Over the past two years, the NFT landscape has evolved from a miniature ecosystem with tens of millions in sales to a multi-blockchain ecosystem with several billion US dollars in trade volume. At this point, it isn’t easy to calculate the capacity of this market. However, it is enormous.
Moreover, given that it is now estimated at a few billion dollars, it has huge prospects for growth. Some experts think this NFT sector’s stage reminds the cryptocurrency market in 2013 when its total capitalization exceeded $1 billion.
Today we will talk with the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the MATEICO multifunctional blockchain platform, Łukasz Danielewski. The MATEICO project utilizes advanced Web 3.0 technologies to bring together art, culture, investment, and charity in one ecosystem.
First, let’s briefly discuss your path to the crypto industry. What inspired you to join this field and how did it happen?
My first exposure to the market was in 2011. My intuition said that Bitcoin would revolutionize payments on the Internet. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to my intuition but took advice from a financial advisor who said it was an economic pyramid scheme. I followed his advice because I believed he was a professional at the time.
After a few years, I returned to the market as an investor passionate about the solutions that blockchain offers. With each passing day, I became more and more confident that this is an (r)evolution that will encompass many spheres of our lives, so being a mere investor and observer of these changes was no longer enough for me. I decided to join the developers who would promote and provide solutions, showing the actual application of this technology. In addition, I had an even stronger feeling about XinFin ($XDC) than I had about Bitcoin, so I decided to choose this network, and all indications are that it was a good decision in many ways.
How do you see the future of the NFT industry? What main directions do you emphasize?
NFT will stay with us for a long time. It will cover all industries such as real estate, art, culture, trade finance, automotive and gaming. The future of NFT is clear to me – over the next few years, we will see incredible growth and mass adoption.
What would you advise average investors who want to add NFT to their portfolio?
My advice would be universal, DYOR. The market is still full of scams and worthless projects focused only on making a quick buck and disappearing quickly. For us to create a safe space and attract investors to this space outside of the blockchain world, we need to speak out about this and communicate that, unfortunately, it is effortless to lose funds in this market when we do not act prudently.
Of course, a risk is a part of any investment, but we can work to minimize it by doing proper research and not following our emotions when making transactions. It is important to remember that there are two sides to the same coin. By investing in the NFT of a particular artist, we are supporting his work and providing development opportunities. The time has come when artists and creators can be independent, and this is due to the various tools and technology that allows vast access to investment and creative art.
Please tell us where the idea for the MATEICO Ecosystem came from?
The idea for the whole ecosystem is a combination of several proven tools that have been operating in the online space for many years. Since I’m a music creator myself, and I’ve had a lot of inspiring conversations with artists about technological advances and the situation of artists in the art and culture market, I know what creators expect from platforms like Mateico. Hence the idea of a multiplatform that will offer many tools in one place.
Do you remember other projects that inspired you to create your own platform?
Mateico will be a platform that will offer elements of businesses such as OpenSea, Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, or Behance, offering users brand new solutions already generating a lot of interest among creators.
Continuing the theme, could you tell us about the main features of MATEICO? I think our readers would like to know the leading figures and compare its critical points with the competition.
I will try to introduce some of the features now, but we will show other solutions once we launch them. At the outset, it should be noted that our platform will be multi-functional. Artists will be able to run their account comprehensively, from presenting works in their portfolio, to putting traditional and NFT works up for auction, creating posts and adding video or audio content to a specially developed player.
The Mateico gallery connected to the marketplace will operate similarly to OpenSea, but with some brand new features for creators. For example, artists will be able to take advantage of several options when minting NFTs, such as fixed price – the idea is that the creator should be sure that his work does not lose value when the token loses. Then, the number of tokens needed to make a transaction will vary depending on the market price, which is of great importance in building a sales history for the artist’s work. In addition, the creator will be able to assign permissions according to ranks, each of which will have its own application on the platform.
For example, the GOLD rank will provide the ability to participate in special auctions, discounts and give access to materials on the platform, such as recordings, concerts, or event tickets. Another possibility will be the ability to auction items and traditional art such as paintings, posters, and even a signed book or vinyl record. In addition, we intend to enable NFT wrap from ETH to XDC and integrate with projects that already exist on the XDC network.
The Player we will create will be a combination of Soundcloud and Youtube. It will enable dynamic payments combined with crypto donations, unique content and an ability to stream and create a database of music and videos (including 360).
There will also be a Facebook platform solution. Users opening an account will be given the ability to add posts, comments, send messages to creators and other users. Access to some posts and profiles will be possible only for NFT data holders. We will offer solutions that are known in the social media market with additional capabilities.
The creator’s account will allow the presentation of his portfolio, precisely as in the most famous portal of this type, Behance.
In other words, MATEICO is an entirely self-sustaining ecosystem in which all categories of users can interact without having other accounts on third-party services, right?
To begin with, I want to make it easy for users outside the blockchain world to set up an account and get acquainted with the platform so that we will enable login and registration in a standard and familiar way, e.g., via Gmail or Facebook. Of course, there will also be web 3.0 integration, i.e., logging in with a wallet like in OpenSea.
My mission is to draw attention to our solutions and attract users, artists and investors from outside the blockchain and crypto world. As you probably know, people using blockchain-based technology solutions are still only a few percent. For this reason, I think it is necessary to go out to those who still know nothing about blockchain, NFT and facilitate their entry into this world. Hence, as you will see for yourself soon, we are paying close attention to making our platform very intuitive, user-friendly and offering several options for logging in and registering.
We have heard that you are planning to build a VR Park near Warsaw next year. Could you tell us a little more about this project: what will it look like and what is its main goal?
Next year we will announce a plan to raise funds to start work on the final piece of the Mateico ecosystem. Namely, there will be a VR Park near Warsaw, which will not differ in quality from those you can visit in Dubai or Nanchang in China. Inside the park – concerts, events and exhibitions will be organized. In addition, there will be various VR stations and machines, as well as a 7D cinema. It will be a place filled with entertainment, art and culture.
I want VR Park Mateico to be a globally recognized place, and a visit to this place is to be a guarantee of fun and contact with new technology and art. I would also like to point out that VR Park will be an integral part of the ecosystem, and this means that tickets will be distributed on a 50/50 basis, meaning that 50% of the tickets can be purchased stationary, e.g., with a credit card and partly with a $MATE token.
Entertainment is undoubtedly a good thing, but let’s talk about the most important thing – the internal economics of MATEICO. Can you tell us in simple terms where the money comes from?
We are after the SEED phase, in which we managed to raise just under $200,000T from individual investors. Now a private-sale round is underway, in which investors can purchase the token at a price of $0.025 with 9 months of linear vesting. The token price during the listing will be $0.1.
Are you planning to release your own NFT collections? If so, what will they be like and when will we see them? Please lift the veil a bit for our readers.
Yes, of course. We are planning to release our own NFT collections, which will have various privileges and capabilities. For example, holders will receive unlimited access to resources on the platform, the opportunity to participate in a special staking program, discounts to the store, invitations to events and much more. Owning an NFT from the Mateico collection will always come with additional benefits for holders.
At the same time, profits from the sale of the first collection will be 100% allocated to the development of the Mateico ecosystem. In addition, various rewards will be provided for collectors who acquire NFTs released on our platform. For example, “collect 10 NFTs with GOLD rank and receive an NFT allowing you to participate in a staking program offering 80% per year” or “collect 10 NFTs with SILVER rank and receive a T-shirt + cap from Mateico’s unique collection.” In summary, we will reward and encourage NFT collection.
Now that we understand how the MATEICO ecosystem works, we would like to know how to become part of your project. Tell us about the token sale: how will it happen and what are the terms of participation?
We are currently conducting a private-sale round and invite all willing investors to participate in the sale. In this round, investors receive a token at a price of $0.025 with nine months of linear vesting.
Finally, could you share the most important lessons you learned and the challenges you faced on your way to success in the crypto industry?
By taking on the idea of creating Mateico, I discovered many qualities in myself that I didn’t know existed. I’ve also made some smaller mistakes along the way, but this has made me richer with experience that will allow me to be more efficient, vigilant and careful in the future. I believe that real success is still ahead of me, and everything I have done and am doing brings me closer to my goal.
I have met and am meeting amazing people who believe in the future of blockchain, and most of all, in Mateico – there is an amazing feeling when you do something that makes sense and makes other people start believing in you and your idea. It is very motivating. Despite the fact that from time to time there will be someone on the road who wants to thwart your plans and goals, it’s worth sticking to your course and not letting yourself be demotivated. My current focus is to move methodically to the next steps and I look forward to the following results.
