do with it.
- Planet Hollywood, a world-renowned restaurant chain, has partnered with Animoca Brands to launch Club 3, an exclusive #NFT Club in LA for the Web 3 community. You'll need to shell out $2,500 from your wallet to become a member.
π° Investments / Financing
- Messi is one of the investors in the $21 million round received by Matchday, a Web3 soccer startup. The start-up's plans are to combine Web3 and mobile games to create more football games, licensed by FIFA. If there are 5 billion football fans globally, it looks like they'd have a lot of potential.
- Digital art platform Wildxyz has raised $7 million to expand its residency program and dedicated NFT art community. Notable investors such as Reid Hoffman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cozomo de Medici participated in the round. Wild's goal is to help artists build their work in Web3 to collectively contribute to the "Wildverse," the platform's native metaverse.
π£ Projects News / Updates
- The 535 DeGods that were burned from the Solana blockchain are coming back. This time on Bitcoin. While this was already known, it seems we are getting closer and closer to the date when they will be available for purchase. Get your BTCs ready!
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ZenAcademy announces a collaboration with Impact Theory, founded by Tom Bilyeu, to offer ZenChest and 333 Club members access to educational courses and the entire course offering for a limited time. Permanent access to two courses remains open while the partnership is active. The registration link is available in ZenAcademy's #holder-perks channel.
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The new partnership between FarmHouse Inc and Mega Mutant Ape NFT opens up new opportunities for the cannabis industry. The agreement allows cannabis companies to license one of the most iconic NFTs in the Bored Ape Yacht Club universe. FarmHouse has been expanding its NFT portfolio since earlier this summer, now including popular collections like BAYC, CryptoPunks and more.
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Yuga Labs has announced a second journey into the Otherside metaverse on March 25! Users will have another opportunity to explore this unique virtual world created by one of the biggest players in NFTs and Metaverse. See you on the Otherside!
βοΈ Legal
New York State Attorney General Letitia James claims ETH would be security [somber music in background]
In a lawsuit filed Thursday against KuCoin, New York Attorney General (NYAG) Letitia James alleged that KuCoin violated the law by selling unregistered securities. Among the unregistered securities listed in the lawsuit is also... Ether.
The process could create far-reaching complications for crypto exchanges listing ETH.
Ethereum has reportedly attracted increased attention from regulators since 2022, when it switched from a proof-of-work to proof-of-stake system for operating its network (i.e. where investors can stake their cryptocurrencies in exchange for rewards - similar to interest received on deposit contracts).
"By moving to proof-of-stake, ETH no longer relies on competition between computers, but now relies on a pooling method that incentivizes users to own and stake ETH," the action explains. "The move to proof-of-stake has had a significant impact on the underlying functionality and incentives to own ETH, as ETH holders can now earn a profit simply by staking."
Moreover, it is alleged in the application that ETH satisfies the Waldstein test. The Waldstein test is New York State's version of the Howey test, which adopts a similar set of rules to determine which transactions qualify as investment contracts.
As I explained in previous posts, the SEC defines securities based on the Howey test, which says that an investment contract exists if there is an "investment of money in a common enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits from the efforts of others." By this logic, proof-of-stake might bring ETH closer to securities, since paying interest requires little work and seems to fit the "reasonable expectation of profits" of the Howey test. However, it doesn't mean the SEC will try to classify ETH as a security.
Most major blockchains use a proof-of-stake system like Ethereum, which means it's possible for regulators to lump them together.
ETH's price fell by about 7% following NYAG's announcement of the lawsuit against KuCoin. Oops π
βοΈ Tools: Cent.co
Cent.co is a web3 platform that provides tools for artists and creators to monetize their content, connect with their audience and easily generate NFTs. Collect Button and Cent Pages are two tools that allow creators to convert their digital assets into NFTs, collect email subscriber lists and reward their community members with verified copies of their original content.
Collect Button is an embeddable NFT creation button that can turn any digital asset on your website into an NFT. Members and fans can collect photos, videos and more. It's the easiest way to secure your content, digital assets and products on the blockchain. You can compile data about your community, including email addresses, and distribute NFTs directly to the community in just a few clicks.
On the other hand, Cent Pages are custom pages in the form of "user.cent.co" that makes it very easy to showcase your business. It's a free audience management tool for artists of all kinds. You can collect email subscriber lists, send them notifications of new releases and manage all your creative activity with a single link. To create your page you need to fill in a form and then wait for it to be approved.
Cent.co offers a variety of benefits for creators. It can help you create an exclusive membership program for your community with free and/or paid NFTs. Once they have collected an NFT, you can give them exclusive rewards, bonus content and VIP access to online events and offline meetups.
Cent.co is unique in that it attaches the identity to the NFT and hosts it automatically behind the scenes, including managing configuration complexities such as wallets and transfers.
We need more such tools that help tremendously with the adoption of blockchain technology, making complex things accessible to less technical people.
πββ¬ Veefriends
Tickets for VeeCon 2023 have been airdropped to holders of VeeFriends Series 1, 1 ticket for each token held, a total of 10255 tickets. These serve a dual purpose, access to VeeCon 2023 but also as a digital collector's item. Those who still have VF1 in a loan agreement can claim the ticket until 30 April if they can prove they own the token.
In order to use the ticket for access to VeeCon, the wallet in which it is held must be linked to your VeeFriends account. New this year is that the ticket owner can delegate someone else to use the ticket for access to the event.
The art attached to the notes has not yet been revealed, nor has the artist, but there are some speculations among community members.
βοΈ NFTility
Hi! The NFT Bucharest warm-up confirmed once again how important and easy it is to connect with people in a young, fast-growing industry where hype cycles on new trends are very aggressive.
Web 3 quality networking also makes the InPeak project. Focused on creating an educational space, the project's platform brings together quality speakers on a weekly basis. Access to the content is by owning one of the Genesis Pass and Learn Soulbound Token collections. Temporary access to the platform can also be obtained via the Trailhead token, and in the future, there will be a collection that will be the equivalent of a subscription.
The project was created by Somi Arian, a strong female voice in the business space, with an extraordinary ability to bring people together and an extremely high sense of inclusivity. One of the most passionate founders I've seen in the web 3 space, Somi is omnipresent in the community. From weekly Town Halls, guest interviews, and even her involvement on the Discord server, her work is one of the cornerstones of the project.
I think we have all felt at times that we can't cope with the speed at which things are happening. That's why we seek to find our group(s) with whom we can sail safely. And when it happens, we do our best to participate in the collective well-being.
Until next time, please stay tuned.
π Dictionary
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gas fee - just like cars run on gas, blockchain has some costs. They call it a gas fee. It's paid to network validators for the services they provide to the blockchain. The amount varies depending on how busy or free the network is.
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airdrop - an airdrop is a marketing strategy used by projects that involve transferring free tokens or NFTs to the wallet of someone who already has a token or has made various transactions. Basically, you can target a community very easily: because the blockchain is transparent, you can transfer everyone who owns a Veefriends a ticket to Veecon!
πΈ Sale of the week
Fidenza #395 was sold for 350 ETH. More than half a million dollars. A year ago it was "only" 66 ETH. Apparently, inflation applies to Fidenza as well.
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