Source: Twitter
Blockchain game developer Yuga Labs is a startup company of the well-known NFT project Bored Ape Yacht Clubs, established in 2021. In early 2022, the company also announced the acquisition of two well-known NFT series Cryptopunks and Meebits developed by Larva Labs.
In March this year, Yuga Labs completed a $450 million seed round of financing at a valuation of $4 billion, led by a16z and Animoca Brands . This article will outline how the seed round participants who have been supporting Yuga Labs have contributed to the growth of the ecosystem.
Create valuable experiences for Yuga's NFT collection with support from Animoca Brands and Sound Ventures , as well as WENEW Labs ' 10KTF Shop . Recently, they announced that the series will be funded by ApeCoin (an ERC-20 governance and utility token for empowering decentralized community building at the forefront of web3).
The Sandbox, led by Sebastien , has been an early adopter of BAYC. They have purchased multiple signature captains BAYC wearing gold fur. The Sandbox is advancing avatar (virtual avatar) interoperability and building fun experiences for its third Alpha season.
nWayPlay will adopt ApeCoin in their upcoming games. nWayPlay is responsible for the development of the blockchain game "Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022" related to the Beijing Winter Olympics. In March this year, it announced the launch of a play-and-earn NFT game for Yuga.
With support from Animoca, Benji Banana launches in March 2022. By playing Benji Banana, players will be able to earn tokens, which can be exchanged for ApeCoins.
Improbable is a technology provider for Otherside, backed by Animoca Brands and a16z. Otherside will be powered by ApeCoin. We will see avatar interoperability for the BAYC, MAYC, BAKC, Meebits and Cryptopunks series in the coming months.
Backed by Animoca Brands, OliveX aims to improve the integration of technology and fitness to create an interactive fitness metaverse. OliveX’s Dustland launched the Operation Ape pass NFT whitelist application on May 10.
Tally Labs ’ NFT project Jenkins The Valet , backed by a16z, is creating community-generated media including books, movies, and audio. They are creating their own proprietary worlds and characters to build an extensive library of BAYC, MAYC IP. ThreadGuy.eth is their Creative Image Director.
Food Fighters Universe , with the support of Snoop Dogg and Champ Medici , is using BAYC PFP to advertise their access to free monthly meals across our global network of restaurants.
Forj 's Metaprints are backed by Animoca Brands to create interoperable metaverse experiences at scale. The team is bringing Fortune 500, exchanges, and DeFi projects into the Metaverse.
Backed by Animoca Brands and sequoia , Galaxy Fight Club 's vision is to build a cross-IP gaming platform where players will be able to log in and fight their apes, enabling different IPs from different collections.
With the support of sequoia, STEPN launched APE Realm. Realm3 runs on the Ethereum network and allows BAYC holders to claim APE Sneaker for free.
adidas Originals is working on the second and third phases of the Into the Metaverse collection. In phase three, holders will be "in the metaverse. in creation...". The goods for the first phase have been delivered.
Guy Oseary of Sound Ventures, who has been active in music collaborations, said: "As a representative, I will try to find and create opportunities, build a brand and an ecosystem, and bring ApeCoin to everyday life, everywhere."
Now for the big question: how will the ApeCoin unlock affect these projects? The better question is, who will be the early contributors and commit to long-term support? The answer lies in the synergy and progression of the aforementioned portfolio projects.
Are there any other portfolio projects from seed round participants who have been supporting Yuga Lab's ecosystem?
In fact, in addition to the seed round participants, more projects will adopt ApeCoin and Yuga’s collection IP, and we will also see more projects from ApeDAO adding value to the ecosystem.
Term Finance, an Ethereum-based lending protocol, lost around $1.6 million in ETH due to a misconfigured oracle. The team recovered over $1 million through negotiations and will cover the remaining shortfall from the protocol's treasury. A post-mortem of the incident will be released soon.
CatherineMeta cut jobs in its Reality Labs division, affecting teams like Oculus Studios and the Supernatural VR app. The layoffs are part of a move to make the division more efficient as Meta keeps investing in mixed reality.
WeatherlyDonald Trump holds the lowest 100-day approval rating of any new US president in 70 years, with polls placing him between 39% and 45%. Public trust is eroding as voters grow sceptical of his handling of the economy, immigration, trade, and inflation, casting doubt on the administration’s ability to regain confidence.
KikyoxAI is negotiating a $20 billion funding round, which could increase its valuation to $120 billion and solidify Musk's influence in the AI field. Despite challenges with debt from the acquisition of Twitter, investor interest remains high, and xAI is positioned for significant growth in both AI and social media sectors.
WeatherlyDeepSeek has returned to South Korea’s app stores after a two-month suspension due to data privacy concerns. The company revised its privacy policy to comply with local laws and allow users to opt out of data sharing with foreign companies.
AnaisA recent study shows that humans outperform AI in understanding social interactions in dynamic environments. The research suggests this gap arises because AI is modelled on brain regions for static images, not dynamic, interactive contexts.
CatherineEl Salvador has stopped using public funds to buy Bitcoin as part of an agreement with the IMF. However, the country continues to grow its Bitcoin holdings through private sources.
AnaisThe announcement of new incentives for President Trump’s official meme coin sparked $2.4 billion in onchain transfers, a 60% price jump, and a 200% surge in activity. Critics, however, call the move controversial, with some demanding impeachment. Is Trump blurring the lines between politics, personal gain, and public trust?
CatherineVirtually Human Studios shut down the original Zed Run and launched a new game called Zed Champions on Base network. The new version brings automatic racing, uses ZED tokens for gameplay, and gives players a fresh start without using old NFTs.
WeatherlyMetaMask’s new self-custody crypto card backed by Mastercard and launched in partnership with CompoSecure and Baanx, enters a market already crowded with offerings from major centralised exchanges. Can it carve out a niche in an increasingly competitive landscape?
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