What is the Metaverse? The answer depends on who you ask. For some it represents a shift in the way that we interact with technology. To others is the moment in time where our digital life is worth more to us than our physical life.
What is the metaverse
At the moment the Metaverse resembles a system of virtual worlds. To many, the Metaverse and the decentralized web are focused on providing a place for the convergence of physical worlds and the digital worlds that exist in cyberspace. However, due to Facebook’s recent name change to Meta and focus on participating in the development and creation of the Metaverse, more than one Metaverse will come into existence. At least one version of the Metaverse that is completely open, public, and decentralized which is the one being promoted on the internet by many leaders in the crypto space, and other Metaverses that are more centrally controlled by large companies or organizations, even governments. These Metaverses will operate in a digital ecosystem I like to call The Multiverse: A conglomeration of multiple metaverses representing a digital version of the life we lead in the physical world.
Mark Zuckerberg intends for the next generation of the internet to be interactive, something that you are inside of rather than just looking at. The virtual game Second Life enabled users to build their own structures and buy land. The name of the game signified its intent; to be a place where people could live a second life online. This game is not far off from what companies like Facebook intend for the Metaverse. In the future you could be able to own property in Facebook’s digital territory, buy digital products produced by Facebook, host virtual parties on Facebook and more.
Nobody will outright own the Metaverse and Multiverse, but by being a key player in the development of the Metaverse, Facebook can ensure that it has at least some control, and the company is already using its money and influence to work towards making the Metaverse a reality. The companies and individuals who develop the Metaverse, Facebook being one of the main players, will have some influence over the future of blockchain related companies as well, considering that the Metaverse is expected to be a big part of the blockchain space in the future. Currently, Facebook operates under the parameters set by Apple and Google which have developed and control the world’s major smartphone operating systems. However, by becoming a major player early on in the Metaverse, Facebook hopes to be able to make its own rules in the next version of the internet instead of having to play by the rules set by other tech giants.
Investing in the metaverse
You don’t have to be a sophisticated investor to start investing in the metaverse. In fact, you can use vehicles you’re traditionally accustomed to, to make your first investment into a metaverse project. You can simply invest in the stocks of a metaverse company such as Facebook, Roblox, Nike, Tencent, or Unity Software. You can consider doing due diligence and investing in NFT-related crypto tokens such as Decentraland’s MANA token and Sandbox’s SAND token. You can invest into some well established blue-chip NFT art projects such as Bored Apes Yacht Club or Cryptopunks.
NFT Technologies
The metaverse is quickly becoming not just a technological vision but its own economy with various participants and business models. Keeping a track on everything that’s happening in the metaverse can be overwhelming even for most sophisticated individuals unless they have a team assisting in the various stages of scouting, vetting, and due diligence on promising investment opportunities. For most investors it makes sense to co-invest either through syndicates started by accredited investors or funds already exposed to NFT investment.
The second option makes a lot of sense for beginner NFT investors. NFT investment funds and holding companies are well equipped with the manpower, connections, and war chest to invest in promising metaverse projects before they hit the secondary markets. One such company is NFT Tech, started by crypto veteran Mario Nawfal, serial founder and owner of several successful companies. NFT Tech is already an investor in a series of blue-chip projects such as CryptoPunks, Axie Infinity, Sidus Heroes and FaithTribe and works with influential individuals, artists, celebrities, and athletes to incubate and launch NFT and Metaverse projects NFT Tech is currently listed on the NEO exchange (Ticker: NFT), Frankfurt Stock Exchange and Trade Gate.
Closing thoughts
Gaming has been considered a wasteful activity by the broader society but with the metaverse it has become an avenue for productive creation and ownership. As a new investment category, it offers exciting new business models and opportunities for investors. The scope and application of the metaverse has grown significantly over the past two years and it is almost an impossible task to keep a track of investment opportunities. Investing in a fund or publicly listed company is an easier and potentially safer way to get exposure to the space.