Animoca Brands, a provider of digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification technologies, along with venture accelerator Brinc, today announced the launch of Launchpad Luna, a new accelerator program to identify, mentor, and invest in promising blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFT) startups.
Launchpad Luna will also accept high-potential startups seeking to adopt blockchain and NFTs into their core business. The Launchpad Luna accelerator will identify and foster NFT innovation in the fields of culture, art, entertainment, media, gaming, streaming, collectibles, insurance, finance, and data management; DeFi and additional verticals will be added in the future.
High-potential early-stage projects and startups that are accepted into the acceleration program will receive training, a launchpad, and a monetary investment of up to USD $500,000 (or equivalent) in exchange for equity and tokens.
The Program
Admission to the program will be prioritized for climate-conscious projects that drive digitalization that place emphasis on proof-of-stake protocols and sidechains instead of proof-of-work, and that have lower overall physical footprints. Accepted entrants will receive training in optimizing a blockchain business to minimize energy use and carbon emissions. This is in line with Brinc’s plan to invest and support the development of more than 1,000 climate-conscious startups in the next five years.
Startups accepted into the Launchpad Luna program will benefit from a unique combination of technical resources on product development, token design, fundraising, marketing, research, analytics support, and data management. Startups will also receive support to help them scale all aspects of their businesses; including access to world-class mentors in the crypto world along with key exchanges, chains, marketers, and investors within the networks of Animoca Brands and Brinc.
“Launchpad Luna is an initiative that furthers our mission to enable a more inclusive digital economy and we are honored at the level of enthusiasm and support we have received from the global NFT community. We are thrilled to be doing this with Brinc, the number one accelerator in the region. Brinc’s presence and network significantly increase our pathways into Europe, the Middle East, and China. And we look forward to establishing a new ecosystem of accelerators and startups at the epicenter of regional start-up activity that will allow us to contribute to the shape of the future.”
– Yat Siu, Co-Founder & Chairman of Animoca Brands
Background
In early 2021, Brinc took over management of the investments into 50 AI-focused companies from Zeroth.ai; Animoca Brands’ accelerator for artificial intelligence startups. This collaboration laid the foundation for the new accelerator program; as both organizations recognized a broader opportunity to scale value creation by leveraging each other’s expertise.
Brinc and Animoca Brands bring together leading experts in their respective fields. Brinc has made over 160 investments and is one of the world’s leading venture accelerators. Animoca Brands has invested in more than 60 businesses that are built around the use and/or trade of NFTs and has launched various blockchain projects including The Sandbox metaverse and the REVV Motorsport token and platform.
“As we bring Launchpad Luna to market, we could not think of a better partner than Animoca Brands; which has proven successes with projects like REVV Motorsport and The Sandbox. Given the rapid evolution of this market; startups need a support system to navigate the shifting landscape of platforms, chains, and go-to-market strategies. While investors need confidence that the projects they are backing have solid foundations and are ready for growth and scale.”
– Manav Gupta, Founder & CEO of Brinc
The accelerator has support from various mentors and partners with an interest in the NFT space including AppWorks, Blockparty, Dapper Labs (the company behind CryptoKitties, NBA Top Shot, and Flow Blockchain), EllioTrades, Featured by Binance, Gabby Dizon (co-founder of Yield Guild Games), Harmony (ONE), Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), Mai Fujimoto (Miss Bitcoin), Mateen Soudagar (DCLBlogger), Metakovan (Metapurse), Mindfund, Sebastien Borget (co-founder of The Sandbox and chairman of the Blockchain Gamer Alliance), Virtually Human Studio (creators of ZED RUN), WhaleShark, and others.
For those interested, Launchpad Luna is now accepting applications.
