Sfermion's Collider
Sfermion is an investment firm focused on backing the founders building the metaverse.
Hello 👋
Welcome to the 22nd edition of Sfermion’s Collider where we highlight the latest & greatest news in the world of web3 and gaming!
Weekly, we aim to drop a curated list of the most exciting stories & updates that we believe are enabling the emergence of the metaverse.
If you're looking forward to reading this edition of Sfermion’s Collider, please don't forget to subscribe below and follow Sfermion on Twitter to get the latest! Check out our Seam (💰) bio here :)
Web3 Updates
Ethereum | Shapella Upgrade & Price Surge : Ethereum’s Shapella upgrade was implemented on Wednesday night, enabling staking withdrawals. The Shapella upgrade made it possible to withdraw staked ether on the network for the first time. Now that stakers can withdraw ether, the blockchain has completed its transition to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. Pending withdrawals crossed $1.6 billion in the early hours.
MetaMask | New Fiat Function : MetaMask has announced the launch of a new feature that will allow users to purchase crypto with fiat currency directly from its Portfolio Dapp. The feature allows users to purchase a wide range of crypto using various payment methods, including debit or credit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, and instant ACH
Twitter & eToro | In-App Crypto & Stock Trading : Stock trading, and reportedly crypto, is coming to Twitter via a new partnership with eToro.
Line Next | NFT-Based 3D Avatar Platform : Line Next, a division of a messenger company with 200M users, has launched a beta of AlphaCrewz, a 3D avatar customizing platform that offers high-definition avatars that can also be used in Line’s coming metaverse ecosystem.
Azuki | Lines Friends Partnership : Chiru Labs, the Web3 company behind Azuki and Beanz, has announced a strategic partnership with digital IP platform company IPX (formerly Line Friends). Fans and holders can expect co-branded content and merch between Beanz and LINE Friends, retail distribution at Line Friends stores, and immersive IRL activations that combine the two worlds.
Kering | AI Personal Shopper & NFT Integration : Kering, the largest luxury goods group after LVMH has launched an experimental site “cutting-edge fashion space” by the name of KNXT. The site is said to be a place for “curating innovative content and testing new ideas,” which it is already doing through the integration of both AI (personal shopper) and NFTs (collectibles).
Shiba Inu | Upcoming Metaverse Launch : SHIB: The Metaverse, a project that expands the utility of the Shiba Inu ecosystem, is being pegged to open by December of this year, Shiba Inu developers said in an update on Monday. SHIB: The Metaverse will feature 100,595 plots of land that will be minted by users. Landowners can generate passive income from their plots, collect in-game resources and generate rewards. Additionally, the developers plan to introduce a way to earn and ensure players have a personal space where they can build and manage their projects.
Uniswap | Wallet Live on App Store : Following a month of review by Apple, Uniswap’s mobile app has finally secured its place in the iOS app store. It is now available for users in “most countries” — including the United States. In addition to allowing swaps between the Ethereum mainnet, Polygon, Arbitum and Optimism, users will also be able to track their NFT collections and purchase crypto with their debit cards through MoonPay.
StepN (💰) | FairMint AI NFT Tool : Find Satoshi Lab, the creators of STEPN, have launched a new NFT AI tool, ‘FairMint’, to support creators with an easier process of mass producing NFTs and expanding the GNT ecosystem.
Push Protocol | New Video Chat Feature : Decentralized communication network, Push Protocol, released a wallet-to-wallet video chatting feature on its Web3 messaging platform this week. It allows web3 users to not have to rely on platforms such as Gmail or Zoom, which aren’t peer-to-peer, to engage in transactions with one another. It also enhances the Web3 experience by allowing celebrities or influencers to token-gate or NFT-gate exclusive video calls with their fans.
NFTNow | 2nd Annual List of Top 100 Creators & Influencers : The NFTNow team releases its 2nd annual list of the 'top 100' creators and influencers in the space. See the full list here!
Gaming Updates
Razer | "ZW3I" Web3 Incubator : Razer is now funding Web3 gaming projects through its new zVentures Web3 Incubator (ZW3I). ZW3I will accelerate Razer’s activity in the space both by investing but also by leveraging Razer’s existing network in the sector, including strategic partners such as Animoca Brands, AWS, Griffin Gaming Partners, 1UP Ventures and Play Ventures. The fund, called zVentures Web3 Incubator (ZW3I), will leverage its expertise to grow early-stage projects building blockchain-based gaming infrastructure.
Immutable (💰) & iLogosEurope | Strategic Partnership : iLogos and IMX team up to onboard even more gamers to web3. With 16 years of exp bringing game titles to life & over 1.5B game installs for SuperCell, Ubisoft, EA and more, iLogos has the expertise to build mass-market high quality games.
NetMarble & The Sandbox | Strategic Partnership : Through this partnership, The Sandbox plans to bring Netmarble’s intellectual property to the metaverse. The Sandbox will create a ‘Netmarble IP LAND’ within K-Verse, a K-content specialized space. This space will feature a 6x6-scale, allowing users to fully immerse themselves in the world of Netmarble’s popular IPs.
PIXELYNX (💰) | Deadmau Drops 9K Free NFTs : deadmau5’s PIXELYNX is releasing 9,000 free sound-reactive NFTs called ‘The Droplet’ on April 12th. Significantly, holders of these limited-edition NFTs will have early access to PIXELYNX’s flagship Web3 game ELYNXIR. ELYNXIR, is currently in development and designed by a team of gaming and technology veterans from Epic Games, Sony, Microsoft, and Activision.
Shrapnel (💰) | Token Airdrop Details : Shrapnel announces a token airdrop to Operator NFT Holders with the Snapshot date TBA. See this tweet for info on how to get involved.
KapitalDAO | Odyn Platform for Web3 Game Discovery : The Kapital DAO today announced the release of Odyn, a new browser gaming portal that provides an accessible onramp to web3.
Research & Interesting Reads
a16z | 2023 State of Crypto Report
Konvoy | 2023 Games Industry Report
Zima Red | Metaverse - What it is, how it will impact YOU
Fwiz.eth | A Non-technical Guide to Blockchain
Galaxy | Can Joy be Financialized as a Positive-Sum Game?
Li Jin | Building Psychological Attachment
Naavik | What Savvy Game Group Sees in Scopely
PlayHive | Gaming NFT Utility Deep-Dive
DappRadar | Asia’s Potential to Dominate Web3 Gaming Market
NFT Drops & Updates
CyberBrokers (💰) | Pixelated NFT Claim : Get ready to explore a whole new world of gaming and animation with your very own PixelBroker - now live for all CyberBrokers holders. PixelBrokers are 2D pixel extensions of your CyberBrokers, and can be used as avatars in pixel games, for creating your own animations and games or just for flexing on social media.
Bruce Lee | NFT Launch w Shibuya : Bruce Lee Enters Web3, Starting With Open Edition NFT From Pplpleasr. This week, Shibuya released an open edition Ethereum NFT for 0.008 ETH each, or about $15. The collection ended with close to 49K NFTs minted!
MasterCard | Free Music NFT Pass : Mastercard debuted a free Music Pass NFT drop this week amid the annual NFT NYC conference, offering collectors a number of benefits ahead for holding the token. The digital collectible is a part of the Mastercard Artist Accelerator program launched in January. The collection was minted on Polygon.
Cool Cats & Futureverse | Strategic Partnership : Cool Cats, the famous Web3 company known for their iconic blue-chip NFT collection, has announced an exciting new strategic partnership with Futureverse, a metaverse infrastructure and content leader. The collaboration will see the two companies join forces to enhance Cool Cats’ product offering, integrating cutting-edge technology and cementing its status as a leader in the NFT space.
Smurfs Universe | New 3D NFT Collection : Smurfs Universe is shaking up the NFT world by introducing a 3D NFT collection featuring beloved Smurfs characters and items. The NFTs not only offer collectors a new way to own a piece of Smurfs history but also provide unique benefits and experiences within the Smurfs Universe game. The team is set to launch its first major sale of 3,000 NFTs from the collection on April 18th.
PROOF | Diamond Drop : NFT collective Proof is launching a new, 10,000-piece digital art collection with a roster of 22 artists including Beeple, Summer Wagner and Terrell Jones. Titled "Moonbirds: Diamond Exhibition," the collection is available exclusively to Moonbirds holders that reached "Diamond Nest" status by staking their NFTs.
Damien Hirst | HENI NFT Drop : Damien Hirst is back with another drop, using a generative algorithm & machine learning to create spin artworks. He’s created 25 spin styles & other options one can choose from to generate unique artworks. Visit the site here to learn more.
Notable Raises
Re7 Capital & Republic Crypto | $100m Liquid Token Fund : Re7 Capital and Republic Crypto launched a $100M fund for investing in liquid tokens on 4/1. The fund provides qualified investors with the ability to get exposure to a group of hand-picked crypto tokens, focusing on those with medium-sized market caps.
BitGet | $100m fund : Crypto derivatives exchange Bitget launched a new $100M fund focused on supporting the next generation of Web3 projects. Bitget says it will target funding Web3-friendly venture firms and projects worldwide. It will focus on Asian projects from experienced teams with clear roadmaps that are working on real-world problems.
EOS Foundation | $60m raise : DWF invests $60M into the EOS Foundation - where $45M is spent on EOS tokens and the other $15M into $EOS projects.
Sei Labs | $30m raise : Sei Labs, a contributor to the Sei layer 1 blockchain, has raised $30M across two funding rounds. The funding will help accelerate Sei Labs’ growth, including a deeper expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. Investors included Jump Crypto, Distributed Global, Multicoin Capital, Asymmetric Capital Partners, among others.
OP Crypto | $28m raise : OP Crypto raises $28M for their fund of funds focused on investing in emerging managers on a global-scale.
CryptoGPT | $10m raise : CryptoGPT, a zero-knowledge layer 2 blockchain network attempting to leverage the success of artificial intelligence, announced raising $10M in a Series A funding round from DWF Labs at a $250M token valuation.
RSS3 | $10m raise : Information protocol RSS3 has raised $10M via a token sale to prolific Web3 investor DWF Labs. RSS3 aims to be a bridge between blockchain technology and AI, search engines and social media.
Absolute Labs | $8m raise : Absolute labs announces a seed round of $8M, with the help of Aglaé Ventures, Alpha Praetorian Capital, among others. Already used by leading brands such as LVMH, The Sandbox, Moonpay, and Mocaverse (Animoca Brands), WRM is a Web3 CRM solution empowering marketers to gain critical insights on prospects and customers, unify Web2 and Web3 on-chain data, identify actionable segments, and automate cross-channel campaigns including NFT airdrops across the entire marketing funnel.
MAY | $6m raise : Hong Kong-based company Social Future has raised $6M in funding for its AI-driven social metaverse platform, MAY ("Meet Another You"). The platform allows users to create ownable 3D virtual worlds where avatars convey real-time expressions and voices, with interconnected worlds eventually becoming an open metaverse for socializing and playing.
Gameta | $5m raise : Web3 gaming platform NFT Gameta has announced the completion of a $5M seed round investment, Binance Labs, Huobi Ventures, among others. Gameta is a layered NFT gaming ecosystem that provides players with a comprehensive Web3 gaming and entertainment experience, from hyper-casual to immersive.
HUG | $5m raise : HUG, a social marketplace that connects digital art and NFT creators with current and prospective collectors, announced today the closing of a $5M round of seed funding led by DIGITAL, a Web3 investment fund founded by Mark Daniel and Benjamin Milstein (aka OhhShiny).
Hubble01 | $2.8m raise : Huddle01 raises $2.8M led by Hivemind to build the 1st decentralized communication network.
SinVerse Studios | 7-fig raise : Web3 game studio SinVerse Studios secures a 7-digit investment deal led by DWF Labs to boost platform growth.
Lisk | Accelerator Program : Open-source web3 platform Lisk launches an accelerator program to fund web3 solutions, offering up to $270K per project.
Mo & Andrew's Curated
Zima Red #142 : Nick Confrey - Seam: The evolution of social media - ep 142
Zima Red #141 : Mike Netzer - Data Centers 101: What powers our modern world
Web3 Tweets
However, most people don't yet know how the exit queue works.
I'll walk you through it step by step
721
Opensea Pro: Let’s look at the facts
(1/17)
Congratulations to West Coast Stables on winning the First Game Of Silks Race in History!! Bledsoe finished 1st at Keeneland R1 Maiden Special Weight $80k • 4 1/2 • Dirt!!!
Macro Tweets
FTX WILL CONSIDER RE-STARTING IS CRYPTO EXCHANGE IN SECOND QUARTER -FTX ATTORNEY
NFT Tweets
Here are 5 things I have learned since taking over.
a co-thread with @waleswoosh
(1/13)
thread
-'what are mfers
what are creyzies
what's end of sartoshi
why did sartoshi vanish
what's life death & cryptoart
how did eos get to mint nakamigos
can u destroy nfts in mcdonald's sprite
all this & more in the timeline below
Plus here’s a first look at what a companion looks like on a HV.
Key dates4/18 Day One Diamond Nest “Choice Pass” airdrop
4/24-4/27 Choice Pass preference selection
4/27 Choice Pass raffle + airdrop
BAYC:
April - Evo 1 Reveal
May - Time to PlayOtherside & 10KTF:
May: Otherside LOTM 2D Game
10KTF S2 - Ongoing
Q3 - ODK ReleaseTBD:
nWay Game
10KTF Battle Town 2.0
3rd Trip
The snapshot for his collectors happened earlier today. The snapshot for The Memes collectors is on Sunday.
This is your first step on your journey towards your own ‘ALTS by adidas’ identity.
At the end of Chapter 3 you will get a unique PFP consisting of countless trait combinations with a rarity rank.
ALTS by adidas is a dynamic NFT…
AI Tweets
My GPT-4 coding assistant can now:
- build and design a frontend
- create a backend with working db
- correctly hook them up
- upload code to GitHub
- deploy it to Vercel
I can now build *complete* apps with nothing more than my voice.
The future is here!
Segment Anything Model (SAM) is a promptable segmentation system. It can "cut out" any object, in any image, with a single click.
Masks can be tracked in videos, enable image editing apps, and even be lifted to 3D
Quick tour and test
Here's how AI protects life on Earth:
Random Tweets
Our on-chain vault is a natural product-market fit for crypto treasuries, DAOs, DeFi protocols and VC funds today.
💰 = Sfermion Portfolio Company
Curated by @mopat1214 + @AndrewSteinwold
If you enjoyed reading this edition of Sfermion’s Collider, please subscribe below and follow Sfermion on Twitter to get the latest! Check out our Seam (💰) bio here :)
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Sfermion does not offer investment advice/analysis and makes no recommendations on how to act. Information regarding any company or investment in this Newsletter, including any links to information on our website, should not be viewed as an endorsement or recommendation of that company or investment for any purpose whatsoever. Any person receiving this Newsletter is encouraged to consult with their own financial advisor, or relevant personnel, before making any investment decision.