cnn’s-‘inventing-tomorrow’-explores-how-developments-in-internet-technology-are-transforming-the-future

CNN’s ‘Inventing Tomorrow’ explores how developments in internet technology are transforming the future

 

As society continues to integrate technology into every aspect of life, innovators are building new worlds online. On the next episode of ‘Inventing Tomorrow’, CNN International correspondent Blake Essig introduces the pioneers envisioning a decentralized internet, the minds behind a new realm of digital assets and the experts who help contextualize the past in order to understand what’s coming next.

First, the programme sits down with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a computer scientist best known for inventing the World Wide Web, as well as blockchain expert Paul Brody, who discuss the development of the internet in 1989 and explain how it has evolved through various eras since. All this helps set the scene for the latest iteration of the internet: Web 3.0, also known as Web3, which hopes to give users control of their resources, content and data – effectively decentralizing the internet.

In an increasingly digital world, the things users own in online games have become a key part of their real-life identities. Essig hears from Yat Siu, founder of the Hong Kong-based app developer Animoca Brands, a company credited with popularizing play-to-earn games – or games which reward players with non-fungible tokens that have real world value. Siu explains how these games allow users to become shareholders rather than just consumers, therefore democratizing the future of the internet. CNN also learns how the gaming company Dapper Labs is using blockchain to build non-fungible tokens for the sports and entertainment world.

The process of digitization has been comparatively slow to hit the fashion world. One duo aims to change that by charting a new frontier for fashion through blockchain. Eliana Kuo and Lorenzo Albrighi are co-founders of the fashion tech company Lablaco. In the metaverses created by the company, users can enter as their own digital avatars and try on clothes as they would in the real-world. Their vision is to integrate blockchain technology into clothing and apparel – in essence digitizing what we wear in an interactive way.

Finally, brands are utilizing elements of emerging tech to manufacture the things we use every day. For Microsoft, this involves investing in the development of augmented reality through products such as the HoloLens 2, a mixed reality headset which blends the wearer’s real-world environment with a digital space. They’re partnering with manufacturers like automaker Toyota to integrate augmented reality into their manufacturing processes and training in the hopes of streamlining production to future proof their business.

3-time-motogp-world-champion-jorge-lorenzo-launches-the-x-fuera-nfts-with-madworld-and-animoca-brands

3-time MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo launches the X-Fuera NFTs with MADworld and Animoca Brands

 

MADworld and Animoca Brands proudly announce a partnership with Jorge Lorenzo, the 3-time MotoGP™ World Champion, to venture together into the metaverse. This collaboration consists of multiple NFT (non-fungible tokens) drops, and will lead up to MADworld’s upcoming play-to-earn (P2E) game experience, which ports all MADworld P2E NFT projects into a common racing ecosystem. The campaign will include exciting giveaways, never-seen-before utility, and some incredible real and digital world experiences with Jorge himself.

Lorenzo is considered one of the most skilful and adventurous riders of this century. X-Fuera or ‘Por Fuera’ meaning ‘Around the Outside’ is the nickname of Lorenzo, earned after making the famous move during a race in 2003. The 3-time MotoGP World Champion taps into the metaverse environment by sharing memorabilia accessible to the public in an exclusive digital experience tied to a physical event.

“I’m super excited to be collaborating with MADworld and Animoca Brands in providing new, exclusive experiences to my global fans. I can now engage with them in a whole new way never seen before and the opportunities awaiting are endless,” Jorge Lorenzo said. “I have worked all my life to become a motorcycling champion and I am still closely linked to the world of competition. This year I will make my debut as a MotoGP commentator, which is a new challenge for me. I want to continue to inspire my followers and let them know that I continue to take on new challenges and try to improve myself every day. I’m going to bring on a show to make our NFTs very valuable and in demand.”

“We are delighted to have him in joining us for this fascinating collaboration,” Robert Tran, CEO of MADworld added. “Our vision is to make sure that athletes can share this Web3 experience with their fans, whilst leveraging some amazing artists through MADworld’s vast array of digital talent. Traditionally, athletes’ participation in live events are bounded geographically. We want to increase their reach so they can extend this relationship in the Web3 world.”

The MADworld and Lorenzo pairing represents an exciting and important step for MADworld’s growing offering. Arnold Concepcion, the chief of operations at Animoca Brands, commented: “By enabling NFT artists to work with renowned individuals such as Jorge Lorenzo, we are able to explore the breadth of MADworld’s capabilities and can expand beyond simply defending the artist, instead promoting them to the global stage of NFT dominance. It will be an exciting collaboration to explore sports opportunities in the metaverse.”

The X-Fuera, gearing up for the race of a lifetime

The X-Fuera, a collection of Lorenzo-styled and themed avatars, will be launching Jorge Lorenzo into the metaverse, offering 9,999 X-Fuera riders and 9,999 superbikes ready for MADworld’s growing ecosystem. Owners can fuse a Rider and a SuperBike together by collecting one of the MADserums in drop 2.5 and unlock the playable characters and earn UMAD.

The utility doesn’t stop there with amazing real world experiences involving Jorge Lorenzo himself, memorabilia giveaways, virtual events and much much more. MADworld will bridge the Jorge Lorenzo campaign into its much larger family consisting of many other brands such as BAPE, B.Duck and others.

Key Drop:
Drop 1 – 9,999 X-Fuera Riders
Drop 2 – 9,999 X-Fuera Super Bikes
Drop 2.5 – NEW! MADserums
Drop 3 – MADworld Proprietary Physical to Digital – Genuine Jorge Lorenzo mini helmets paired with MADworld NFTs

The X-Fuera campaign is set to be full of adrenaline, MADreturns, amazing original content and much more. Stay tuned for X-Fuera going live soon.

X-Fuera: Discord | Twitter | Instagram

kikitrade-&-animoca-brands-deepen-strategic-partnership-to-bridge-cefi-and-gamefi-universe

Kikitrade & Animoca Brands deepen Strategic Partnership to Bridge CeFi and GameFi Universe

 

Social investment platform Kikitrade today announced that Animoca Brands has increased its shareholding in Kikitrade to become the second-largest shareholder following Kikitrade’s plan to widen its participation in the decentralized blockchain gaming (GameFi) and non-fungible token (NFT) market.

The recent upsurge in GameFi, also known as play-to-earn (P2E) games, has dominated the blockchain market over the past several quarters. Blockchain games like Axie Infinity, NBA Top Shot and The Sandbox have quickly become killer applications of blockchain technology with powerful adoption. Kikitrade’s superior in-app community provides a comprehensive platform for GameFi players, investors and traders to connect, while also serving as a bridge between GameFi and the centralized finance (CeFi) world.

“We are excited to deepen our partnership with Kikitrade, and we see this collaboration as a significant step toward the open metaverse,” commented Yat Siu, the Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Animoca Brands. “Together with Kikitrade, we aim to further develop GameFi player education and build an accessible GameFi ecosystem for beginners.”

Through this cooperation, both Kikitrade and Animoca Brands will promote newly launched and upcoming GameFi projects by providing comprehensive financial infrastructure to a mass audience and incubating. Kikitrade will establish GameFi Studio in the near future to accelerate the development of GameFi and NFT market.

Sean Tao, Co-founder and CEO of Kikitrade, said, “The Kikitrade and Animoca Brands partnership is a turning point for enabling mass adoption of GameFi. With its social capabilities, Kikitrade will create an educational platform that connects GameFi players and CeFi users – on one hand streamlining GameFi players’ ability to monetize their gaming experience, while on the other hand introducing CeFi users to the GameFi ecosystem.”

crypto-platform-kikitrade-completes-us$8m-pre-series-a-funding

Crypto Platform Kikitrade Completes US$8M Pre-series A Funding

 

Cryptocurrency social investment platform Kikitrade today announced that the company has completed Pre-series A funding of USD 8 million, co-led by Dragonfly Capital, Cherubic Ventures and Animoca Brands who also joined the Board of the Company. By providing a user-friendly, secure and fun user experience, Kikitrade aims to attract the millennials and everyday people to invest in crypto assets with ease, and contribute to the democratization of cryptocurrency in the long run.

Renowned Investors Betting on Strong User and Team Traction 

The Pre-A series funding was co-led by Dragonfly Capital, a blockchain venture fund affiliated with Sequoia Capital, Cherubic Ventures, a venture capital that has invested six unicorns globally, and Animoca Brands, a blockchain gaming giant founded by tech legend Yat Siu. Other investors include Ethereum Co-founder Joseph Lubin and his new fund in stealth, Singaporean venture capital Vulpes, Super Chain Capital, Australian venture capital Artesian, Head & Shoulders X in Hong Kong, Chinese blockchain fund SNZ and more.

With profound experience in FinTech, Kikitrade Co-founder Allen Ng said, “My singular goal with Kikitrade is to lower the entry barrier of crypto investment and provide everyday people with the necessary tools and knowledge required.” Dragonfly Capital Partner Mia Deng said, “Attracting the millennials and Gen-Z with first-class user experiences is an important trend in FinTech. We like Kikitrade’s strategies and look forward to driving the mass adoption of crypto together.”

Kikitrade’s solid and diverse team background is also a key consideration for the investors. The team comprises experienced engineers, hedge fund traders, investment bankers and crypto enthusiasts with in-depth knowledge in both financial and blockchain industries. Cherubic Ventures Managing Partner Tina Cheng said, “Kikitrade’s professional team has both excellent product development capabilities and extensive marketing resources. We are very bullish on its future growth and the vision of driving crypto’s mass adoption”.

Enhancing “Social” and “Gaming” Elements for Millennials

Sean Tao, another Co-founder of Kikitrade, has built and operated multiple social products for millennials before. A heavy gamer himself, Sean aims to integrate “social” and “gaming” elements to Kikitrade, enabling peer interaction and gamified experience. Animoca Brands CEO Yat Siu said, “NFT’s are the standard for true digital property rights and the next development of the Metaverse requires easy to on-board financial services, and we believe Kikitrade could become an influential financial onboarding platform for collectors and gamers globally.”

Entering New APAC Markets and Introducing New Features

Granted a Digital Asset Exchange Provider Qualification from the Australian government, Kikitrade has plans to apply or acquire more licenses in APAC. The compliant platform upholds a high standard on identity verification (i.e KYC), anti-money laundering (i.e AML) and asset segregation, striving for a secure and reliable crypto investment experience. To address the common misperception of the high costs associated with crypto, Kikitrade sets its minimum investment amount at US$1. In addition, Kikitrade provides crypto-based saving features and regular investment plans targeting beginners and long-term holders.

The investment proceeds will accelerate the user acquisition in the fast growing APAC markets, including TaiwanSoutheast Asia and Australia. Kikitrade will also continue to optimize its existing trading system, enhance its educational content and create an easy-to-use Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) portal. Kikitrade is highly committed to becoming the best partner for mainstream investors in their forays into the crypto universe.