web3
VC Roundup: Web3 dev, EVM sharding and crypto banking headline blockchain funding deals
Web3 dominance within crypto funding rounds has been well documented by Cointelegraph Research. In addition to the Web3 mega funds announced recently, venture capital has also been making smaller, more targeted investments in the sector. In this week’s Venture Capital (VC) Roundup, we chronicle the latest Web3 funding initiatives and draw attention to a sharding platform, nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace, crypto banking solution and co-ownership infrastructure provider. Related: Blockchain games and metaverse projects raised $1.3B in Q3: DappRadar Gamers, athletes and content creators back WWVentures WWVentures, a boutique crypto venture firm, has raised $15 million for its Web3 fund — putting the company on track to invest in metaverse, decentralized finance and blockchain gaming...
$50B asset custody platform GK8 enters Brazil with license agreement
Digital asset custody platform GK8 has partnered with 2ND Market, a Brazilian crypto holding company, to expand cryptocurrency product offerings in Brazil — a move both companies say would support continued adoption in Latin America’s largest economy. Under the partnership agreement, GK8 will license its institutional-grade custody platform to 2ND Market to give Brazilian users access to a wider range of crypto products and services. In particular, 2ND Market will leverage GK8’s integration with MetaMask Institutional, a multi-custodial wallet, to provide users with access to decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web3 crypto assets. Founded in 2018, GK8 reportedly manages roughly $50 billion of digital assets — up from $1 billion two years ago — and utilizes an air-gapped Cold Vault to el...
What are CC0 NFTs, and why are they important?
As the Web3 world has largely promoted transparency and openness with code, NFT creators and teams are also opting for the same with art. However, that is just the beginning of the journey, and these nonfungible token creators and communities must realize that. CC0 can sometimes be portrayed as a logical conclusion where the NFT creators hand over the process of building on their creation to their community and beyond. Some NFT collections have had several derivative projects promoting the culture of the NFT almost as brand extensions. However, declaring a project as CC0 is just the beginning. NFT project teams and creators who take the CC0 route must actively promote the use of the brand and onboard other creators and projects to build brand extensions to their NFT collections. ...
Death Row’s Blockchain Ambitions Take Shape As Snoop Dogg Manager Joins Gala Music Advisory Board
After buying Death Row Records and promising to make it an “NFT label” earlier this year, those metaverse ambitions are beginning to take shape through an exclusive partnership with Web3 platform Gala Music, where Snoop Dogg‘s manager for brand partnerships, Nick Adler, has joined the advisory board. The newly-created board is rounded out by Tupac’s former manager Leila Steinberg, as well as Grammy-nominated DJ and composer BT, and record label executive DJ EFN. The board will focus on bringing more superstar artists into Web3 and explore crossovers into film and gaming through Gala’s sister companies. “The creation of our advisory board is an exciting next step in Gala Music’s growth,” said Brandon Tatum, vp and global head of music business at Gala Music. “We look forward to leveraging t...
Near Protocol partners with Google Cloud to support Web3 devs
Near Foundation has announced a new partnership between Google Cloud and Near Protocol, providing infrastructure for Near’s Web3 startup platform, Pagoda. According to an Oct. 4 announcement, this partnership will allow Google Cloud to provide “technical support” to Near grant recipients by providing infrastructure for Near’s Remote Procedure Call node provider to Pagoda. Near Protocol is a decentralized application (DApp) platform that focuses on usability among developers and users. It utilizes sharding technology to achieve scalability and, as a competitor to Ethereum, is also smart-contract capable and a proof-of-stake blockchain. Launched in February 2022, Pagoda is a startup platform that provides Web3 developers building on Near with a full-stack toolset to construct, launch a...
Web3 is the solution to Uber’s problem with hackers
Uber is a staple of the gig economy, for better or worse, and a disruptor that once sent shockwaves throughout the mobility space. Now, however, Uber is being taken for a ride. The company is handling a reportedly far-reaching cybersecurity breach. According to the ride-hailing giant, the attacker has not been able to access sensitive user data, or at least, there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. Whether or not sensitive user data was exposed, this case points to a persistent issue with today’s apps. Can we continue to sacrifice our data — and thereby our privacy and security — for convenience? Web2, the land of hackable honeypots Uber’s track record for data breaches is not exactly spotless. Just in July, the ride-hailing giant acknowledged hushing up a massive breach in 2016 that lea...
NFT space bridges passions for tennis legend Maria Sharapova
Tennis legend Maria Sharapova appeared at the Binance Blockchain Week Paris 2022 to share her interest in nonfungible tokens (NFTs). During an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Sharapova mentioned that “she is exposing herself to this new world of crypto and Web3,” noting that the sector will help her better engage with her fans. Sharapova was also one of the strategic investors behind MoonPay’s Series A financing round, yet she mentioned that she aims to bridge her personal experiences to the digital world moving forward. Maria Sharapova (right) with Cointelegraph senior reporter Rachel Wolfson (left) at Binance Blockchain Week Paris 2022. Source: Rachel Wolfson Cointelegraph: What are you doing here today at Binance Blockchain Week Paris? Maria Sharapova: I’m crypto curious and wou...
What is regenerative finance (ReFi) and how can it impact NFTs and Web3?
On Sept. 30, NFT Steez, a bi-weekly Twitter Spaces hosted by Alyssa Expósito and Ray Salmond, met with Mashiat Mutmainnah to discuss how regenerative finance (ReFi) can provide more accessibility and inclusivity to blockchain technology. As a “mission-driven movement,” Mutmainnah explains that ReFi enables users to redefine their relationship with the current financial system and their relationship with finance and wealth. Currently, in many countries, millions of people lack basic, equitable access to the financial services that would allow them to meet their daily needs. What if there were newer models that could sustainably alleviate this? According to Mutmainnah, ReFi can redefine what money means and how it’s used. What is the impact of ReFi? Mutmainnah e...
NFT Artist Diana Sinclair Signs With UTA Ahead of Christie’s Auction
Diana Sinclair, a leading visual artist in the Web3 space, has signed with UTA and is set to auction off nine of her NFTs at Christie’s beginning this week. Sinclair, 18, was recognized by Fortune as one of the top 50 most influential people in the NFT space alongside artists like Beeple. Her work focuses on themes like self-identity and social justice, and she is the curator behind Digital Diaspora, a Juneteenth exhibition that highlights the work of Black artists and creatives in the NFT community. Last year, Sinclair also collaborated with estate of Whitney Houston to create a digital video that comprised rare archival photos of the late singer that sold for roughly $1 million. And beginning on Wednesday, the artist will debut an NFT col...
Is Web3 Really The Future of Everything Or Just A Huge Sham?
Having covered Web3 for almost a year, I should have known that “crypto,” “DAO,” “DeFi,” “blockchain” and other terms associated with the future of the Internet sound, for most people, like a mosquito stuck in each ear. But I’m a slow learner. Slumped in our muggy kitchen, listless and drunk after a day of July Fourth debauchery, my girlfriend locked eyes with me as if struck by a brilliant idea. I expected her to begin crushing potato chips into our Annie’s Mac & Cheese, or suggest we use the leftover pasta-water for a couple’s foot soak––two possibilities I would have fully supported. Instead, she sprayed the equivalent of OFF! for people who know (way) too much about NFTs. “I am not your ‘Metaverse’ person, okay?” she declared. “I need you to know that.” She looked relieved, w...
Former Roblox Head of Music Jonathan Vlassopulos Joins Napster as CEO
Former Roblox vp and global head of music Jonathan Vlassopulos has joined Napster as CEO, the company announced Sunday (Sept. 25). Vlassopulos, who departed Roblox in April after three years, became known for shaping the company’s cutting-edge virtual concert strategy in the early days of the pandemic, with the platform hosting blockbuster virtual shows for artists including Lil Nas X, Tai Verdes, Twenty One Pilots and 24KGoldn. He also navigated Roblox through a rough patch after the company was sued by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) for copyright infringement in June 2021. The two parties settled the $200 million lawsuit three months later and launched talks for go-forward licensing deals. Vlassopulos joins Napster four months after the company — which began in 1999 as...
Coinbase Cloud debuts Web3 developer platform
Blockchain infrastructure platform Coinbase Cloud has officially rolled out its Web3 developer platform, allowing users to build new decentralized applications free of charge. The new developer platform, dubbed Node, allows users to create and monitor Web3 applications while accessing the Ethereum blockchain and indexers, the company disclosed Wednesday. While Node offers a tiered subscription model, the free plan includes access to advanced APIs that allow for the creation of decentralized applications and nonfungible token (NFT) applications. Coinbase Cloud claims that Node enables faster creation of Web3 applications while reducing both complexity and cost. This feeds into the platform’s broader service offerings, which include all-in-one access to payments, identity, trading and ...
