Gucci enters the Bored Apes world

🔮 Metaproof

Metaproof is a media company that covers the business of the metaverse. We keep you informed how the metaverse and web3 are changing YOUR industry.

✨ Top Picks

The Future, today. In just 3 minutes.

1/ Gucci and Yuga Labs join forces in the metaverse

Gucci has joined forces with Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) creator Yuga Labs as Otherside’s second trip gets started.

Details:

• Gucci is likely to be an active player in Otherside, a Bored Ape-themed virtual world, as enthusiastically expressed by its senior executive VP Robert Triefus: “We are excited to unveil this multifaceted partnership with Yuga Labs, a leader and creative pioneer in web3,” and Yuga Labs chief creative officer, Michael Figge: “We’re looking forward to showcasing how that partnership extends to endless opportunities in Otherside.”

• There is expected to be some sort of phygital component to the collaboration.

• No specifics in regards to its size and scope have been released thus far.

Zooming out:

• In 2022, Gucci launched the Gucci Grail project with Yuga Labs, teaming up with 10KTF’s digital artisan Wagmi-san for clothing and accessories to personalize NFTs with designs by Gucci’s then-creative director Alessandro Michele.

• The digital fashion industry will be worth $50B by 2030, according to Morgan Stanley.

• A major metaverse player, Yuga Labs also launched its Second Trip for its Otherside universe as a new metaverse experience on March 25th, launching the experience with many thousands of simultaneous users, all communicating in real-time.

2/ a16z leads $150M investment round in character-driven AI platform

Silicon Valley-based VC Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is leading $150M fundraising round conducted by Character.AI, a platform providing personalized AI companions to users in aims of building connections between humans and machines that transcend simply assisting in or completing tasks.

Developed for nearly 20 years by founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, Character.AI is designed not just for accuracy but also engagement: humor users and provide emotion and insights, crafting a conversation that holds attention. Current numbers bode well for the platform:

• Millions of users currently spending 2 hours a day on average

• Unique “characters,” from those in entertainment and gaming (think Elon Musk or Super Mario) to virtual experts in education and mental health

• The ability to provide emotional support - an “AI Life Coach” trajectory that goes beyond question-asking.

3/ LVMH Aura Blockchain Consortium: An evolution of luxury fashion

Approaching its 2nd anniversary, LVMH’s Aura Blockchain Consortium gets major updates as it realizes its goal of being “the first global luxury blockchain” via founding members LVMH (home to over 70 luxury houses such as Dior, Fendi, Celine, and Tiffany & Co.), Mercedes Benz, Prada, Cartier, and OTB Group.

A quick look at what the tech does:

• Supported products can be traced from their raw materials to finished fine jewelry, such as consumers keeping tabs on Prada's jewelry and OTB Group's garments from start to finish.

• Not only does the technology guarantee authenticity, but it also gives shoppers the peace of mind that comes from knowing the sustainability and ethical sourcing of materials used in their luxury items.

• Besides supply chain transparency and sustainability benefits, the Consortium aims toward greater consumer connection and the convenience of indisputable authentication, such as with OTB Group’s push to register over 300,000 luxury goods on-chain, from its brands including Margiela, Marni, and Jil Sander.

4/ Magic Eden forms web3 games collective with leading publishers, communities

Magic Eden is casting a spell on web3 gaming with the launch of the Web3 Games Collective (W3GC), a new industry group produced with leading publishers and communities such as DAO Game7, decentralized guild network Yield Guild Games, and web3 game publisher Fenix Games, with one mission: to make web3 gaming the new normal.

Unveiled at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, W3GC’s goal is crystal clear: drive the mass adoption of web3 gaming through members’ collective expertise and resources.

The group also seeks to "de-risk" the space for investors as well as developers, helping find and scale a blockchain "mega-hit" that will usher in new users.

🏃‍♂️ Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

• How to participate in the Otherside Metaverse 2nd Trip: Be an Otherdeed NFT holder or have a guest code. (Link)

• Why is Pokemon’s first AR game being delisted next week? (Link)

• Decentraland plays host to Rock Paper Scissors Emote Battle. (Link)

• How the Unreal Engine catapults Fortnite to a metaverse-esque platform. (Link)

• Another reason to be bullish during the bear: Pokémon, highest-grossing media franchise ever, is hiring a web3 lead. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

• Coach taps ZERO10’s AR try-on tech for its iconic Tabby bag this MFW 2023. (Link)

• Gen Z fave Diesel marries music and tech in inaugural NFT drop and metaverse venture with web3 firm Public Pressure. (Link)

• Explore the Forbes magazine metaverse store at MFW. (Link)

• Metaverse marketing: Influencer avatars open up retailers to targeted consumer generation. (Link)

• Explore MAD Global’s Spatial curation at MFW. (Link)

• Gucci, Pinko, Balmain are among leading brands at Over’s MFW. (Link)

🏀 Sports

• Bowled.io is a social gaming platform targeting cricket fans. (Link)

• NFT horse racing metaverse game Derby Stars integrates Chainlink Verifiable Random Function (VRF) on Ethereum to help randomize horse breeding. (Link)

• GW 74 athletes to watch out for. (Link)

• By the numbers: rising AR and VR adoption, and more in sports tech. (Link)

• How Infosys and Tennis Australia harness tech for the Australian Open. (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

• International human rights in the metaverse? Sign us up. (Link)

• Paris’ Le Bristol hotel metaverse venture: web3’s most elite club. (Link)

• “There is no metaverse company which has substantial metaverse lead.” (Link)

• The Nemesis metaverse and Rai Cinema pay homage to the Divine Comedy and Dantedì, the Italian National Day in honor of Dante Alighieri. (Link)

• Digital glass ceiling? The truth about diversity in the metaverse. (Link)

• Shaabi star Hakim appears live in the first Arab metaverse. (Link)

🖼 Art

• Swing into the metaverse with Tarzan and his official NFT drop. (Link)

• Amid the metaverse boom, major brands have been creating their NFTs in visual art. (Link)

• Digital art still skews very young and very male, and House of Web3 (HW3) is out to change the narrative. (Link)

• Boerne TX artist Justin Bua drops his inaugural NFT "The MC," purchasable with credit. (Link)

• $129K CryptoPunk goes up in smoke after NFT trader’s blunder. (Link)

🤖 AI

• Microsoft is ready to put the squeeze on its competitors' AI search tools, Bloomberg reports. (Link)

• Israel uses AI-developed avatars by D-ID to deliver diplomatic messages. (Link)

• Meet Cere, Turkey's AI-powered chatbot. (Link)

• Robot recruiters: s AI hiring the answer to eliminating bias? (Link)

• Honestly, ChatGPT made text boxes cool again. (Link)

• AI whiz and social justice hero Meredith Broussard reminds us racism, sexism & ableism are systemic issues that need to be solved like any other AI problem. (Link)

• Can an AI chatbot take food critics to the next level? (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

• Revolving Games, backed by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser, ties up with web3 studio Overlord for its Creepz NFT-inspired game. (Link)

• Adobe Substance 3D partners with Epic Games, enabling access with Substance 3D to deliver tools to game creators. (Link)

• Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group taps into metaverse gaming, exploring corporate advertisements and e-commerce platforms for purchasing in-game items. (Link)

• The Sandbox and Ledger Enterprise are joining forces to secure the brand in the metaverse. (Link)

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All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

📈 If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse 📈

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