Breaking Down NFT NYC💡 A Cultural Hub for Web3

Welcome back to 3Beats, your essential source for the most captivating narratives in the Web3 universe and beyond.

It’s Monday - and we got some sauce for you this week:

• We’re breaking down NFT NYC, the biggest and baddest NFT event in the World🌎 - Strap in and enjoy

• And as always - we give you a quick snapshot with our 3Bytes section about what’s happening in the World of Web3 this week

Breaking Down NFT NYC - A Cultural Hub
of Web3

Lina Pauline Schrott takes you for the full NYC ride

Culture, is a big, dazzling term that encompasses so many aspects of our lives, and more or less determines the way we act and think. Arguably, culture is also the expression of our collective consciousness.

And why does that matter?

Because Web3 comprises a certain culture and we at 3Beats aim to dissect that culture.

An occasion like NFT NYC, which brings the innovators, artists, collectors, investors, and creators in the NFT space together, is a cultural hub of Web3. This is a space where big decisions, stories, products, and experiences are created that embrace certain values, ideals, behaviors, and arts. Then arguably, occasions such as NFT NYC, which bring brilliant and influential minds in Web3 together, are the birthplace of a certain, perhaps new culture.

Let’s take a closer look at what actually happened at NFT NYC this year.

Here is my breakdown:

On the 11th of April, one day before the actual conference got started, after landing late the night before, I woke up in Chelsea, Manhattan, and headed to my first event, Si Her Impact Web3. This was an impact-driven event, put on by The Ki (a non-profit focused on unlocking potential in untapped communities) created to unify female & non-binary Web3 leaders, founders & visionaries at NFT NYC…Si Her was hosted at Javits Center, the main conference venue right by the Hudson River, which was still being set up for the conference.

I met incredible women, from Sandy Carter, Unstoppable Domains COO, Nesma Bensalem, founder of WeCareImpact, to Christine Laraque, Founder of SinceEve. Sandy, a champion of female entrepreneurs across the globe, shared revelatory statistics such as that less than a tenth of crypto traders are women, and other stark gender discrepancies in AI and Metaverse. But she also highlighted projects in the space that contribute to a culture of equity and equal opportunity, such as Crypto Tech Women, BFF, and Unstoppable Women of Web3 and the Metaverse.

Loaded with inspiration, I headed to a BoysClub dinner in Chinatown, where round dining tables were spread across a dancehall-looking room on the second floor of a well-known Chinese Restaurant called Golden Unicorn. The music was a jam and conversations commenced easily, as strangers flowed in and took place at the tables.

The next morning, I landed at a WXW3 Breakfast with World of Women NFT, Bad Bitch Empire, EyesofFashion NFT at The Glass Ceiling I ran into Georgia Andre, Eda Aguilar, who I had met at NFT Paris, a few weeks earlier. I also met a 17-year-old developer from Latvia, ambitious to start his own blockchain company.

Next up was the Tezos NFT Summit, which featured interactive talks and workshops at the intersection of artistic inspiration, community networking, and developer innovation. Tezos is an open-source blockchain that can execute peer-to-peer transactions and serve as a platform for deploying smart contracts, with user participation and governance at its core. In my personal experience, Tezos is also a community of incredible thinkers and creatives that puts on some of the most interesting events in the Web3 world.

Here, I met Tegan Monique Gaan, Founder of Ecoverse. Tegan initially caught my attention because of her outfit (multiple giant chains around her neck, a colorful t-shirt, and ripped jeans). I soon found out that Tegan is a veteran in the space, with over 19 years of experience working for tech giants, or founding innovative tech start-ups.

I ended my afternoon at Dispatch Studios, which took over a floor at Showfields, an NYC department store. Dispatch really honed in on the phygital experience, which by the way, was everywhere at NFT NYC this year.

What is phygital?

Integration of physical and digital experiences. Phygital goods, for instance, connect physical items with digital experiences, allowing for somewhat of a digital scavenger hunt.

On this floor, you could shop numerous physical and digital merchandise paying with crypto or credit card, from a BoysClub necklace, which came with an NFT, to a SheFi beanie. At Dispatch, I met the founder of Mirrorwerx, a digi physical fashion collection, built and verified on chain. I also ran into Monty Preston, managing editor of the BoysClub new Zine, and founder of BAGGS.wtf, jewelery micro bags for ledger hardware wallets (so Web3!!!).

On the elevator ride down, Abhi Raheja, Chief of Staff at CyberConnect, caught my attention, he was wearing a colorful earring in one ear, and I of course, had to comment on it. We soon learned we are both from Canada and connected on topics beyond Web3. I ended up joining Abhi, as he headed to a private event put on by Lore and Multicoin.

The next day I checked out Billionaire Boys Club event at BC ICECREAM's NYC flagship store in SoHo. Gmoney was there, speaking on a panel exploring the convergence of digital and physical.

The energy in the room picked up when Talia Goddess started spinning tunes. Soon people were dancing, and conversation followed. I quickly made a handful of new friends!

Let’s back up for a sec.

Have you noticed something?

At no point did I mention the main conference. At no point did I spend any time at the main conference. And neither did 90% of the people I talked to.

The reason being?

Side events were the places and spaces where true, genuine, authentic interactions occurred. Not just an exchange of business cards, but an actual conversation. Not just a selfie on Telegram, but a “Let’s meet up later, I am going here, where are you going?”.

Side events, spread across restaurants, bars, and other unique venues, mainly around Manhattan, were where the beat of the culture was felt. Truly.

The overall sentiment, at these events, was less noise and a lot of building. There was a lot of energy, positivity, and idea-sharing. This clearly reinforced the idea that NFT scene and culture are the opposite of dead. Many true connections were made that will stay with me, and I gained a blast of inspiration, joy, and meaningful interactions.

3Bytes is our shortlist of random Web3 news, quotes, ideas, and of course - humor:

1. Uniswap Trades Soar as Pepe Mania Grips Meme Coin Market

Meme Coin Frenzy is hitting us in full force. This week’s reason for the buzz is mostly down to meme coins becoming popular again - largely Pepe (PEPE), a new token that launched this week and has since blown up in value.

Over 2.4 million tweets in 1 week…

2. Bored Ape Creator Yuga Labs Claims 'Landmark Legal Victory' Over Copycat NFTs

Yuga Labs declares victory over "scammers and counterfeiters" after winning a key legal battle over a Bored Ape Yacht Club copycat project.

3. Crypto VC Funding Down 82% Compared to Last Year

The evaporating funding means "a lot of companies are doing their down rounds," said the founder of Delta Blockchain Fund.

And that’s a wrap for this week! Moving forward, we'll hit your inbox on Mondays.

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.