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SINGAPORE, Singapore, August 21st, 2024/Chainwire/--Following the launch of FBTC, an omnichain Bitcoin asset maintaining a 1:1 peg to BTC, Ignition today announced that FBTC has crossed $100M in Total Value Locked (TVL) according to Dune. Also announced is the “Sparkle” campaign, where early FBTC holders will receive points-inspired “Sparks” for future rewards. FBTC is supported by core contributors Mantle, a burgeoning DAO-led blockchain ecosystem built around Ethereum layer 2 (L2) Mantle Network and Ether liquid staking protocol mETH Protocol, and Antalpha Prime, a reliable digital asset technology platform for institutions. As tokenized bitcoin assets pave the way for Bitcoin’s resurgence in DeFi, FBTC’s significant milestone ushers in a new era of Bitcoin’s evolving utility and velocity — transforming the original cryptocurrency from a simple store of value into a dynamic asset that offers the potential for various yield-generating possibilities. Incubated by Ignition, FBTC is an omnichain BTC asset that is liquid and easily composable in various yield enhancement strategies. FBTC aims to liberate the growth potential of Bitcoin by becoming the standard for Bitcoin transactions, essentially rendering all other blockchains into a Bitcoin L2. FBTC is currently deployed on Ethereum, Mantle Network and BNB Smart Chain, with more supported blockchains to come. “The remarkable achievement of $100M in TVL for FBTC in such a short time is not just a significant milestone for this nascent BTC asset, but a testament to the evolving landscape of Bitcoin utility. FBTC’s rapid adoption, supported by Ignition’s diverse ecosystem of partners, signals a new chapter in decentralized finance (DeFi) where Bitcoin's potential is being fully realized across multiple blockchains. As Ignition continues to innovate and expand FBTC's capabilities, we're not just creating opportunities for yield — we're reimagining how Bitcoin interacts with the broader DeFi ecosystem,” said Igneus Terrenus, Paramount Pyromancer at Ignition. FBTC’s rapid adoption is supported by dozens launch partners, including heavyweights such as Avalon Labs, Bybit Web3, Cobo, Ethena Labs, OKX Wallet, Pendle and Solv Protocol, reflecting FBTC's credibility and the industry’s evolving interest in innovative Bitcoin solutions. With FBTC, Ignition aims to create a seamless, multi-chain environment for users to efficiently explore DeFi yields. The ability to swap and bridge FBTC between Ethereum, Mantle Network and BNB Chain further enhances its utility, making it accessible for a majority of blockchain users. Today, holders of FBTC are able to leverage their idle Bitcoin holdings across several yield-generating opportunities on Ethereum, Mantle Network and BNB Chain, enabling a wider range of use cases on various L1s and L2s that will be unveiled soon. Ignition also unveiled its plans for an upcoming “Sparkle” campaign. Participants will receive points-inspired “Sparks” for their engagement with and contributions to the FBTC ecosystem. Running from Aug. 21 to Sept. 21, eligible protocols for the Sparkle campaign include PumpBTC, Bedrock, Mezo Network, Avalon Labs, Fuel Network, Pell Network and Solv Protocol. Throughout the Sparkle campaign, Ignition will continue to integrate new protocols, launch side campaigns, and offer external incentives to enhance the user experience and reward system. Find out more at https://fbtc.com/ongoing-campaign. Looking ahead, Ignition is collaborating with Babylon, the self-custodial Bitcoin Staking Protocol that aims to build a Bitcoin-secured decentralized world, to launch a BTC vault that gives users exposure to Babylon native staking. This undertaking, along with other exciting events and collaborations, underscores Ignition’s unwavering commitment to building a vibrant, community-driven ecosystem around FBTC. The rapid adoption and strong security of FBTC signals a promising future for Bitcoin’s evolving role in the DeFi landscape, propelling it to fully unlock its immense potential within the broader decentralized finance ecosystem. About Ignition FBTC Incubated by Ignition, FBTC is a secure, decentralized, and composable BTC asset aimed at liberating Bitcoin's true power of growth. FBTC provides a liquid Bitcoin asset that adheres to a 1:1 peg with BTC to redefine its role across all blockchain platforms. By fostering DeFi composability, cross-chain interoperability, and promoting widespread adoption of BTC applications, FBTC represents the beacon of a high-speed, low-friction and interoperable future for all blockchains and every tokenized economy to flourish. FBTC is powered by core contributors Antalpha Prime and Mantle. For more information, users can visit Website | X/Twitter | Discord | Telegram Contact FBTC windrangerlabs@wachsman.com This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. SINGAPORE, Singapore, August 21st, 2024/Chainwire/--Following the launch of FBTC, an omnichain Bitcoin asset maintaining a 1:1 peg to BTC, Ignition today announced that FBTC has crossed $100M in Total Value Locked (TVL) according to Dune. Also announced is the “Sparkle” campaign, where early FBTC holders will receive points-inspired “Sparks” for future rewards. FBTC is supported by core contributors Mantle , a burgeoning DAO-led blockchain ecosystem built around Ethereum layer 2 (L2) Mantle Network and Ether liquid staking protocol mETH Protocol, and Antalpha Prime , a reliable digital asset technology platform for institutions. Mantle Mantle Antalpha Prime Antalpha Prime As tokenized bitcoin assets pave the way for Bitcoin’s resurgence in DeFi, FBTC’s significant milestone ushers in a new era of Bitcoin’s evolving utility and velocity — transforming the original cryptocurrency from a simple store of value into a dynamic asset that offers the potential for various yield-generating possibilities. Incubated by Ignition, FBTC is an omnichain BTC asset that is liquid and easily composable in various yield enhancement strategies. FBTC aims to liberate the growth potential of Bitcoin by becoming the standard for Bitcoin transactions, essentially rendering all other blockchains into a Bitcoin L2. FBTC is currently deployed on Ethereum, Mantle Network and BNB Smart Chain, with more supported blockchains to come. “The remarkable achievement of $100M in TVL for FBTC in such a short time is not just a significant milestone for this nascent BTC asset, but a testament to the evolving landscape of Bitcoin utility. FBTC’s rapid adoption, supported by Ignition’s diverse ecosystem of partners, signals a new chapter in decentralized finance (DeFi) where Bitcoin's potential is being fully realized across multiple blockchains. As Ignition continues to innovate and expand FBTC's capabilities, we're not just creating opportunities for yield — we're reimagining how Bitcoin interacts with the broader DeFi ecosystem,” said Igneus Terrenus, Paramount Pyromancer at Ignition. “The remarkable achievement of $100M in TVL for FBTC in such a short time is not just a significant milestone for this nascent BTC asset, but a testament to the evolving landscape of Bitcoin utility. FBTC’s rapid adoption, supported by Ignition’s diverse ecosystem of partners, signals a new chapter in decentralized finance (DeFi) where Bitcoin's potential is being fully realized across multiple blockchains. As Ignition continues to innovate and expand FBTC's capabilities, we're not just creating opportunities for yield — we're reimagining how Bitcoin interacts with the broader DeFi ecosystem,” said Igneus Terrenus, Paramount Pyromancer at Ignition. FBTC’s rapid adoption is supported by dozens launch partners, including heavyweights such as Avalon Labs, Bybit Web3, Cobo, Ethena Labs, OKX Wallet, Pendle and Solv Protocol, reflecting FBTC's credibility and the industry’s evolving interest in innovative Bitcoin solutions. With FBTC, Ignition aims to create a seamless, multi-chain environment for users to efficiently explore DeFi yields. The ability to swap and bridge FBTC between Ethereum, Mantle Network and BNB Chain further enhances its utility, making it accessible for a majority of blockchain users. Today, holders of FBTC are able to leverage their idle Bitcoin holdings across several yield-generating opportunities on Ethereum, Mantle Network and BNB Chain, enabling a wider range of use cases on various L1s and L2s that will be unveiled soon. Ignition also unveiled its plans for an upcoming “Sparkle” campaign. Participants will receive points-inspired “Sparks” for their engagement with and contributions to the FBTC ecosystem. Running from Aug. 21 to Sept. 21, eligible protocols for the Sparkle campaign include PumpBTC, Bedrock, Mezo Network, Avalon Labs, Fuel Network, Pell Network and Solv Protocol. Throughout the Sparkle campaign, Ignition will continue to integrate new protocols, launch side campaigns, and offer external incentives to enhance the user experience and reward system. Find out more at https://fbtc.com/ongoing-campaign . https://fbtc.com/ongoing-campaign https://fbtc.com/ongoing-campaign Looking ahead, Ignition is collaborating with Babylon , the self-custodial Bitcoin Staking Protocol that aims to build a Bitcoin-secured decentralized world, to launch a BTC vault that gives users exposure to Babylon native staking. This undertaking, along with other exciting events and collaborations, underscores Ignition’s unwavering commitment to building a vibrant, community-driven ecosystem around FBTC. Babylon Babylon The rapid adoption and strong security of FBTC signals a promising future for Bitcoin’s evolving role in the DeFi landscape, propelling it to fully unlock its immense potential within the broader decentralized finance ecosystem. About Ignition FBTC Incubated by Ignition, FBTC is a secure, decentralized, and composable BTC asset aimed at liberating Bitcoin's true power of growth. FBTC provides a liquid Bitcoin asset that adheres to a 1:1 peg with BTC to redefine its role across all blockchain platforms. By fostering DeFi composability, cross-chain interoperability, and promoting widespread adoption of BTC applications, FBTC represents the beacon of a high-speed, low-friction and interoperable future for all blockchains and every tokenized economy to flourish. FBTC is powered by core contributors Antalpha Prime and Mantle. For more information, users can visit Website | X/Twitter | Discord | Telegram Website Website X/Twitter X/Twitter Discord Discord Telegram Telegram Contact FBTC windrangerlabs@wachsman.com This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here . here here

Omnichain BTC Asset FBTC Crosses $100M In TVL, Ignition Unveils “Sparkle” Campaign"

Omnichain BTC সম্পদ FBTC TVL-এ $100M অতিক্রম করেছে, ইগনিশন "স্পর্কল" প্রচারণা উন্মোচন করেছে"

Omnichain BTC Asset FBTC überschreitet 100 Mio. $ in TVL, Ignition stellt „Sparkle“-Kampagne vor

El activo BTC de Omnichain FBTC supera los $100 millones en TVL, Ignition presenta la campaña "Sparkle"

L'actif BTC omnicanal FBTC dépasse les 100 millions de dollars en TVL, Ignition dévoile la campagne « Sparkle »

ओमनीचैन बीटीसी एसेट एफबीटीसी ने टीवीएल में $100 मिलियन को पार कर लिया, इग्निशन ने "स्पार्कल" अभियान का अनावरण किया

Omnichain BTC 資産 FBTC の TVL が 1 億ドルを超え、Ignition が「Sparkle」キャンペーンを発表

Omnichain BTC 자산 FBTC TVL 1억 달러 돌파, Ignition "Sparkle" 캠페인 공개"

Ativo BTC da Omnichain FBTC ultrapassa US$ 100 milhões em TVL, Ignition revela campanha “Sparkle”

Актив BTC Omnichain FBTC превысил $100 млн в TVL, Ignition представляет кампанию «Sparkle»

Omnichain BTC Varlığı FBTC TVL'de 100 Milyon Doları Geçti, Ignition "Sparkle" Kampanyasını Açıkladı

Tài sản BTC Omnichain FBTC vượt qua 100 triệu đô la trong TVL, Ignition công bố chiến dịch "Sparkle"

Omnichain BTC 资产 FBTC TVL 突破 1 亿美元，Ignition 推出“Sparkle”活动”

Sparkles, the NFT marketplace, is currently the only Dapp on the Songbird blockchain providing users with access to view, buy or sell any NFT created on the Songbird blockchain. Sparkles launched a public version of the platform back in January 2022. This version was created to help users of the songbird chain have a safe place to buy and sell NFTs. While there is a rich set of features planned in the roadmap, including in-app minting, make offers and auctions, the core team decided to thoroughly test each feature before moving onto the next stage and expects to have a major update to the app prior to the Flare Launch in July. Ease of use is a key tenet underpinning the marketplace, making it accessible to all, as is being carbon neutral. Sparkles first signed up to the Crypto Carbon Accord last year, pledging to become carbon neutral by 2030. However, within one year, Sparkles had not only achieved carbon neutrality, but is now climate positive, making it the first climate positive entity on the Songbird Network and the first climate positive NFT marketplace in the world Shane Snary, CMO of Sparkles, is excited about the reach of the project. “Sparkles is a unique business in the world of web3. We aim to go beyond just being a place for users to buy and sell NFTs, educating and empowering artists around the world is crucial to the step of making NFTs the go-to standard for artists to adopt. With utilizing the Flare blockchain Sparkles is positioned to make this a reality by setting up modules where we can teach artists how to use our marketplace and hope to extend it further into universities/schools around the world.” There are a number of artists in the internal team which is very helpful in driving features necessary and desirable for artists. “We built this marketplace for the community. We are here to help,” says Snary. Testament to the ease of use is the success of teenage artist LizArt, now aged 13, who in conjunction with her father, has been listing and selling her digital art in support of charities and good causes on Sparkles. We caught up with LizArt over Twitter to find out more about the entrepreneurial, artistic, and philanthropic teenager. Tell us about yourself LizArt I am from Berezniki, Perm krai, Russia. We have a big family. I have two younger sisters. I study at the gymnasium. My favorite subjects are English and history. I have been drawing since childhood. I don’t even remember how many years. I have been drawing with pencils, paints, sculpted from plasticine. A year ago I downloaded a drawing program on my phone and could not stop. All my life I adored dragons. I read a lot of books about them. and so of course I drew dragons. Why did you choose Flare? Sparkles? We chose Flare Networks because after a lot of research Dad came to the conclusion that this blockchain is a really serious project aimed at long-term development. We like the team in sparkles. they helped us at the very beginning of the journey. largely thanks to them we have what we have. At the moment Sparkles has a beta version and therefore some inconveniences, but a big update of the entire marketplace will be released soon. How important is your father in your art? Does he inspire you? Dad has always inspired me. By the way, he also loved dragons and dinosaurs when he was a child. We have many common hobbies: skateboarding, taekwondo (I have a green belt), and of course creativity and music. Why do you give away part of your earnings to charity? There are many problems in our not very kind world. We just try to use what we can for something good. Initially, we planned our project for charity, and I am very happy that we can help someone now. And we want to have a transparent community. If someone is in need of help, we are always there. Tell me about your first collection that sold out – inspiration, artwork, quantity and revenue My first dragon nation collection was drawn by me on my phone. Later we bought an iPad. I was so inspired by the idea that I drew all day and even nights. I drew 77 pieces. 77 nationalities. We sold the first collection in four days. One dragon cost 1500sgb. I was very happy. I finally realized that I can do everything. It turns out nothing is impossible Do you have other hobbies? Of course, I also have other hobbies in life. I love studying and sports. Well, I hope dad will give me a puppy and I will have another hobby. What are your future plans? We have a lot of plans for the future and now we have two collaborations with other Flare/Songbird projects. I hope that after 5 years this project will be huge and we will create volunteer groups around the world. I will end my school and I will know exactly which university I should enter. We are also working on phygital art to match with our digital NFTs Discord https://t.co/BUUHR4yP57 Twitter https://twitter.com/LizArtNFT_ Website https://t.co/RNNfrGCBU3

Young Artist, LizArt, Sparkles on Flare Blockchain

Bernard Moon is Venture Capitalist, Co-Founder of SparkLabs group and 3x Noonies nominee. In Bernard shared his thoughts on Asian startups scene, investment tips and more! Ask Me Anything session with Hacker Noon community We have gathered the best answers for you in one place: 1. The difference among South Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese startup culuture "In terms of development, China is the most developed, then Korea then Taiwan. We do internal research and rankings by cities though. Beijing, Seoul and Shanghai are the top 3 startup ecosystems in Asia and then there is a gap with Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo and others following." 2. On Korean startups growth "Entertainment/media since kpop has become such a large influence globally. Example, BTS' online concert in June had over 750,000 PAID viewers and generated over $18M. I believe the largest offline concert in the U.S. generated over $3M. Korea is the leader in such areas." 3. The effect of venture capital trends on Asian economy in the next 5 years "It will make it more impactful. Most of middle class growth in the world will come from Asia. 4.9 billion by 2030 and 2/3 from Asia. So as all the major startup ecosystems in Asia mature and play catch up to Silicon Valley, more startups will create more wealth and more influence." The benefit of wealth creation from startups is that it is typically new money and allows people to shift social classes. And hopefully provide a greater benefit if the nonprofit and giving side of a country is developed. 4. Marketing path of Beyond Meet and Impossible Foods quick evaluation "I think their current path has been effective. Distribution through major chains, restaurants and supermarkets. Our nanny bought Impossible's "meat" and made tacos for our kids last week without us asking, and the kids liked it. With the current mood and affect of the pandemic, it could be an optimal time for these companies and others in the space since more and more people are looking to lessen their carbon footprint." Vote for Bernard in: Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - Founders Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year -  Innovation Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - Venture Capital for the next . Sign up AMA with Daniel Jeffreys Check the previous AMA with Jeremy Morgan .

Bernard Moon, 3x Noonies Nominee, Co-Founder of SparkLabs group AMA

We just announced with some good coverage , , , and our official e. Now to provide further details and background information. SparkLabs Cyber + Blockchain here here here press release is her SparkLabs Group ( ) has invested in over 200 companies across 6 continents through our accelerators and venture capital funds. Two sectors within our portfolio we have been active in and will be moving forward is cybersecurity and distributed ledger technologies. www.sparklabsgroup.com SparkLabs Group’s investments in blockchain and security related startups. Last winter Brian Park, former COO of , and I started talking about his idea to launch a new startup accelerator since he obtain the rights and spun out AOL’s FishBowl Lab in . He was just seeking for friendly feedback. As we continued these discussions and as he brought on board Mike Bott, former General Manager of , conversations snowballed into a focus on cybersecurity, then cybersecurity and blockchain, and then them becoming part of the SparkLabs Group ecosystem. Startup Grind Washington, D.C The Brandery Our team is excited about the the launch of SparkLabs Cyber + Blockchain for several reasons. We are grateful to be working with Brian and Mike, we love these two sectors and look forward to working with founders within these industries and this is SparkLabs first accelerator in the U.S.! Joining Brian and Mike on their investment committee will be , who has been a mentor for SparkLabs since our beginnings (2012) and a Venture Partner at , our global seed-stage fund. He’s currently CTO at Nimble Collective and has been a serial CTO or CEO at various startups throughout his career. As a VP of Engineering at VeriSign, Rob has managed a group of over 600 engineers, but prefers working with small teams in the startup world. , my Co-founder for SparkLabs Global who learned his trade at Horizons Ventures (Li Ka-shing’s venture capital firm), will also serve on this investment team. While at Horizons, Frank led , invested in Siri and sat on their board, and served on the Board of Directors at Spotify along with a dozen other boards for Li Ka-shing. Rob DeMillo SparkLabs Global Ventures Frank Meehan DeepMind’s Series A We have an inspiring roster of advisors, venture partners, mentors and other people committed to supporting and helping out entrepreneurs who will go through this new accelerator program. The legendary , has joined this advisory board. He is also working on a new security startup, Clear (read ). (7th largest cryptocurrency & blockchain protocol), graciously joined, which I’m personally excited about. , who was my professor from graduate school at Columbia University and an advisor to my first startup. President Crow has been one of our first supporters since we launched in Seoul in 2012. , has also joined. He’s recently launched a new reputation system based on blockchain called , and he’s told me that he’s “all in” in blockchain since a couple years ago. We are truly honored to have , Executive Director at the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Tech and , on board as well. Ray Ozzie creator of Lotus Notes and former Chief Software Architect at Microsoft “Cracking the Crypto War” WIRED Charlie Lee , the Creator of Litecoin Michael Crow, Chairman of In-Q-Tel and President of Arizona State University SparkLabs’ first accelerator Eric Ly, Co-founder & Former CTO of Linkedin HubToken Rich DeMillo HP’s first CTO Our Venture Partners are the second line of support for startups in this new accelerator. Honored to have on board and CEO of . and Chairman of London Trust Media Holdings, is a great entrepreneur and passionate about helping others. , is the former Managing Director at and Director of Investments at Digital Currency Group. We know Ryan since we invested into his startup, Messari, which is seeking to become the “Bloomberg of Crypto”. , and she came highly recommended by , a long-time mentor and supporter of . Samson Mow, who is CSO at Blockstream Pixelmatic Andrew Lee, Co-founder of Handshake Ryan Selkis, Co-founder and CEO of Messari Coindesk Monique Morrow is the Co-founder and President of the Humanized Internet Ann Greenberg SparkLabs Some of the mentors we have asked to help out our startups are shown to the left. These are about a third of the impressive mentors we have signed up so far. Outside of this accelerator we have other experts and leaders from cybersecurity and distributed ledger technologies within the greater ecosystem. while he was a Managing Director at . He is also a Venture Partner with SparkLabs FinTech and our accelerator with . Joyce Kim is the Managing Partner at , our early-stage venture capital fund focused in equity investments into blockchain-related startups. and a serial entrepreneur. She is also not involved with this accelerator, but I assume Brian and Mike will ask her (and Brian Behlendorf) to speak at one of their future events :) Another Venture Partner at SparkLabs FinTech to mention is Spiros Margaris, who was one of the leading social media influencers in fintech (#1), AI (#1) and was a long-time investment professional who is now actively advising and helping out startups. Carl Wescott, our Managing Partner for the SparkLabs IoT & Smart City accelerator, has been active in the blockchain space related to IoT and in general. Carl was best known for building Charles Schwabs’ first online trading platform. The applications and core infrastructure he built scaled to , and hit $25 billion per week when he finally left that project after 5 years. Of course he’s gone on to many other cool and successful ventures, but that one tends to stick with him :) SparkLabs Group Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director of Hyperledger , has been an Advisor to SparkLabs Global Ventures since 2013 Mithril Capital Ping An Insurance SparkChain Capital Joyce is the Co-founder of Stellar (6th largest cryptocurrency & blockchain protocol) also listed here as #2 in cybersecurity . Spiros securely handle over a trillion dollars in transactions in a year As brief background, we have been active in the blockchain space since 2014. Cryex, which was eventually acquired by , was our first investment from our global seed fund, . They were trying to build a FX cryptocurrency exchange in Stockholm (initially in Malmo, Sweden), but it was a bit too early. In 2015, through our accelerator in Seoul ( ), we were introduced to an enterprise blockchain play, , and bitcoin remittance company, . Both of these companies became their respective industry leaders in South Korea. Since then, we have done other investments within this space: Safello SparkLabs Global Ventures SparkLabs Korea Blocko Sentbe Our first investment in cybersecurity was in , which focuses on account takeover prevention. Through Frank Meehan’s network in Sweden, we invested in Castle’s first seed round and then over a year later they were accepted into Y Combinator (W16). So not only was the SparkLabs Group’s first security AND blockchain related investments in Swedish startups, but both were based in Malmo, Sweden! Castle Go MALMO! At SparkLabs Group, whether we invest $25,000 or $1,000,000 into a startup, we do not discriminate and tier our efforts within our portfolio. We are committed to the cause of each startup, so some people might question our wisdom in resource allocation but this our operating ethos. Also whether fundraising, product guidance, marketing, recruiting, PR, or a general sounding board, we seek to support our portfolio companies in big and small ways. No task or work is beneath any partner or person at SparkLabs. Our numbers support this with over 95 startups that have gone through , our first accelerator, the ( ). Our second accelerator was an in Songdo, South Korea. The first batch accepted 16 startups from across the globe with an the accelerator. first batch had to joining ( ), and Ping An Cloud Accelerator, Powered by SparkLabs (our first corporate accelerator) had ( ). These programs invest approximately $50,000 in each startup, so I can confidently state that we have built a strong reputation for helping founders. All of our partners have gone through startup life and most have been founders, so we know how hard it is to start, launch and build companies. SparkLabs Seoul average raise before entering the program is over $450,000 and after graduation is over $3.5 million and our first fund is up over 1,300% IoT & Smart City program average raise of $2.8 million prior to joining SparkLabs Cultiv8’s 8 companies with an average raise of $1.1 million prior just graduated 1st batch on Sept. 18th in Sydney! 10 companies that raised $3.2 million beforehand 1st DemoDay is Oct. 17th in Shenzhen! If you are a founder of cybersecurity or blockchain startup and looking for a great accelerator or early-stage investors, . If you are a company or organization interested in partnering with , contact Brian or Mike. Of course you can contact me too, but better them :) feel free to contact Brian Park (brian@sparklabscyber.com) or Mike Bott (mike@sparklabscyber.com) SparkLabs Cyber + Blockchain

Launching SparkLabs Cyber + Blockchain in Our Nation’s Capital

Time passes like the wind. Five years after we launched the first and almost four years since our , we have invested in . After a lot of hard work, frustration, arguments, laughs and passion to help entrepreneurs across the globe, we have launched 3 more startup accelerators since November 2016 ( in Songdo, South Korea; ; ) and we will soon finalize in Hong Kong. SparkLabs Cultivate in Australia will be ready next year and possibly a couple more accelerators in 2018. SparkLabs accelerator in Seoul first venture capital fund 154 companies across 6 continents SparkLabs IoT & Smart City Accelerator SparkLabs Beijing SparkLabs Taipei SparkLabs FinTech http://sparklabsgroup.com/accelerator-seoul.html (Series A & B) focused primarily on South Korea, . There might be a couple more fund announcements before year end too. Just last week we announced our new $50 million early-stage fund SparkLabs Ventures HanJoo Lee, Jimmy Kim, and I launched accelerator in Seoul in 2012, and the first batch began in December 2012. We brought on as another partner and Eugene Kim joined as a principal to run the day-to-day operations ( ). SparkLabs Jay McCarthy Eugene is a partner with SparkLabs today In October 2013, we combined forces with and to launch a new global seed-stage fund. Frank just left , which is Li Ka-shing’s investment vehicle, and he and Net began discussions to launch a new seed fund covering the U.S., Europe and Israel. Net recently stepped down as CEO of Ginger Software and was Facebook’s first Director of International Business Development & Mobile. I knew Net from his time before Facebook at Maxthon, which was a China-based browser company . Net Jacobsson Frank Meehan Horizons he helped grow to over one billion downloads www.sparklabsglobal.com Net knew that Jimmy, HanJoo and I were thinking about an Asia and U.S. seed fund, but we were planning for it a year down the road. We started to talk that June of 2013 and then we “dated” for about 5 months as the six of us got to know each other. The six of us (Net, Jay, HanJoo, Jimmy, Frank and I) decided that it made sense to launch a global seed-stage fund since entrepreneurs we spoke with from Europe, Asia and the U.S. were planning to go global sooner than later. So we formed that October 2013. SparkLabs Global Ventures SparkLabs Global Ventures is a seed fund that has primarily invested in the U.S., but also in 60 companies across 6 continents Our approach was different than most that we know of in the world. We plan from the beginning to . There is no preferred follow-on investment from our venture capital funds to accelerator graduates. Out of the 77 graduates from SparkLabs Seoul, our global seed fund has only invested in 10 companies after a lead investor was established. Of course the graduates do well anyways since 79% of them receive funding after our program. create each accelerator entity as standalone and successful Our new Series A fund, SparkLabs Ventures, will also not lead rounds for accelerator graduates and will seek to invest in a majority of non-SparkLabs companies. With all of this momentum and growth of our brand and reputation, we know this year and next are important for us to stay true and focused on what brought us here in the first place. . Especially at the accelerator and seed stage of the startup lifecycle, it really is about who are the founders that you invested in and how they respond to adversity, stress, ethical dilemmas, and the general highs and lows of startup life. After we invest our money, we devote our time and resources to each of our companies. Some might call it foolish but whether we invest $25,000 from one of our accelerators (i.e. $50,000 to Drop from our IoT & Smart City accelerator) to $500,000 from our seed fund, . Everyone of our partners have gone through a startup from the conception stage, so we know how difficult and painful life can get so every portfolio company deserves our attention. WE INVEST IN PEOPLE we do not discriminate in our attention to our portfolio companies based on dollars invested SparkLabs IoT & Smart City’s 1st Batch went beyond our expectations. Truly a global program as we planned and the average company was much further along than expected with $2.8M raised prior to joining the program in November 2016. And frankly, most of us have been giving free advice to other entrepreneurs most of our careers, so we are just lucky enough to add some funding with our words, possible insights, and connections. It’s not like our team asks this often, but it is in the back of our minds and something we just naturally seek out to do. We want to help our startups in whatever manner that is needed because we know how hard startup life is and that the odds are stacked against them. If we ask ourselves this and we are not executing up to our own standards, then we need to recalibrate ourselves and step up our commitment. DO WE ADD VALUE? Ben Harris, , presenting at Co-founder & CEO of Drop SparkLabs IoT Demo Day 1 I believe this was recently reflected in the response to our . Many companies that applied to this startup accelerator program already had more than $1M in revenues or raised over $2M in venture capital. The , but I assume they saw the value that we previously added to our portfolio companies or heard about it. The first SparkLabs IoT & Smart City 1st batch had an average of $2.8 million raised prior to joining our program, which was mind-blowing to some of our team members. 1st IoT & Smart City batch majority of companies that applied and the 16 companies in our 1st batch did not need our $50,000 investment This is a year ago, but I’m reusing it here because it is important… Integrity is an absolute starting point. Maybe because many on our team lived in the MidWest (Chicago, Ann Arbor), but we truly believe all a person has is his or her word. We also emphasize this to our companies; don’t lie to your investors, don’t lie to your company’s partners, don’t lie to your employees, and don’t lie to yourself. INTEGRITY IS ESSENTIAL. taken from my prior post about our SparkLabs accelerator Petnet ( ) is a SparkLabs Global portfolio company petnet.io We focus on getting the best people in terms of talent and cultural fit. We love high achievers and we love “good people”, as some Southerners say. We look for people who are transparent, flexible, humble, hustle and simply work hard. You only have to look at the people who recently joined us. Colin Qu, Managing Partner at SparkLabs Beijing, and Edgar Chiu, Managing Partner at SparkLabs Taipei, are both people who several others have told me after meeting them, “He is a super, nice guy… or He’s a really, really nice guy”. Not a“nice guy” or a “good guy” but a “super, nice guy.” Similar comments and praises are stated about William Chu, Managing Partner at SparkLabs FinTech, and our team at (Brian Kang and Chris Koh). RECRUIT THE BEST. SparkLabs Ventures www.sparklabsgroup.com SparkLabs has grown beyond our expectations. In some ways, it has taken a life of its own, so before things got too chaotic we decided ( ) that we should present and organize ourselves in way that entrepreneurs and investors understand the different parts in our network of entities. Well, Frank posed the question, “Shouldn’t we have a group site?” There was some discussion on what we should name this overarching entity. For a small grouping of accelerators and early-stage funds, doesn’t “group” sound too presumptuous since relative to the venture capital landscape our assets under management isn’t that much? Should we call ourselves the “SparkLabs Global Network”, and pay homage to the OG venture capital group which is the Draper Venture Network? What about the “SparkLabs Cluster”, but this would be horrible if we completely fail in a few years and set ourselves up for unlimited jokes as the “SparkLabs Clusterf**k”. So we finally decided on SparkLabs Group :) www.sparklabsgroup.com So here is the . Please visit our new website at and learn more about our accelerators, funds and people. launch of SparkLabs Group www.sparklabsgroup.com

SparkLabs Group… A New Beginning for Our Venture Capital Firm

Last week we just completed our 7th DemoDay where . While our event has become the largest accelerator demo day in the world, we are not misguided in our achievements since we know if Y Combinator opened their doors to the public it would put our event to shame. over 1,800 people attended from throughout Asia Over 1,800 people attended the SparkLabs DemoDay7 with over 350 investors from throughout Asia It is important for our team to continue to generate interest in startups and help the innovation ecosystem in South Korea and Asia grow. Our team at wanted our demo days to encourage new entrepreneurs to break from the walls of Samsung, LG, NHN and Nexon in Korea, to spur new investors and drawing interest from potential corporate partners. SparkLabs DemoDay7 Highlight Video from June 22, 2016 It’s been a long, wild ride since HanJoo Lee, Jimmy Kim and I started on this idea during April 2012 and launched our first batch in December 2012. We were supported by our illustrious advisors, such as Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks and outspoken billionaire), (Chief Internet Evangelist at Google and “a Father of the Internet”) and (Former Chief Software Architect at Microsoft and creator of Lotus Notes). More importantly, we were joined by over for our startups who have been invaluable to the success of our program. Vint Cerf Ray Ozzie 120 active mentors Eugene Kim, Partner and Head of SparkLabs accelerator programs Eventually we were strengthened by our other partners joining us: , who runs the program and operations of SparkLabs. Jay McCarthy, Frank Meehan, Net Jacobsson and Eugene Kim The hard work of and other full-time team members have contributed to our 56 graduates creating over $690 million in equity value, over 800 jobs and follow-on rate of over 75%. Part of the high follow-on rate is the ability for us to attract strong teams. The . I can confidently state that productivity for SparkLabs is one of the best in the world. Eugene Kim, Sophia Choi, Harry Han average raise prior to going through our accelerator program is over $400,000 and funds raised afterwards is over $3 million It has been a fast 3.5 years since HanJoo pitched me and then Jimmy to become the “YC of Korea” and then launching SparkLabs. It hasn’t been an easy road like any new venture, but it has been incredibly exhilarating and rewarding. Being a bit reflective, I wanted to share from growing SparkLabs into a leading accelerator program in Asia and growing our ambitions from becoming the “YC of Korea” to becoming the “YC of Asia.” the top 8 things we learned This mantra is always stated, often cited, but not always executed upon. I believe the success of SparkLabs came with our first hire, which was Eugene Kim, who runs our accelerator operations and program, and each subsequent hire. Eugene was recently promoted to a partner with SparkLabs and he deserves all the praise that comes with our success. 1. Every Hire is Critical. All the founders have to approve a hire because we truly believe every hire is critical. We have had a few times where everyone of us wanted to hire a candidate but the last person said “no”, which we respected. 2. Our team believes that details are critical towards success. From every lighting on our demo day stage to emails written to corporate partners to pixels on our website. We care about the details because we believe excellence is the minimum standard we strive for and want the companies that go through SparkLabs to do the same. Details Matter. Sarah Chung (CEO of Landing Int’l, Batch 7), Net Jacobsson (Partner at SparkLabs & SparkLabs Global), David Choe (CEO of myBox, Batch 7), Frank Meehan (Partner at SparkLabs & SparkLabs Global), Euan Macdonald (CEO of CryWorks / speaker at DemoDay7), Jay McCarthy (Partner at SparkLabs & SparkLabs Global), Rob DeMillo (Venture Partner at SparkLabs Global) 3. Everything is done through relationships. To build strong relationships takes time and effort, so nothing can be treated with a short-term perspective. Relationships Matter. 4. As a baseline, we seek to treat others as we would want to be treated, so we treat people well. If people make mistakes, we want to exercise patience and understanding but also don’t expect the same. Follow the Golden Rule. 5. This applies those partners and people who have worked with us the longest, who contributes the most or who needs help the most. We seek to go that extra mile for everyone in our network, but will go an extra few miles for those who really understand our passion and vision to help out other entrepreneurs. Going Beyond the Golden Rule. 6. Some say perception is reality, so we work hard to embrace all feedback and criticism that we receive. Even if the criticism is a minority view, since we are one of the leaders in South Korea’s startup ecosystem, it is important to listen, learn and improve. Embrace Feedback and Criticism. 7. On the other hand, sometimes the criticism is just too ridiculous, so just have to ignore it. If we can response with little effort and time, then we might do so. For example, we initially received questions (quiet chatter) on whether we really knew people on our website and others in our “supposed global network,” but those doubts dissipated soon after our launch. We invited our advisor, , to speak where he graciously did along with others such as Bin Lin, Co-founder of Xiaomi, and Kai Huang, Co-founder of Red Octane/Guitar Hero, within the first year of our launch. We continue to bring global thought leaders and entrepreneurs to Seoul encourage and inspire the whole startup ecosystem. Ignore the Haters. Ray Ozzie DemoDay7 Panel on VR/AR: Casey Lau (Founder of StartupsHK & Co-host of RISE), (Peter Wilkins, Co-founder, CEO, & CTO of Emergent VR), Euan MacDonald (Co-founder & CEO of CryWorks), Robert Scoble (EIR at Upload VR) 8. . Integrity is an absolute starting point. Maybe because many on our team lived in the MidWest (Chicago, Ann Arbor), but we truly believe all a person has is his or her word. We also emphasize this to our companies; don’t lie to your investors, don’t lie to your company’s partners, don’t lie to your employees, and don’t lie to yourself. Integrity Matters Our team is looking forward to the next 10 years and beyond in building SparkLabs and the overall startup ecosystem in Asia. This is our passion, our drive and our mission. To help entrepreneurs throughout the globe change the world and SparkLabs is our vehicle to do so.

SparkLabs: 3 Years, 56 Companies, Over $690M in Equity Value and 8 Lessons Learned

Got A Startup With An App? You Need AppLovin

Het jy begin met 'n toepassing? Jy het AppLovin nodig

একটি অ্যাপ দিয়ে একটি স্টার্টআপ পেয়েছেন? আপনার অ্যাপলোভিন দরকার

Imate startup sa aplikacijom? Potreban vam je AppLovin

¿Tienes una startup con una aplicación? Necesitas AppLovin

Tes un inicio cunha aplicación? Necesitas AppLovin

アプリを持つスタートアップ企業をお持ちですか？AppLovinが必要です

Қолданба бар стартап бар ма? Сізге AppLovin керек

Masz Startup z Aplikacją? Potrzebujesz AppLovin

د یو اپلیکیشن سره یو پیل ترلاسه کړ؟ تاسو AppLovin ته اړتیا لرئ

Ai un startup cu o aplicație? Ai nevoie de AppLovin

Имате стартуп са апликацијом? Потребан вам је АппЛовин

ایک ایپ کے ساتھ اسٹارٹ اپ حاصل کیا؟ آپ کو AppLovin کی ضرورت ہے۔

How I Grew My Instagram: Sharing My Journey as a Jewelry Designer

MLOps With Databricks and Spark - Part 1

WILMINGTON, Delaware, November 7th, 2024/Chainwire/--Rekt Brands Inc. (Rekt), the parent company behind the Rektguy NFT project, Rekt Drinks, and the Rekt brand intellectual property, is excited to announce the completion of a $1.5 million seed funding round. Funded exclusively by angel investors and the community—without institutional venture capital—this achievement highlights the support Rekt received from its loyal and growing network. This funding announcement follows the debut of Rekt Drinks, Rekt’s first consumer product: a lime-flavored sparkling water with zero caffeine and zero alcohol, featuring the Rekt branding. Rekt Drinks made its debut last week with 222,456 units available across 32 countries. The entire stock sold out in under 48 hours, with demand in the U.S. alone resulting in a complete sell-out within just 4 hours and 20 minutes. This launch represents one of the largest real-world product sales by a Web3 brand, reinforcing Rekt’s potential as a cultural force in both digital and traditional markets. Rekt was founded from the success of the Rektguy NFT collection, created by artist Ovie Faruq (OSF) in May 2022. Since then, the Rektguy project has expanded into Rekt Brands, which oversees the Rekt IP and pioneered a unique industry model by offering equity in the parent company directly to its NFT holders, utilizing a Reg CF exemption under SEC guidelines in the U.S. “Rekt has had a die-hard, cult-like community for the past 2 years, and our ambition is to fulfill its potential as one of the largest Web3 brands,” said OSF. “With the sell-out of our drinks last week, that’s 222,456 times someone is going to pick up a can with the Rekt logo and a Rektguy on it. It’s a magnitude higher for us in terms of brand awareness.” With this new funding, Rekt is poised to expand its product lineup, strengthen its brand awareness in and outside of Web3, while further bridging digital culture with physical consumer products. The Rekt community remains at the heart of the brand’s mission, with upcoming projects that will continue to empower, engage, and reward its dedicated supporters. About Rekt Rekt Brands Inc. is the parent company that owns the Rektguy NFT project, Rekt Drinks, and the Rekt brand intellectual property. Established from the success of the Rektguy NFT collection by artist Ovie Faruq (OSF), the brand has expanded into consumer goods and groundbreaking community equity models. Rekt aims to redefine brand ownership and engagement through its Web3 foundation, innovative products, and viral global community. Contact CEO Ovie Faruq Rekt Brands Inc. ovie@rektdrinks.com This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here WILMINGTON, Delaware, November 7th, 2024/Chainwire/--Rekt Brands Inc. (Rekt), the parent company behind the Rektguy NFT project, Rekt Drinks, and the Rekt brand intellectual property, is excited to announce the completion of a $1.5 million seed funding round. Funded exclusively by angel investors and the community—without institutional venture capital—this achievement highlights the support Rekt received from its loyal and growing network. This funding announcement follows the debut of Rekt Drinks , Rekt’s first consumer product: a lime-flavored sparkling water with zero caffeine and zero alcohol, featuring the Rekt branding. Rekt Drinks made its debut last week with 222,456 units available across 32 countries. Rekt Drinks Rekt Drinks The entire stock sold out in under 48 hours, with demand in the U.S. alone resulting in a complete sell-out within just 4 hours and 20 minutes. This launch represents one of the largest real-world product sales by a Web3 brand, reinforcing Rekt’s potential as a cultural force in both digital and traditional markets. Rekt was founded from the success of the Rektguy NFT collection, created by artist Ovie Faruq (OSF) in May 2022. Since then, the Rektguy project has expanded into Rekt Brands, which oversees the Rekt IP and pioneered a unique industry model by offering equity in the parent company directly to its NFT holders, utilizing a Reg CF exemption under SEC guidelines in the U.S. Rektguy Rektguy Ovie Faruq (OSF) Ovie Faruq (OSF) “Rekt has had a die-hard, cult-like community for the past 2 years, and our ambition is to fulfill its potential as one of the largest Web3 brands,” said OSF. “With the sell-out of our drinks last week, that’s 222,456 times someone is going to pick up a can with the Rekt logo and a Rektguy on it. It’s a magnitude higher for us in terms of brand awareness.” “Rekt has had a die-hard, cult-like community for the past 2 years, and our ambition is to fulfill its potential as one of the largest Web3 brands,” said OSF. “With the sell-out of our drinks last week, that’s 222,456 times someone is going to pick up a can with the Rekt logo and a Rektguy on it. It’s a magnitude higher for us in terms of brand awareness.” With this new funding, Rekt is poised to expand its product lineup, strengthen its brand awareness in and outside of Web3, while further bridging digital culture with physical consumer products. The Rekt community remains at the heart of the brand’s mission, with upcoming projects that will continue to empower, engage, and reward its dedicated supporters. About Rekt Rekt Brands Inc. is the parent company that owns the Rektguy NFT project, Rekt Drinks , and the Rekt brand intellectual property. Established from the success of the Rektguy NFT collection by artist Ovie Faruq (OSF) , the brand has expanded into consumer goods and groundbreaking community equity models. Rekt aims to redefine brand ownership and engagement through its Web3 foundation, innovative products, and viral global community. Rekt Brands Inc. Rekt Brands Inc. Rektguy Rektguy Rekt Drinks Rekt Drinks Rektguy Rektguy Ovie Faruq (OSF) Ovie Faruq (OSF) Contact CEO Ovie Faruq Rekt Brands Inc. ovie@rektdrinks.com This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here here here

Rekt Raises $1.5M Seed Round Backed By Angels and Community, Following Sell-Out Of Rekt Drinks

Rekt samel $1,5 miljoen saadronde in, gerugsteun deur engele en gemeenskap, na die uitverkoop van Rekt-drankies

Rekt набира 1,5 милиона долара начален кръг, подкрепен от ангели и общност, след разпродаването на Rekt напитки

Η Rekt συγκεντρώνει $1,5 εκατομμύρια σπόρους με την υποστήριξη των αγγέλων και της κοινότητας, μετά το ξεπούλημα των ποτών Rekt

Rekt recauda 1,5 millones de dólares en una ronda de capital semilla respaldada por inversores ángeles y la comunidad, tras la venta de Rekt Drinks

רקט מגייס 1.5 מיליון דולר סבב זרעים בגיבוי מלאכים וקהילה, בעקבות מכירת משקאות רקט

Rekt prikupio 1,5 milijuna dolara početni krug uz podršku anđela i zajednice, nakon rasprodaje Rekt pića

Rekt Mengumpulkan Dana Awal Sebesar $1,5 Juta yang Didukung oleh Angel dan Komunitas, Setelah Penjualan Habis dari Rekt Drinks

Rekt は Rekt ドリンクの完売を受けて、エンジェル投資家とコミュニティの支援を受けて 150 万ドルのシードラウンドを調達

Рэкт ундаануудаа зарсны дараа Тэнгэр элч нар болон олон нийтийн дэмжлэгтэйгээр 1.5 сая долларын үрийг цуглуулж байна.

Rekt haalt $ 1,5 miljoen op in een startkapitaalronde, gesteund door investeerders en de gemeenschap, na de uitverkoop van Rekt Drinks

Rekt ระดมทุนรอบ Seed Round ได้ 1.5 ล้านเหรียญสหรัฐ โดยได้รับการสนับสนุนจาก Angels และชุมชน หลังจากการขายเครื่องดื่ม Rekt หมดเกลี้ยง

Rekt, Rekt içgileriniň satylmagyndan soň, perişdeler we jemgyýet tarapyndan goldanýan 1.5 million dollarlyk tohum tegelek ýygnaýar

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