Dunamu & Partners Invests $109M in 60 Promising Startups

ONEUNIVERSE Holds Second NFT Sale for Champions ArenaSouth Korean metaverse developer ONEUNIVERSE said Wednesday it is holding its second sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in celebration of the upcoming release of its newest AAA Web3 game, Champions Arena.Photo by Stefan Gall on UnsplashFueling earningsThe NFTs, called Champion NFTs, will play a pivotal role in boosting the core Play-to-Earn (P2E) feature of the game. Players must possess Champion NFTs in order to earn victory points, or VPs, within the game’s central hub called the Arena. These VPs can then be converted to and distributed as Gala (GALA), the native token of the game’s publisher Gala Games.The amount of VP that a player can acquire depends on factors such as the quantity and ranking of the Champion NFTs in their collection, as well as their tier ranking. Hence, more Champion NFTs means more VPs.“We are delighted to meet the demand of gamers who are eager to purchase NFTs leading up to the official release of Champions Arena. Through this sale, our goal is to ensure that as many users as possible can experience one of the core functionalities of the game — earning — right from the initial launch,” said Choi Won-jong, Chief Business Officer of ONEUNIVERSE.Global launch and exclusive offersChampions Arena will launch globally at 5 PM PT on August 23 as a mobile and PC game with the exception of South Korea and select countries, according to Gala Games. The NFTs will be available for purchase on the Gala Games official website starting today until the launch. They will be packaged within “Champion Boxes” that contain one of 18 different playable Champions, including those in the highest tier of Legendary.There is also an exclusive 30% discount event running until 3 PM on August 21.

Aevo Launches Novel Index Perpetual ContractAevo, the layer-2 derivatives platform launched by Singapore’s Ribbon Finance earlier this year, has introduced a new index perpetual contract.The contract allows traders to engage in long or short positions based on the market capitalization of accounts within the social application Friend.tech.Photo by Compare Fibre on UnsplashFRIEND-PERPThe FRIEND-PERP market is now live according to The Block, and it has gained significant traction, boasting a daily trading volume of $501,824 and a current trading price of $7.14. This market operates on a unique premise — a perpetual contract, which, unlike conventional futures contracts, does not adhere to an expiration date. This feature is particularly appealing to the crypto trading community, enabling them to seize opportunities without the constraints of time-bound contracts.Surge in interestFriend.tech, the social app at the center of this Aevo product offering, has integrated with Ethereum layer-2 network Base, a blockchain incubated by Coinbase earlier this year. This network, which officially welcomed the public on August 9, has been the center of attention within the crypto sector over the past couple of weeks.The social app enables market participants to buy shares of individuals who hold accounts on X (formerly Twitter). Since its launch earlier this month, the Friend.tech app has grown rapidly. It attracted over 100,000 daily users within 24 hours of its launch.Each user stands to benefit financially from the purchase and sale of their shares, a pioneering approach that has lured prominent figures, including venture capitalist Garry Tan, NBA star Grayson Allen, and celebrated YouTuber FaZe Banks, to the platform.Boost for BaseUS crypto platform Coinbase has embraced Friend.tech as it marks the first major breakthrough use case for its Base blockchain network. This collaborative effort has propelled the Base network to new heights, positioning it among the top cryptocurrency projects by user fee revenue. With $1.4 million in fees generated over the last 24 hours alone, Friend.tech ranks among industry giants, trailing only Ethereum and Lido Finance in this metric, according to data from DeFiLlama.While the app has risen at a phenomenal pace, there are concerns relative to the degree of privacy it affords its users. The public availability of the Friend.tech API used to convert X usernames into wallet addresses has raised the alarm for potential data exposure.A Yearn Finance developer, known by the pseudonym Banteg, used this API to compile a list of Ethereum addresses linked to X accounts. While the community has reassured users that access can be revoked, the implications of this exposure for privacy and security cannot be understated.The Aevo project was first announced by Ribbon Finance in September 2022 and subsequently launched in June. The goal of the project is to convert users from centralized exchanges, bringing them over to the decentralized exchange (DEX) platform.

The South Korean port city of Busan yesterday convened a meeting to reaffirm the city’s commitment to establishing a blockchain-specialized cluster in the region.  The meeting took place at the Busan Technology Innovation Center located in Busan International Financial Center (BIFC), attended by Busan Vice Mayor for Economic Affairs Kim Kwang-hee, the Korea Internet & Security Agency Director Lee Sang-joong, Busan Technopark Chairman Kim Hyung-gyun and representatives of companies stationed at the BIFC. Photo by Dane Kim on Unsplash$15 million investment by 2026In a bid to foster blockchain technology companies in the region, the local government has outlined plans to invest a total of KRW 20 billion, or over $15 million, in the blockchain cluster project for the next three years until 2026. The Busan government and the central government are each responsible for providing half of the project’s investment fund. Starting off, KRW 6.2 billion will be allocated this year. Among the project’s main objectives are identifying local startups with high potential for blockchain technology integration, facilitating their connections with VCs for fundraising and promoting the project’s achievements. Participating companies are set to share their annual performances this upcoming December.  Most importantly, the city aims to attract blockchain companies to the region, lay business foundations for them and transform the city into a blockchain industry hub.  Ambition to become a global blockchain hub Vice Mayor Kim said the city will keep supporting local blockchain startups so that these entrepreneurs can settle down in Busan, with the aim of turning the city into a global blockchain hub.