New research and startup studio UNOPND has announced the launch of its metaverse and NFT application hub to support innovative ideas and use cases in the nascent industry, powered by blockchain technology investment firm Hashed.
The UNOPND studio for creative projects will focus on new blockchain-based ideas for gaming and collectible NFTs, supporting various startups seeking to engage with a nascent market being unlocked by recent strides in metaverse gaming.
The goal is to build an ecosystem of creators and users via innovative experimentation that finds new ways to meet the needs of the masses.
Powered by Hashed
UNOPND will utilize the network, experience, and expertise of Hashed, an investment firm focused on unlocking the potential of blockchain technology through dApps, games, tools, and infrastructure. With a team of experts based in both Seoul and Silicon Valley, Hashed is in a unique position to bridge decentralized ecosystems in the US and Asia to further accelerate global mass adoption.
With a portfolio of projects split evenly between the US and the rest of the world, Hashed helps startups to penetrate the global market and bootstrap their communities, having been an early investor in successful ventures like Klaytn, MakerDAO, Synthetix, Mirror Protocol, dydx, Axie Infinity, Terra Virtua, and The Sandbox.
“Hashed is excited to be leading efforts into making blockchain mainstream,” said Simon Kim, Co-founder and CEO of Hashed. “Financial application of blockchain is one of many fields we are exploring at the moment, and we find it ripe to lend our support for teams and founders willing to explore blockchain’s full potential in other creative ways through UNOPND.”
Unlocking the Value of the Metaverse
The concept behind the metaverse, and the provable ownership that NFTs provide, is still relatively new but offers tremendous potential in revolutionizing entertainment, opening up an addressable market for blockchain technology that goes way beyond the financial applications brought about by cryptocurrencies.
As such, UNOPND can tap into ideas that appeal to a much wider audience, including those that had not been involved in cryptocurrencies previously, as evidenced by the rise of NFT adoption in sport, music, art, and gaming fields.
“UNOPND will build an ecosystem of creators and users, and provide innovative services that unveil the value of blockchain”, said Chan Lee, CEO of UNOPND.
“We have witnessed that many blockchain-based games and social services are getting popular in recent years. We want to focus on the market’s demand, especially the communities, to find the most attractive products.”
Letting Builders Focus On Building
UNOPND plans to free up builders to focus on what they do best – building. UNOPND will then utilize its network to assist projects with PR, team development, community engagement, and strategy, with fundraising support from Hashed.
The studio is already working to support a wide range of projects while researching the potential of further metaverse and NFT applications. Multiple layer 1 networks are being considered including Ethereum, Cosmos, and Terra, among others.
