⚡ TFC Newsletter: 12/23/2022

New OpenSea Drops Feature Launching, Web3 Security, NFT Scam Detection, Web3 Gaming, and more!

December 23, 2022

Yesterday: Twitter launched a brand new feature that lets users track the price of crypto tokens and stock tickers directly using the Search bar.

While it only displays the 24hr chart currently: it may lead to more future crypto-price features directly in Twitter.

Not everyone is excited about the new feature though 😅

OpenSea dropped a brand new product competing with other Creator tools like Manifold, Zora, etc: Drops on OpenSea.

This platform will make it easier for Creators to launch NFT collections + give those creators distribution to OpenSea’s large user base.

  1. Cypherock raised $1 million in a seed round with investments from ConsenSys Mesh, Infinite Capital, Gnosis and its co-founder Stefan George, Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal, Mahin Gupta, OrangeDAO, and others - Link

  2. Metacade, a community arcade platform on Web3, raised $1.2M in their presale - Link

  3. Lamina1, the metaverse-focused layer 1 blockchain by author Neal Stephenson and blockchain expert Peter Vessenes, is launching the Lamina1 Ecosystem Fund (L1EF) to provide Web3 builders with a capital-raising tool for their open metaverse ventures and to offer investors a chance to get in on projects at the ground level.

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    Wallet Guard

    "Browse Web3 Securely"

    Type of Product: Security

    Purpose of Tool: Wallet Guard provides added security for your cryptocurrency wallet, allowing protection against phishing attacks and interactions with malicious websites and dApps. It uses algorithms to identify and prevent common forms of phishing and can also identify newly created scams. It also provides a security dashboard for proactive protection in the web3 environment.

    • Proactive Phishing Protection | Uses a multi-faceted approach to protect your cryptocurrency assets from being targeted by bad actors.

    • Malicious Extension Detection | Alerts you when malicious browser extensions, which can contain malware or spyware, are detected and installed on your browser.

    • Personal Security Dashboard | A security dashboard that allows you to navigate the web3 environment safely and securely, featuring tools such as Human Readable Transactions and DNS Checking.

    Team / Funding / Backers / Other Info: Wallet Guard developed Academy providing users with different courses and articles to help bring them up to speed and raise their security consciousness. WalletGuard recently hosted a Twitter giveaway in line with the release of their Security Volume 1 report yesterday, December 21st, where the winner won a Ledger Nano Wallet.

    Core Team:

    ZEBEDEE

    “Powering Real Economies In Virtual Worlds"

    Type of Product: Web3 Gaming Wallet

    Purpose of Tool: ZEBEDEE is a platform that provides access to a range of games and apps that reward users with real Bitcoin for participating. These games and apps include mobile games, esports titles, podcast apps, tools for streamers, Discord bots, and more.

    • Play & Earn | A gaming platform that connects to various games and apps that offer rewards in Bitcoin, automatically depositing them into your account when you play.

    • Top Up & Shop | Add funds to your Bitcoin balance using a credit or debit card and then use those funds to purchase gift cards from a selection of over 5,000 products available in the app.

    • Powered by Lightning | features an integrated Bitcoin Lightning wallet that enables fast, low-cost Bitcoin transactions and also allows you to send personalized GIFs along with Bitcoin to friends.

    • Cross Virtual Worlds | Create a unique 3D avatar that represents you within the app and can also be used across the Ready Player Me ecosystem, which includes access to hundreds of games.

    Team / Funding / Backers / Other Info: On July 2022, Zebedee raised $35 million in a new round of funding where Kingsway Capital led the round. It was joined by The Raine Group as well as video game giant Square Enix. Existing investors including Lakestar and Initial Capital.

    Core Team:

    SimpleHash

    “Multi-chain NFT API"

    Type of Product: NFT Tool

    Purpose of Tool: The SimpleHash NFT API is a REST and webhook-based API that allows you to access metadata, media, and transaction history, including sales, listings, and floor prices, for NFTs on multiple blockchain networks. Here are some of SimpleHash’s API use cases

    • NFT sales & floor prices | Full transaction history and plus pricing data across different marketplaces.

    • Automatic metadata refreshing | SimpleHash uses a refreshing engine to ensure that metadata for NFTs is up-to-date, including any reveals or updates that may occur.

    • Cached Media Previews | Provides dynamic image previews, blurhashes, and conversions to convenient formats for easier handling.

    • Spam scores | You can filter out undesirable NFTs with collection spam scores

    Team / Funding / Backers Info / Transaction Amount: The team behind SimpleHash has extensive experience in the NFT space, having spent the past year indexing over 650 million NFTs across multiple blockchains. They have a track record of building successful products and leading teams at top companies globally.

    SimpleHash also raised an undisclosed amount in funding over 1 round. This was a Pre-Seed round raised in March 2022.

    Flashbots

    "Frontrunning the MEV Crisis"

    Type of Product: MEV Tool

    Purpose of Tool: Flashbots is a research and development organization focused on addressing the negative impacts and risks posed by miner-extractable value (MEV) to smart-contract blockchains. Their goal is to create a permissionless, transparent, and fair ecosystem for MEV extraction that aligns with the Ethereum values.

    • Flashbot Protect | A tool that simplifies the process of using Flashbots to protect against frontrunning for both regular users and developers. It simplifies the process of submitting bundles to the Flashbots Auction and makes it easy to integrate with MetaMask by providing a URL.

    • MEV-Explore | MEV-Explore is a tool designed to help the Ethereum community understand and quantify the impact of miner-extractable value (MEV) activities on the network. It aims to maintain Ethereum's transparency by providing accessible and easy-to-understand data to all users.

    • Flashbots Protect RPC | A feature that enables regular users to submit their transactions to the Flashbots Auction with ease by using a custom RPC endpoint in their wallet.

    Team / Funding / Backers / Other Info: Flashbots is overseen by Scott Bigelow, Phil Daian, Stephane Gosselin, Alex Obadia, and Tina Zhen, and is supported by members of the MEV Pi-Rate Ship and Paradigm. The Flashbots team allows its users to contribute to their MEV research through their fellowship program. To stay up-to-date on the latest updates and events from Flashbots, you can subscribe to the MEV Ship Calendar.

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