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<ul><li><keyword id="2307576" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bumble" source="Orion">Bumble</keyword> is looking to bring dating and making friends to the <keyword id="11121339" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword> and <keyword id="692030" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="web-3-0" source="Orion">Web 3.0</keyword> as the ‘next step’ of growth.</li><li>The company is currently ‘testing’ a couple of projects, which are likely to go live in the coming months.</li><li>Just as Facebook is looking to get ahead of the curve, Bumble will be going head-to-head against the likes of <keyword id="1738241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tinder" source="Orion">Tinder</keyword> to be a frontrunner in the metaverse space.</li></ul>Dating and networking app Bumble is starting to explore applications in the metaverse and Web3 world. The dating app, which has seen big traction on its platform for making platonic friends — called <keyword id="7950058" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bumble-bff" source="Orion">Bumble BFF</keyword> — said Web 3.0 is the logical next step. Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble’s CEO and founder, said that the company has seen a 150% increase in users using more than one mode and it could “become a leader” in the Web 3.0 space, starting with a revamp of its Bumble BFF platform. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“Bumble BFF gives us a platform for Bumble to become a leader in the Web 3.0 world.”" auname="Bumble founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on November 10"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="wazirx" comment="wazirx" text="wazirx">wazirx</cmsannotation> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bumble’s plans for Web 3.0" comment="subhead" text="Bumble’s plans for Web 3.0">Bumble’s plans for Web 3.0</cmsannotation> Web 3.0 is the next stage in the evolution of the internet built on edge computing, decentralised data networks — blockchain — and artificial intelligence. Big wigs like Facebook, which even renamed itself to ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-changed-its-name-to-meta-and-celebrities-politicians-and-brands-quickly-roasted-it/articleshow/87375099.cms">Meta</a>’ this month, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-confirms-the-company-will-build-its-own-metaverse/articleshow/87641073.cms">Disney</a>, Microsoft and others are also looking to get the jump on the '<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/the-metaverse-may-change-the-way-you-earn-money-shop-or-even-chill-with-friends-in-the-future/slidelist/86677906.cms">metaverse</a>' hype to stay ahead of the curve. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="87663969" title="It’s not just Zuckerberg ⁠— here’s how gaming, shopping and dating could look like in the metaverse" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> According to Wolfe, using Web 3.0 tools and technologies will mean “new engagement, participation and creator models” in the near term. “But longer-term, it becomes a way for members to own their experience on Bumble. This could happen through the communities they build, the virtual goods and experiences they acquire, or through new ways of owning their identity as they navigate the metaverse,” she added. The Bumble app, which started after platforms like Tinder formalised the dating app market, has quickly become one of its mainstays. Bumble President Tariq Shaukat, said that the company has a “couple of tests” running right now, which the company will be rolling out in the upcoming months. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“This is something that is going to evolve. We want to make sure we're setting the technical and engineering foundation for whatever emerges in the metaverse and in the Web 3.0 world.”" auname="Bumble President, Tariq Shaukat, said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on November 10"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Not the first dating app on the blockchain" comment="subhead" text="Not the first dating app on the blockchain">Not the first dating app on the blockchain</cmsannotation> To be sure, this isn’t the first time Bumble’s intentions to embrace Web 3.0 have been made public. The company had <a href="https://twitter.com/i_woodford/status/1458383250968256512">listed</a> a position for “Head of Crypto and Web3” earlier this month, as reported by many on Twitter — right around the time that Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, details its own plans for the metaverse. Tinder’s newly launched ‘Explore’ section will expand to include a virtual goods-based economy, supported by the app’s very own cryptocurrency called Tinder Coins. The project is already being tested in several markets, including a couple of countries in Europe, according to the company. Tinder plans to roll out the use of Tinder Coins to global users sometime next year. Lesser known platforms like <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/foobee-worlds-first-social-dating-app-integrated-crypto-jani-mani/">Foobie</a> also have embraced the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. There’s also <a href="https://solana.com/ecosystem/soldate">SolDate</a>, which was built using the Solana blockchain earlier this year. However, the OGs of the blockchain dating system have been around for a lot longer. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ponderapp/about/">Ponder</a>, which launched in 2017, not only connects people with potential partners but also allows others to play matchmaker — not just for dating but jobs as well. Viola.AI and DateCoin launched their initial coin offerings (ICOs) back in 2018 with the promise of a more secure and transparent dating experience to solve Tinder's problem of fake profiles. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/leading-crypto-players-in-india-likely-to-meet-with-indian-government-next-week-to-give-inputs/articleshow/87642591.cms">Leading crypto players in India likely to meet with Indian government next week to give inputs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/telos-is-hedging-against-crypto-bear-market-with-fresh-investment-from-its-first-ever-marquee-investors/articleshow/87597875.cms">Telos is hedging against a possible ‘prolonged bear market’ with fresh investment from its first-ever marquee investors</a>

Bumble is following in Tinder's footsteps with plans to enter the metaverse and lead the Web 3.0 revolution

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="46161" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney" source="Orion">Disney</keyword> and <keyword id="12048088" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ralph-lauren" source="Orion">Ralph Lauren</keyword> are among well-known companies getting into the <keyword id="11121339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword>. </li><li>Bernstein Research had a rundown of companies that have stated their metaverse ambitions in a primer on Thursday. </li></ul>Ralph Lauren and Disney are among well-known consumer brands that are delving into the metaverse, the online space merging the physical and digital worlds that is growing into a potentially massive market, according to Bernstein Research. "How big can it be? Really big. The combined annual run-rate of the most relevant <keyword id="11893875" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="markets" source="Orion">markets</keyword> is $2 trillion and growing," said Bernstein Research in a primer about the metaverse published Thursday. "The timing is still unknown, as we're early on the adoption curve and current metaverse technology doesn't offer the necessary value proposition for many users," it said. The note included some household names with plans for the metaverse. Here are a few: Ralph Lauren The fashion house has been collaborating with Zepeto, which allows people to create their own avatars that live, work, and play in the 3-D world. Its clothing recently appeared on the avatars of TXT, a popular K-pop boy group. Match Group The company that runs the Match.com and <keyword id="11907521" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tinder" source="Orion">Tinder</keyword> dating sites this year acquired Hyperconnect, a South Korea-based video tech and social discovery company, for $1.7 billion. Hyperconnect has been testing Single Town, bringing avatar-based dating to the metaverse. Disney The CEO of the entertainment juggernaut, Bob Chapek, said the company is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-confirms-the-company-will-build-its-own-metaverse/articleshow/87641073.cms">planning to create its own metaverse</a> but he didn't outline specifics during the latest quarterly earnings call. Bumble The networking and dating site is working on applications in the metaverse, with traction building for its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bumble-is-following-in-tinders-footsteps-with-plans-to-enter-the-metaverse-and-lead-the-web-3-0-revolution/articleshow/87665613.cms">Bumble BFF platform for making platonic friends</a>. <keyword id="11895708" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="microsoft" source="Orion">Microsoft</keyword>In 2022, the company plans to roll out <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/mesh-for-microsoft-teams/">Mesh for Microsoft Teams</a>. The company says it will combine the capabilities of Microsoft Mesh, which allows people in different physical locations "to join collaborative and shared holographic experiences," with the productivity tools of Microsoft Teams.

Major brand names from Microsoft to Bumble have said they're getting into the metaverse. Here are 5 household names making plans for Web3.

The <keyword id="11121339" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword> is the latest buzzword that gained more interest after Facebook held an event dedicated to its future plans and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-goes-all-in-on-its-metaverse-ambitions-consolidates-itself-instagram-whatsapp-and-others-under-meta/articleshow/87352752.cms">renamed itself to ‘Meta’</a>. While the metaverse discussions have been in the light for months, many global tech companies are now announcing their plans on their own metaverses. It may be easy to understand that <keyword id="399907" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="meta" source="Orion">Meta</keyword> can create the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/nike-to-soon-start-selling-virtual-sneakers-clothes-and-accessories/articleshow/87505392.cms">metaverse</a> but the possibilities are endless for this new internet world. It’s not just social media, but dating, gaming, collaboration, shopping, and a lot more can take place in the metaverse. Here’s what metaverse means in simple words The metaverse is broadly known as this immersive digital or virtual world where people interact with each other through their digital avatars. Here, people can socialise, shop, have immersive experiences, collaborate on projects, and more. There’s a new company almost every other day announcing their plans about the metaverse so let’s take a look at what exactly these companies have in mind. Meta (Facebook) Meta is probably the most invested in the metaverse right now. It defines the metaverse as “the next evolution of social connection.” Meta’s metaverse is going to be all 3D with digital avatars teleporting to different spaces, holograms, immersive gaming, and it will also feature crypto and NFTs. Meta will also create virtual homes known as ‘Horizon Home’ where you will be able to invite friends just like you do in real life. It’s kind of like Roblox but in a more immersive way. <div type="image" title="img (8)" msid="87663983" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Horizon Home by Meta will let you invite friends to your virtual home just like you do in real life. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> There’s also ‘Horizon Marketplace’ where people will be able to sell 3D digital items which will help creators and developers earn money. Meta will also create spaces for gaming, working, and exercising too. Not just that, you will also be able to do advanced learning in the metaverse like medical students practising how to use instruments. Meta already has Oculus VR headsets for virtual experiences, and it’s also working on AR glasses called ‘Nazaré’ for holograms. Microsoft Microsoft wants to make virtual meetings more immersive with the introduction of 3D avatars and interactive spaces on Teams. There’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/microsoft-is-bringing-3d-avatars-and-metaverses-to-teams/articleshow/87501008.cms">Mesh for Microsoft Teams</a> that will allow people in different physical locations to join collaborative and shared holographic experiences on Teams. Microsoft is also adding 3D avatars to Teams that will be able to take part in meetings when you don’t feel like turning the camera on. <div type="image" title="ezgif.com-gif-maker (23)" msid="87664001" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Microsoft will let people socialise, collaborate and work with each other through immersive spaces in Teams.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Microsoft also plans on building metaverses within Teams which will be immersive spaces. Initially, Mesh for Teams will roll out with pre-built immersive spaces for meetings and social mixers. It will also let organisations build metaverses within Teams where these avatars can “mix and mingle, collaborate on projects and experience those serendipitous encounters that spark innovation.” Tencent Chinese tech giant <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/more-and-more-chinese-tech-giants-including-search-engine-baidu-are-trademarking-metaverse-terms-even-as-china-continues-to-issue-warnings-about-it/articleshow/87534740.cms">Tencent </a>also has plans for the metaverse. The company talked about its visions for the metaverse in different areas like gaming where it could make multiple games under one common IP, an infrastructure for users to make games and different gaming experiences within one game. It’s also planning a more gamified social network, and user-operated communities like Discord but with video bots for a more immersive experience. Roblox, Epic Games Roblox already offers a somewhat metaverse-like world where players can interact with each other. The company wants to build on this functionality, and also offer activities that people can take part in with other players. <div type="image" title="img (9)" msid="87664010" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Marshmello&amp;#39;s virtual concert in Fortnite.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-fortnite-unreal-engine-2019-3">Epic Games </a>is also ahead in the metaverse race with its popular game Fortnite where players can purchase items from Balenciaga, watch concerts and more. The company secured a $1 billion funding earlier this year which it said would be used to work on its long-term vision for the metaverse. Disney <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-confirms-the-company-will-build-its-own-metaverse/articleshow/87641073.cms">Disney</a> is also preparing to create its own metaverse through which it will create “unparalleled opportunities for consumers to experience everything Disney has to offer across our products and platforms, wherever the consumer may be.” Details are still not revealed yet but the company already provides immersive experiences through Disney Movies VR. Dating companies Online dating is also another platform where the metaverse can really work. Tinder’s parent company Match Group announced earlier this month that it is planning to create a dating metaverse with avatar-based virtual experiences which will be available on its suite of dating apps. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bumble-is-following-in-tinders-footsteps-with-plans-to-enter-the-metaverse-and-lead-the-web-3-0-revolution/articleshow/87665613.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Bumble</a> is also considering revamping its Bumble BFF platform by incorporating the metaverse along with blockchain technology and crypto. As mentioned above, the possibilities of the metaverse are endless and cannot be constricted to one single platform. It will not only bring shared experiences for people within one company but also offer cross-platform experiences. This is only the start now and the groundwork has already been laid by companies like Epic Games and Snap but we’re looking at a full-fledged digital shared world that is expected to take years to complete. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-confirms-the-company-will-build-its-own-metaverse/articleshow/87641073.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">After Facebook, Disney wants to build its own metaverse</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/microsoft-is-bringing-3d-avatars-and-metaverses-to-teams/articleshow/87501008.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Microsoft wants to make virtual meetings more immersive with 3D avatars and metaverses</a>

It’s not just Zuckerberg ⁠— here’s how gaming, shopping and dating could look like in the metaverse

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11893281" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart" source="Orion">Walmart</keyword> has filed several new trademarks hoping to produce and sell <keyword id="12054982" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virtual" source="Orion">virtual</keyword> goods.</li><li>Separate filings show the retailer also plans to create its own <keyword id="11892695" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cryptocurrency" source="Orion">cryptocurrency</keyword> and <keyword id="11901075" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nfts" source="Orion">NFTs</keyword>.</li></ul>Walmart will join Facebook, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Bumble, Disney, and a string of other companies with plans to claim their own corner of the <keyword id="11121339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword>.The retailer, the largest private employer in the US, quietly filed several trademark applications in late December, which described extensive plans to sell virtual merchandise. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/16/walmart-is-quietly-preparing-to-enter-the-metaverse.html">CNBC</a> was first to report on the applications.Walmart is directing its attention to the virtual world, like many others, including Facebook, which rebranded itself last year to Meta and publicly announced its goals to invest and expand into the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-metaverse-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-roblox-animal-crossing-2021-8">metaverse, a virtual space</a> where people can interact digitally using avatars.In the filing, Walmart lists a variety of virtual goods it plans to sell, including electronics, appliances, apparel, home goods, toys, and personal care products. A separate filing shows the company's interest in creating its own cryptocurrency payment method and collection of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs.According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, Walmart filed seven separate applications on December 30."Walmart is continuously exploring how emerging technologies may shape future shopping experiences," the company said in an email to Insider. "We don't have anything further to share today, but it's worth noting we routinely file trademark applications as part of the innovation process."Despite many companies' plans for the metaverse, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-execs-said-about-the-metaverse-earnings-calls-2021-11">business leaders remain unsure</a> of how to create a fully-fledged metaverse. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-is-worried-about-facebook-pivot-to-the-metaverse-2021-11">Analysts at Morgan Stanley</a> have said that the metaverse could be an $8 trillion opportunity, but the challenge would be getting consumers to buy into it. However, Walmart saw its online sales thrive in 2021, with sales at $11.1 billion in its third quarter <a href="https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/walmart-online-sales/">according to a Digital Commerce 360 report</a>, which could prove useful for Walmart's metaverse ambitions."There's a lot of language in [the filings], which shows that there's a lot of planning going on behind the scenes about how they're going to address cryptocurrency, how they're going to address the metaverse and the virtual world that appears to be coming or that's already here," trademark attorney <a href="https://www.gerbenlaw.com/">Josh Gerben</a> told Insider.A number of apparel-based retailers have already begun making their own metaverse experiences. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/gap-launches-first-nft-collection-tezos-brandon-sines-frank-ape-2022-1">Gap launched its first-ever NFT art collection last week</a>, with digital art pieces starting at around $9 a piece. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysis-of-nike-patents-reveals-companys-metaverse-plans-2021-11?r=nike-RTFKT-story">Nike has spent over three years on patents</a> outlining digital avatars to "cryptokicks," with the company establishing its Metaverse Studio and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-acquires-rtfkt-as-it-accelerates-metaverse-play-2021-12">acquiring digital sneaker company RTFKT in December</a>. Other apparel retailers like Urban Outfitters, Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie &amp; Fitch have also filed trademarks in recent weeks with intent to open their own version of a virtual store, Gerben said on Sunday.

Walmart is the next big company with plans for the metaverse

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12329902" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="proshares" source="Orion">ProShares</keyword> is seeking SEC approval to launch a metaverse-focused <keyword id="11996288" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="etf" source="Orion">ETF</keyword>.</li><li>If approved by regulators, the proposed fund will track the performance of companies like Apple and Meta.</li></ul>ProShares, the first investment firm to offer a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/proshares-bitcoin-etf-bito-first-futures-fund-nyse-sec-approval-2021-10">bitcoin-linked exchange-traded fund</a> in the US, is looking to launch a <keyword id="11121339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword> ETF, according to a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1174610/000168386321007439/f10626d1.htm">Securities and Exchange Commission filing</a> published Tuesday.If permitted by regulators, it will track the performance of the <a href="https://www.solactive.com/indices/?se=1&amp;index=DE000SL0EUW8#composition">Solactive Metaverse Theme</a> index, which includes companies involved in the adoption and usage of metaverse-related technologies, the filing showed.ProShares said the index consists of US companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq that meet certain market capitalization and liquidity requirements. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/aapl-stock">Apple</a>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/amzn-stock">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/fb-stock">Meta</a>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/nvda-stock">Nvidia</a>, and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/atvi-stock">Activision Blizzard</a> are some of its holdings.The company described the metaverse as a reference to "internet-based interactions, engagements, and transactions made in immersive, persistent, and shared virtual or physical spaces."<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/metaverse-nft-tokens-sand-mana-kraken-bitcoin-ether-decentraland-sandbox-2021-12?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Excitement has been building</a> around the potential of the metaverse, a futuristic virtual landscape in which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virtual-real-estate-decentraland-sandbox-metaverse-nft-digital-assets-crypto-2021-12?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plots of land have sold for millions of dollars</a>. Morgan Stanley has said the metaverse <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-is-worried-about-facebook-pivot-to-the-metaverse-2021-11">holds an $8 trillion opportunity</a> in the US.Meanwhile, brands like <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/5-household-names-companies-plans-metaverse-digital-crypto-2021-12">Microsoft and Bumble</a> are racing to build digital worlds broadly based on blockchain technology, which are tailor-made environments for cryptocurrencies to meet transactional needs. The emerging industry boasts of high-profile backers from traditional finance like <a href="https://links.coinbase.com/u/click?_t=3aca56371967418192255878e9689713&amp;_m=e9db160248c7409581d3988663609835&amp;_e=a3EBRzs4a5LgaMT_ZfXW7d3IedPV0V_ZEzBdhs33ItamzfhTfYb24OvYVHzGfuF98N4beYLGyj6bxb2wj2xGLPHLIfYLLiePGvTPGMA_fKqchDwfxPWJ8XjrmeI7N7gq50YtcqD17NPdF4TuNr7UUBGSzoGC34wY2YDm24tyk4kC7CqUk5zDfpz0k51-SjZFBNbuaz-vQDrySS9JBLZ8D7BTmmtdeSsejVoRWTJnULciDESYiIc4bJ6ESFlRlViewJaT5TF4Gu-qhJjv5xZBWp9ExyJi9jY2p9sfmirwY-6DAVu0rCeldOINIAFdVcGpC2mpH54mjXu7Hlpn26TYbGFm_guDX4qdCHbQEUfy_FzvLZNclzHdDs20v-Tu7NXNiPwIuYhjQ8n1jJYLgTdGfpqBvs3INPjZrEl-1HAKolUnx0HMFuJMYdR5Wynv9y_CDJBCqlt_rcAx5FDve5NDw-4c2353tx3rKMoHDRARbK8%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alan Howard</a>, and tech natives including <a href="https://links.coinbase.com/u/click?_t=3aca56371967418192255878e9689713&amp;_m=e9db160248c7409581d3988663609835&amp;_e=a3EBRzs4a5LgaMT_ZfXW7RiI9rIwmE42EpxiEtKTlGsaFZL_r9FnKn82Bjh0fYU5VmA0ukyfb_mAgQA3XI6YcaafeJV9SWWdnkbfVVdiDdKi2fiig5_WrdHnm5HetzTpCFBZ_U0QqRoGLGzC1tXJmHU5e_NpRaYdMGhWj3qGo1pSZac4yeQxSmOy9XJan6LoOENkRHfVXaX06W_KMzm6fA7Tpx7WUOvA5kIZloF4fjcuvCCsX25mg9dNXgdr-8iLIpYD-8ij-DxfbrCxXqQgOXUA3MjLR-6U8lj9K8Xf9Bc9Ge3ixbFqKAG76PnA_h3xA5lQ_4CEpZyPRb679ywZc1OI7diArtF_S6xKAoji3Myfs3jZ4NZYQscaQwcqwOJTsgPN6xdcCFbUMKY-TLw4eU9dadvz78CAynFFgfGvf-1ansJo5CVLaCi7xdsM4UbM5MLIYKe0GKLPyg9ZOgUDtg%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Masayoshi Son</a> and <a href="https://links.coinbase.com/u/click?_t=3aca56371967418192255878e9689713&amp;_m=e9db160248c7409581d3988663609835&amp;_e=a3EBRzs4a5LgaMT_ZfXW7QbznXokMwy7jBNMW4MJRcs9gqOySFd4fWtHY-WQgIAgFqJcEkdvr7oxF50xofVhFQ5saG6QwkhyatMsNmDhX0Lm8gC72Wpbr5dPfnFkO7iSJafXk6IK40MlOKXIFwWKiAYVJHh1897DfVaIN3vCsJqoacN6g3jKBXrjWaQcSNTACYnbVN7fKy06QiPcyKapQHgusxRirOhy4dR2NflCkA1VQmd9ZTu_m0rGKC1gddsuvwVb5WEEt-T-pW-eoNsj0od0455l-cOFtfan5iDT25Uy81s6QmyrhiAqKvN2TEH8KijhU7AZ_4mUyC6L7NavQakuCbjREeO4oU6NE6Q0d9r7hoLkk8mF-guronze3sj0-TEI48grModBjwxKei86q-3E8AwPOikD8PzleliDn4v-HqQ6qM4UszL8OaXssackMEjB4Q5L6xL5oEZLH2SFbQ%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Sun</a> who are betting big on the metaverse as they see younger generations doing the same.Global metaverse-focused ETF assets have grown to $2.2 billion as of December 28, with most funds launching in the last quarter alone, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-28/metaverse-etf-appetite-continues-as-proshares-files-application?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=business&amp;cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&amp;utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_source=twitter">Bloomberg</a>.Late last month, two Canadian firms Evolve Funds and Horizons ETF Management were the f<a href="https://www.etfstrategy.com/horizons-evolve-launch-first-metaverse-etfs-in-canada-mtav-mesh-98547/">irst to launch their metaverse ETFs</a> on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Like the ProShares ETF, Horizons' fund tracks the Solactive Metaverse Theme index.ProShares is among a handful of firms approved to trade a futures-based bitcoin ETF in the US. Its Bitcoin Strategy ETF became the fastest to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/proshares-bitcoin-futures-fund-fastest-etf-top-1-billion-aum-2021-10?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top $1 billion in assets under management</a>, reaching that level after just two days of trading.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/altcoins-top-uses-applications-ultimate-guide-list-watch-crypto-investing-2021-10">An ultimate guide to 10 top altcoins, their real-world applications, and why investors are betting their tech is the future of crypto</a>

ProShares plans to launch a metaverse ETF that tracks companies like Apple and Meta

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tech leaders are increasingly using the vague term "<keyword id="11121339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword>" in earnings calls with investors. </li><li>Many are following the lead of Meta, who announced it would be focusing on building the metaverse.</li></ul>The "metaverse" has become a hot topic for executives, analysts, and investors alike, being mentioned in the earnings calls of more than 15 companies in the past few months alone. As the tech world grapples with what the metaverse will actually look like, several executives have started weaving mentions of it into discussion with investors. However, their remarks indicate they are still fairly unsure of what specifically the metaverse is and how it functions. While <keyword id="11892960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook" source="Orion">Facebook</keyword>'s recent rebranding to Meta helped increase awareness of the metaverse and propelled it to a topic of global conversation, even CEO Mark Zuckerberg only has a vague notion of the definition of the metaverse. "The best way to understand the metaverse is to experience it yourself, but it's a little tough because it doesn't fully exist yet," Zuckerberg said at a conference last month. Some companies are divided on whether it represents a real virtual space or if it's just a concept, while others are unsure if a metaverse will ever actually exist and are weary of the nebulous technology. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/morgan-stanley-is-worried-about-facebook-pivot-to-the-metaverse-2021-11">Analysts at Morgan Stanley</a> said the metaverse could represent an $8 trillion opportunity, but it would be a challenge to get people interested in using it. Augmented reality and artificial intelligence experts also told Insider that a metaverse could <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-meta-metaverse-splinter-reality-more-2021-11">drastically amplify society's political polarization</a>.Still, companies are willing to make large investments in the metaverse, even if they don't fully understand it yet. The space is expected to be worth $82 billion by 2025, <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/what-will-metaverse-be-worth-in-2025-our-guess-is-82-billion#:~:text=Our%20conclusion%20is%20that%20by,and%20Roblox%2C%20which%20already%20offer">according to The Information</a>, and companies plan to expand their goods and services into the experimental virtual space.Here's what some company executives are saying about the metaverse, and what they intend to do with it.<h3>Agora Inc.</h3>The real-time video platform just announced a network product that would "accelerate any kind of data, not just video or audio, and for any application, whether it's gaming, e-commerce, collaboration, or metaverse," according to CEO Tony Zhao."Recently, we have seen an accelerating trend of real-time engagement in extended reality environment, creating the infrastructure of metaverse," Zhao said in a November call with investors. "Our plan is to further enhance our capabilities in these areas and become an instrumental infrastructure provider for metaverse."<h3>Bilibili</h3>"Metaverse is a concept, it's not a product," Bilibili CEO Rui Chen said in a call with investors on Wednesday, suggesting elements of the metaverse have existed for a long time, but companies are only now jumping onboard."I think that if someone hears the concept of metaverse and decided to get into this business, probably would be a little bit too late," Chen said. "When we talk about metaverse, we think this is not something that can be done by a singular company. You need to have massive content production capability to produce another world."<div type="image" title="Whitney Wolfe Herd wears a brown and white dress while sitting on stage." height="1969" width="2625" msid="87837506" hostid="261"></div><h3>Bumble</h3>Bumble plans to build new engagement and community relationships for users "through the communities they build, the virtual goods and experiences they acquire or through new ways of owning their identity as they navigate the metaverse," CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said in an <keyword id="12307792" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="earnings-call" source="Orion">earnings call</keyword> in November."Built on <keyword id="11902216" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="blockchain" source="Orion">blockchain</keyword> technology, we believe [Bumble BFF] will enable a level of participation and empowerment that will make our mission come to life," Herd said. "In the near term, this means new engagement, participation and creator models."<div type="image" title="Coinbase Co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong speaks on stage in front of a green background" height="1740" width="2321" msid="87837507" hostid="261"></div><h3>Coinbase</h3>Coinbase COO Emilie Choi said in a November earnings call that the company had been spending "a lot of time" developing the metaverse alongside blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and NFTs, which are being used by "tens of millions of Americans.""We think there's just an abundance of <keyword id="11893018" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="innovation" source="Orion">innovation</keyword> in this space, and we want to keep doubling down on those opportunities," Choi said in the call. <h3>Dolby Laboratories </h3>Dolby laboratories said it sees potential of the metaverse to integrate with its technology, particularly when it comes to auditory features. "I think the metaverse can take many forms, but ultimately, it is an audiovisual experience," CEO Kevin Yeman said in an earnings call on Tuesday, noting he hopes to integrate it with their Dolby.io technology. "I think some of our developers, they even define themselves as virtual environments and maybe, by extension, the metaverse."<h3><div type="image" title="Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Connect 2021" height="990" width="1320" msid="87837508" hostid="261"></div></h3><h3>Facebook</h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-new-name-meta-rebrand-metaverse-zuckerberg-apps-2021-10">Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg announced the company was changing its name to Meta</a> in a push to focus its attention on the metaverse. Zuckerberg previously said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-metaverse-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-roblox-animal-crossing-2021-8">Meta's first venture into the metaverse</a> would be focused on building a virtual reality workspace, where employees could interact in virtual meetings. "You can think about the metaverse as an embodied internet, where instead of just viewing content — you are in it," Zuckerberg <a href="https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview">told The Verge.</a><h3>Match Group</h3>Match Group CEO Sharmistha Dubey said in an earnings call in November she imagines using metaverse features for the company's dating apps, like "a piano bar where people's digital selves are gathering around, but they're actually playing their pianos at home and jamming with others.""It is metaverse experiences coming to life in a way that is transformative to how people meet and get to know each other on a dating or social discovery platform and is much more akin to how people interact in the real world," Dubey said. <h3><div type="image" title="Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, seated with open hands." height="3892" width="5190" msid="87837509" hostid="261"></div></h3><h3>Microsoft</h3>Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touted the company's new Azure service in its earnings call in July to help decentralize computing, with companies like Campbell Soup, L'Oréal, and SAP migrating to its service."As the digital and physical worlds converge, we are leading in a new layer of the infrastructure stack, the 'enterprise metaverse," Nadella said.<h3>NetEase</h3>The Chinese tech entertainment company said the company is "technologically ready" for a move into the metaverse space."The metaverse is indeed the new buzzword everywhere today. But then, on the other hand, I think nobody has actually had firsthand experience in what it is," Margaret Shi, NetEase head of investor relations, said on a November earnings call.<h3><div type="image" title="Roblox CEO David Baszucki" height="1185" width="1580" msid="87837510" hostid="261"></div></h3><h3>Roblox</h3>Roblox has been frequently cited as an example of a potential metaverse model. Roblox CEO David Baszucki said in an earnings call in June that the company is driven to "really participating in inventing and shepherding in the metaverse in an innovative way.""When we think about the metaverse and what Roblox is, we do think of it as a utility," Baszucki said.The company aims to connect more than 1 billion people in the metaverse, according to Chief Product Officer Manuel Bronstein. The metaverse will also house experiences from ad agencies, according to Chief Business Officer Craig Donato.<h3>Unity Software</h3>The video game software company recently acquired Weta Digital, which it said will help with entry into the metaverse space, especially with a creator-focused approach. In an effort to populate the metaverse, the company has started building thousands of digital assets, such as virtual collectibles."That's going to really help us extract and help build the metaverse around the notion the world's a better place with more creators in it," CEO John Riccitiello said on an earnings call in November. "This really puts under our platform something that is, at least from an artist perspective, truly magic and they're the largest tappable audience we have in our universe."<h3>Vonage Holdings</h3>The cloud communications provider said it's focusing on cloud-based technology to increase user engagement in preparation for something bigger, hinting at use in a metaverse context. Vonage Holdings CEO Rory Read said on an earnings call in November that the company expects to see a more fleshed out version of the metaverse in the next five to ten years."We believe this is only going to accelerate as this 360-degree kind of engagement in the metaverse expands and explodes," Read said.<h3><div type="image" title="Bob Chapek" height="2348" width="3130" msid="87837511" hostid="261"></div></h3><h3>The Walt Disney Company</h3>CEO Bob Chapek said he is confident in Disney's ability to capitalize on the metaverse with its broad properties, citing the company's history with adopting technologies, like synchronized audio and computer animation."Suffice it to say, our efforts to date are merely a prologue to a time when we'll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even more closely, allowing for storytelling without boundaries in our own Disney metaverse," Chapek said in a November call, suggesting the company creates its own metaverse.<h3>Warner Music Group</h3>Warner Music Group discussed the potential for content creation and distribution for their music on large-scale metaverse platforms, like Roblox and Fortnite, in its earnings call in November."When you begin to look at the global reach, the number of people that spend meaningful amounts of time in these new worlds, I think it provides a universe of opportunity," CEO Stephen Cooper said.

Here's what 14 top executives are saying about the 'metaverse'

Grace, a 29-year-old publicist in New York, has regularly used a slew of dating apps for more than four years, with little luck. Despite endless chatting, her matches rarely materialize into in-person dates. She's tried a paid version of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hinge-boyfriend-why-dating-is-better-offline-2023-6">Hinge</a> ($100 for three months). She's tried the members-only app Raya, but after she spent $120 a year for the past three years, it's led her to only two first dates. At this point, Grace said, the apps have left her "burned out and exhausted."In a recent Forbes survey of Americans who'd used dating apps in the past year, 78% of respondents said they felt some amount of burnout. A growing number of younger people are rejecting dating and sex altogether. Among millions, a consensus is forming: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forever-alone-staying-single-done-with-dating-apps-2023-7">Dating apps suck</a> so bad that they might even be deliberately keeping us from finding love.Theories abound on what's behind the frustrating, sorry state of apps. Some point to how, as a way to compensate for stagnating user bases, many apps are increasingly becoming pay to play. Last fall, Tinder rolled out a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-tinder-select-the-499-monthly-subscription-2023-12">$500 monthly subscription</a>, in addition to two cheaper membership tiers. The League charges up to $1,000 a week or $2,500 a month. Hinge charges users for "roses" to send to their "standouts," which are trapped behind a paywall that critics have dubbed "rose jail." These days, "it's really a lot harder to be functional if you're not on some level of a paid membership," Damona Hoffman, a dating coach, said. While apps like Hinge insist they're "designed to be deleted," finding a partner on them increasingly seems reserved only for those who can afford it.Some point to a fundamental misalignment between dating-app companies and their customers: The more successful the product is for the user, the worse it is for the bottom line. "They don't actually want you to be successful because that means they're losing a customer," said Bianca Stelian, a digital strategist who posted <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dating-apps-deleted-hinge-raya-tinder-bumble-oversaturated-bad-matches-2024-1">a viral TikTok</a> positing her own theories about dating-app burnout. Others argue that the apps are intentionally gamified and addictive. The average American dating-app user spends <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/health/dating/dating-app-fatigue/">51 minutes a day</a> swiping, more than double the time the average American spends exercising. Ryan Clarkson, a lawyer who recently brought a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Tinder and Hinge users, compared dating apps maximizing user engagement and "trapping users in a perpetual pay-to-play loop" to pharmaceutical companies selling addictive drugs to vulnerable patients. Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, called Clarkson's lawsuit "ridiculous" and insisted that its business strategy didn't rely on advertising or engagement metrics.Still, others blame the problem on the near monopoly a handful of companies — namely Match Group (which owns 45 dating brands worldwide) and Bumble — have on the market, which has led to years of complacency. "They've just been the same for so long," Ali Jackson, a New York City dating coach, said. "Somebody needs to do something drastically different."So here's one idea: What if your local government played matchmaker?Before you barf at the thought of your mayor setting you up on your next date, hear me out: The more expensive dating becomes, the less equitable it becomes. Meanwhile, the US government is increasingly recognizing social connection as a key element of public health, and increasingly investing in ways to combat our "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/there-is-no-loneliness-epidemic-mental-health-2024-4">loneliness epidemic</a>." If romantic relationships are so important both for the individual and for society, it's not a stretch to consider them a public good worth investing in.Some countries, including Japan and Australia, already do and have been experimenting with government-subsidized and even government-run alternatives to traditional, commercial dating apps. While these projects are still in their early days, they raise a once unthinkable, now compelling question for America: Could the government bring some much-needed innovation to dating?For years, several East Asian countries have desperately sought to reverse their plummeting birth rates. They've rolled out subsidies for parents, salary increases for younger workers, and other family-friendly policies. Increasingly, they see the dating industry as a lever to pull.The Japanese federal government's Children and Families Agency, for example, has set up marriage support centers in most of the country's 47 prefectures, providing services like dating coaches, in-person mixers, and at least one mixer in the metaverse. A center in Saitama prefecture (population 7.3 million) reported that since its center opened in October 2018, 12,517 couples had begun dating through the service and 472 couples had gotten married.In Tokyo, the city government is even releasing its own dating app, part of a campaign called Tokyo Futari Story ("futari" means couple). The service, which the city has budgeted several million dollars to develop and promote, will require users to verify their income, prove they're unmarried, sit for an interview with the app's staff, and sign a statement saying they're intent on getting married. Some experts are cautiously optimistic about the government playing cupid. Bouke de Vries, an associate professor of philosophy at Ghent University in Belgium who's studied dating apps, argues that state-run dating apps are at least in theory better positioned to help people find partners without spending too much money or time in the process. Many for-profit dating services are "gratuitously prolonging" users' search for love, he said. "The interests of governments are much better aligned with those of love-seeking users than those of private companies and love-seeking users," de Vries said.Others say these projects will do little to change entrenched attitudes. Omar Minami, a former Tinder employee in Japan and cofounder of a Japanese dating app, said that low marriage and birth rates are the result of much-deeper economic and cultural issues, including the gender wage gap, intense work culture, and huge expenses of raising kids. Government-funded dating apps are a "shiny object" and short-term solution, he added."It will take decades of work in order to change the mindset of Japanese people in regards to marriage," he said. "Unfortunately, government officials are only looking for investments that will pay off in their lifetime."On the other hand, governments can be given so much power to play matchmaker they damage all of society. In the 1980s, Singapore pursued a racist, eugenics-based policy by offering discounted dating services exclusively to college-educated citizens, who were disproportionately ethnically Chinese, excluding members of marginalized minorities. The government also funded voluntary sterilization for lower-income parents.Other countries, however, have stepped in to make dating less dangerous for its most vulnerable citizens. People with disabilities in Australia can now use the cash benefits they get from the country's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ndis.gov.au/">National Disability Insurance Scheme</a> to pay for a dating app designed for people with disabilities, called the Cliq Connection. Cheryl Drury, the app's founder, said many of her customers previously had trouble dating, fell prey to scams, or were sexually assaulted. "They're just being eaten up on mainstream dating apps because they're just so vulnerable through physical assault as well as scams," she said. But she doubts the government will offer direct support for her services anytime soon, given the persistent "taboo" surrounding sexuality, relationships, and disability.A more realistic model for America may be a public-private partnership model. Last year, Japan's most popular dating app, the Match Group-owned Pairs, began collaborating with several prefectures and cities. The governments have employed researchers to devise questionnaires for users and have hosted dating seminars and other events, and they're covering the costs of their constituents' memberships to the app. The company, which isn't taking direct government funding, says it hopes these partnerships will help alleviate the "worsening population decline in rural areas and the resulting low birth rate and unmarried population."Francesca Katayama met her husband on Pairs in Tokyo in 2021 (they now have 2-year-old twins). The 31-year-old said she's in favor of more government support for dating — especially for an app like Pairs, which has already catered to people seeking committed relationships — but blames the country's high cost of living and intense work culture for low marriage and birth rates.Junko Yamada, a psychology professor at Rissho University who has worked with Pairs, thinks governments have a key role to play in breaking down barriers in the world of romance. "Although romantic relationships are often perceived as an individual problem," Yamada said, "the problem is actually largely due to social structures." She blamed a decline in dating on workplace sexual harassment, an insular social scene, and concerns about safety and security. Yamada said that government-subsidized dating services could appeal particularly to those who are skeptical of private-sector apps by offering extra security and ensuring users are serious about finding romantic connection.But could any of this happen in America? As of today, an engineer hoping to build the next OKCupid from inside the Department of Health and Human Services would face some steep hurdles.For one thing, there's a lack of bipartisan support. Beyond defending reproductive rights, liberals and progressives have largely shied away from promoting courtship and family creation. Meanwhile, small-government conservatives are unlikely to pass a Make America Date Again bill. Although! Conservatives have long been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/republican-baby-bust-panic-wont-support-pro-family-policies-2021-4">fixated on boosting the birth rate</a>, and Elon Musk, who is now donating $45 million a month to a Trump super PAC and has long warned against "population collapse," trumpeted the announcement of Tokyo's dating app. "I'm glad the Japanese government recognizes the importance of this matter. If radical action isn't taken, Japan (and many other countries) will disappear!" he wrote on X.But perhaps a bigger impediment than political will is cultural taboo. "There's something almost salacious about finding love and dating," said Justin Garcia, a sex researcher and professor of gender studies at Indiana University. If society viewed sex and relationships as a health issue, there would already be government funding to study it and independent commissions to address it, he added. But Garcia, who runs the university's sexual-behavior research center, Kinsey Institute, has found it nearly impossible to get the government to fund research related to sex and romance unless it's specific to a very particular, marginalized group, like those suffering from epilepsy or Alzheimer's.Instead, academics have to partner with industry or philanthropic organizations. Garcia serves as a scientific advisor to Match Group, which funds some of his research. Meanwhile, his work is under attack by Republican lawmakers, who last year ended state funding for the Kinsey Institute, prompting the university's board of trustees to consider turning it into an independent nonprofit.To Garcia, funding research on romantic and sexual relationships is a no-brainer. "These are some of the most important relationships in our lives," he said. "They impact our psychological health. They impact our physical health. They impact our financial and economic prospects. They impact our family dynamics and future generations."When it comes to dating apps, he supports rigorous research on what's working and what's not. He sees a role for the government, though, he said, there's a vaguely ominous threat of the government intervening in people's personal lives. "We don't want government telling us who we should partner with, and how to partner, and when to partner, but rather giving people more resources to have successful relationships," he said.No American government has yet helped its constituents date. But it might not be hard to imagine a local official like Mayor Eric Adams of New York City — who once spun his outdoor-dining policy as a way to promote flirting — getting behind a state-supported dating service. One could hear him announcing at a press conference: "We are extremely proud to introduce a new dating experience from America's mayor, called Adams &amp; Eve."<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/eliza-relman">Eliza Relman</a> is a policy correspondent focused on housing, transportation, and infrastructure on Insider's economy team.

Japan's one weird trick to reverse population collapse

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/coradelaney/?hl=en">Cora Delaney</a> is the founder of <a href="https://eyc-ltd.com/">EYC</a>, a management agency that focuses on influencer talent.</li><li>Last year, EYC booked more than $1 million in revenue.</li></ul>Name: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coradelaney/?hl=en">Cora Delaney</a>Age: 28Location: LondonBusiness: A creative management agency that focuses on influencer talent.Backstory: Cora Delaney always wanted to work in <keyword id="11894550" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="digital-marketing" source="Orion">digital marketing</keyword>, but the "male-dominated and hierarchical" industry wasn't entirely welcoming to her as a woman, she said. "The systems in place were what was limiting me," Delaney told Insider. "I wanted to break this, not only for me but for others in the industry." So Delaney did her research, sketched a business model, and networked to launch her own agency, <a href="https://eyc-ltd.com/">EYC,</a> in 2019. Today, her business offers talent management, event planning, creative direction, and consultancy services to brands and clients seeking to connect with online audiences.Internally, the office is a safe space for women looking to rise in the sector as Delaney did, she said. Externally, the company wants to create nurturing environments and foster a rising crop of young social-media talent. The digital-marketing and advertising industry is projected to reach $786 billion by 2026, said <a href="https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/347974/digital_advertising_and_marketing_global_market?utm_source=GNOM&amp;utm_medium=PressRelease&amp;utm_code=gzw8jp&amp;utm_campaign=1621717+-+Global+Digital+Advertising+and+Marketing+Market+Report+2021%3a+Market+to+Reach+%24786.2+Billion+by+2026+-+Digital+Advertising+Spending+Records+Growth+during+Pandemic&amp;utm_exec=chdo54prd">a 2021 report</a> from market researcher Global Industry Analysts. There's also the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/microsoft-buying-activision-blizzard-deal-video-games-metaverse-wedbush-2022-1">rise of the metaverse</a> and NFTs, and TikTok stars are now outearning some top CEOs. Last year, influencer Charli D'Amelio made $17.5 million, while Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson took home $14.7 million, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/01/07/top-earning-tiktokers-charli-dixie-damelio-addison-rae-bella-poarch-josh-richards/">Forbes</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fthese-tiktok-stars-made-more-money-than-many-of-americas-top-ceos-11642078170">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported.<div type="image" title="A woman in a blue tracksuit stands smiling to the camera" height="4928" width="3264" msid="89020472" hostid="261"></div>Growth: In 2021, the company netted more than $1 million in revenue, showed documents that Insider verified. What's more, Delaney aims to double that number this year. Last year, the company opened a record label to sign artists, and it plans to open a media-focused division called EYC NXT to foster TikTok talent. Clients included Apple, Warner Music Group, and the luxury fashion brands Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. The company also works with high-profile <keyword id="11894122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="influencers" source="Orion">influencers</keyword>, such as streetwear model <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gullyguyleo/">Leo Mandella</a>, reality TV stars the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/clermonttwins/?hl=en">Clermont twins</a>, and social-media personality <a href="https://www.instagram.com/joannakuchta/?hl=en">Joanna Kuchta</a>. It has also planned parties for YouTube, Bumble, and RCA Records. Before EYC: Delaney studied fashion at the University of Westminster before leaving to work as an editorial assistant for the online retailer ASOS from 2013 to 2015. She left ASOS to build EYC. Challenges: Delaney faced pressure from industry peers to quickly develop an expertise in consulting. Instead, she took a "multidimensional approach" toward building the company, mapping out numerous divisions at once and giving the company multiple sources of income, she said.Business advice: "Running a successful business is and will always be nonlinear, and that isn't a negative thing," she said. "You can't prepare for everything that will happen along the way, but you can control how you respond and react." <div type="image" title="A woman in a black blazer sits smiling to the camera" height="4096" width="2712" msid="89020475" hostid="261"></div>Business mentor: Delaney said she's never had a mentor. She added that her ideas were often met with hesitance and resistance. "I had to learn to not ask for help and do the legwork myself," she said.Why now is the best time to start a business: The sooner you start on an idea, the better, especially as the appetite for digital content increases, she said."Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are full of people wanting to create, share, and build brands and identities," she continued. "The framework of success has changed as much as people's access to it." On hiring: EYC has 13 full-time employees, and Delaney plans to expand the company globally this year.On managing burnout: Delaney always finds time to go back to her hometown of Herne Bay, in South East England. She said family helps to rejuvenate her and reminds her of her humble beginnings. She added, "Going home and having a cup of tea with your dad, far from the city, is just what you need to resist burning out."

How 28-year-old Cora Delaney built an influencer marketing agency that netted $1 million in revenue last year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NFTs have become a hot commodity in <keyword id="11895191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hollywood" source="Orion">Hollywood</keyword>.</li><li>Major <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> players from Bob Iger to Reese Witherspoon to Warner Bros. Discovery are jumping in.</li></ul>NFTs are ready for their Hollywood close-up. The blockchain-based digital assets — <keyword id="11919795" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nft" source="Orion">NFT</keyword> stands for non-fungible token — are a hot commodity in the entertainment industry, where everyone from former Disney CEO Bob Iger to Fox Entertainment to actors Reese Witherspoon and Mila Kunis are staking claim to the tech. On a recent episode of "The Tonight Show," Paris Hilton and host Jimmy Fallon fawned over their respective <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/bored-ape-yacht-club-top-selling-nft-sales-cryptopunks-meebits-2022-3">Bored Apes NFTs</a>. But a lot of people inside and outside of show business are still wrapping their minds around the tech, which has garnered skepticism, not to mention comparisons to the dot-com boom-and-bust.In their most common current form, NFTs function much like digital trading cards or art — unique collectibles that can be acquired and sold. But there are many other applications for the tech, some of which Hollywood is just beginning to explore, including utility NFTs that act as a subscription or a ticket to an event. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nft-meaning?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a unique digital asset built on blockchain technology</a>While some see the ascendance of the tech as a fad, others are loath to miss out on a potential new revenue stream, and the entertainment industry's heaviest hitters are minting and buying NFTs of their own. <h2>Hollywood players from Disney ex-CEO Bob Iger to Reese Witherspoon are laying claim to NFTs</h2>Witherspoon's <keyword id="11894119" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="media" source="Orion">media</keyword> company Hello Sunshine has inked NFT deals to develop TV and film projects, while "Law &amp; Order" mega-producer Dick Wolf has teamed up with Curio to release interactive storytelling project "Wolf Society." The Hollywood mogul who's lent the most credibility to the digital asset is Iger, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/disney-ceo-bob-iger-metaverse-nft-startup-genies-web3-rihanna-2022-3">who invested in and joined the board of Genies</a>, a company that makes digital wearable NFTs. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nft-hollywood-blockchain-studios-producers-creatives-audiences-entertainment-2022-2?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about Disney ex-CEO Bob Iger joining the board of NFT maker Genies, and check out 8 more companies working to drive the future of the digital assets in entertainment</a>Creators and companies are capitalizing on NFTs in various ways. Fox Entertainment released 10,000 "Miss Masky" NFTs tied to its hit reality show "The Masked Singer" in the hopes that fans of the singing competition will collect, buy, and trade other "Masked Singer" NFTs on the Eluvio platform (which Fox has invested in). Rupert Murdoch's broadcaster Fox was one of the quicker legacy media companies to move into the space with its Blockchain Creative Labs NFT studio. The studio's CEO, Scott Greenberg, who also heads Fox animation studio Bento Box, told Insider he believes NFTs will become a revenue-driving business for Hollywood and not just a market for speculative assets. Fox also has a $100 million creators' fund for NFTs.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-nft-masked-singer-dick-wolf-reese-witherspoon-crypto-2021-12?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about insiders' predictions for how Hollywood can maximize NFTs in 2022, from character and IP development to subscription marketing</a>But just about every media conglomerate and startup is getting in on the action now. Warner Bros. sold out of 100,000 "Matrix Resurrections"-inspired NFTs, and NFT platform OneOf, backed by legendary producer Quincy Jones, auctioned off an NFT of the previously never-heard demo of a Whitney Houson song for almost $1 million. Paramount Global (fka ViacomCBS) — the parent company of MTV, Nickelodeon and CBS — is working with NFT startup RECUR to create its own NFT marketplace. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/spongebob-south-park-star-trek-nft-viacomcbs-recur-partnership-2021-10?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about ViacomCBS' move into the NFT market with possible SpongeBob, Star Trek, and South Park digital tokens</a> What the future of Hollywood's NFT marketplace holds isn't crystal clear, but early adopters are bullish. <h2>Early NFT adopters in entertainment see revenue opportunities ahead</h2>Blockchain Creative Labs' Greenberg sees the NFT market expanding beyond digital collectibles, while former Fox exec Rich Battista, a Curio investor and adviser, predicts that Hollywood will begin to create IP that is "native to the NFT world."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-nft-trends-to-watch-in-entertainment-in-2022-according-to-8-experts-2021-12?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about the 5 biggest NFT trends to watch for in entertainment</a>Actor and producer Kunis, for instance, has invested in NFT animated series "The Gimmicks" through her blockchain entertainment company, Sixth Wall. The studio behind the series, Toonstar, is able to quickly animate weekly episodes that allow "Gimmicks" NFT holders to vote on the direction of the show's storyline. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/toonstar-mila-kunis-gimmicks-animated-nft-series-blockchain-2022-3?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Check out the pitch deck that got Mila Kunis to invest in an NFT animated series and blockchain fan community where NFT holders can vote on storylines</a>And there are entire entertainment companies being erected on a crypto and <keyword id="12461337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="web3" source="Orion">Web3</keyword> foundation, such as Mad Realities, which has raised $6 million in a round led by Paradigm that also includes investments from Bumble's Selby Drummond, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/index-ventures-vc-firm-funding-rounds-for-startups-2021-8">Rex Woodbury of Index Ventures</a>, cofounders of the Friends With Benefits DAO, and 11:11 Media — Paris Hilton's media company. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-web3-nft-entertainment-company-raised-6-million-investment-vc-2022-4">Read more about Mad Realities, an NFT-meets-reality-TV entertainment company</a> The allure of allowing industry outsiders to participate in Hollywood's creative process is one factor driving this new business model. For instance, former co-CEO of MGM and Spyglass Entertainment co-founder Roger Birnbaum partnered with AOL scion Mark Kimsey to debut a studio that also allows NFT holders "a deep level of access to various stages of film and television production — from the creative process to development, writing, casting, marketing and distribution," according to their new company Electromagnetic Productions. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-mgm-ceo-birnbaum-kimsey-launch-studio-electromagnetic-nft-2022-2?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about former MGM chief Roger Birnbaum and AOL scion Mark Kimsey launching a new Hollywood studio that offers NFT holders a role in production</a><h2>'Even the most traditional Hollywood company is not going to ignore the massive winds of change'</h2>Expect more players to jump into the NFT pool in the coming months and years. "Even the most traditional Hollywood company is not going to ignore the massive winds of change that are going to start blowing through," former UTA chief innovation officer Brent Weinstein told Insider. Weinstein, who's now chief development officer at Candle Media — founded by former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs — is positioned to capitalize on that intersection of legacy media and new modes of storytelling and distribution. "Do I expect the most traditional companies to be leading in this space?" said Weinstein. "Probably not, but I think the smartest of them will take advantage."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-metaverse-web3-2022-predictions-uta-cio-brent-weinstein-2021-12?r=nfts-entertainment-lp">Read more about former UTA digital exec and current Candle Media exec Brent Weinstein's thoughts on Hollywood's move into the metaverse</a>

You Searched For "bumble metaverse" and got 9 results

Bumble is following in Tinder's footsteps with plans to enter the metaverse and lead the Web 3.0 revolution

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Major brand names from Microsoft to Bumble have said they're getting into the metaverse. Here are 5 household names making plans for Web3.

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Japan's one weird trick to reverse population collapse

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