FYX Gaming announces follow-on seed round financing

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on October 1, 2021.

FYX Gaming, the Raleigh-based esports infrastructure and technology provider behind the popular skill-based strategic fighting game CryptoFights, has announced follow-on seed round financing. FYX has attracted commitments from several prominent investors as part of the ongoing funding round, including Ventek Ventures and Ayre Group, with opportunities now available for new participants to join the round.

CryptoFights, which allows players to enter real-money tournaments using its native cash on the BSV blockchain, has already attracted over 100,000 registered users. These users are currently generating hundreds of thousands of transactions each day, a feat made possible by the BSV blockchain’s unbounded scaling capacity.

This latest funding round involves a mix of new and existing investors, with the former led by Los Angeles-based Ventek Ventures, an early stage cross-border venture capital fund focusing on the US, China, and Southeast Asia.

Ventek founding partner Tony Zhang said: “There’s a lot of hype surrounding the Metaverse and NFTs right now, but there are also a few innovative Play to Earn companies creating actual value for users. FYX is one of them. By combining best of class game play with a sophisticated virtual economy based on years of experience in gaming, FYX has figured out a way to make games both fun and lucrative. We are proud to partner with FYX as it continues to reward players by building a powerful, inclusive platform that players can leverage to generating more income.”

Among the existing investors raising their stake is Ayre Group, whose founder Calvin Ayre expressed delight in renewing his support for FYX. Ayre called CryptoFights’ daily transaction volume “emphatic proof of the possibilities that can only be achieved on the BSV Enterprise Blockchain. CryptoFights is an engaging product with unlimited growth potential thanks to BSV and the dedication of the FYX team.”

FYX CEO Adam Kling said he was pleased that his company had “joined the growing ranks of gaming companies, including Mythical Games and Sky Mavis, that are sparking investors’ interest.” Kling added that FYX was looking forward to closing its Series A funding next year.

Kling says FYX will use capital raised via the current funding round on new hires to grow its infrastructure and boost CryptoFights’ capacity to handle millions of users. The FYX platform recently expanded players’ funding options through the addition of Simplex, for fiat-to-BSV transactions, and will soon launch Fabriik’s Weave API, for crypto-to-BSV transactions. This will enable players to more easily fund their game play and to buy and sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the FYX marketplace. Additional capabilities to allow users to create their own NFTs are in the works.

To learn more about FYX, attend (in person or virtually) the CoinGeek New York conference, the year’s biggest BSV blockchain event (October 5-7, 2021), at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. FYX CEO Adam Kling will participate in the Licensing IP for NFTs: Graphic Novels, Comic Books & Brands panel on Wednesday, October 6.

About FYX

FYX Gaming is an esports infrastructure and technology provider, specializing in the development and implementation of blockchain technologies. The company offers a full suite of specialized esports products and services, with innovative solutions spanning game monetization, integrity, data and analytics. In 2020, FYX was admitted as a member of the esports Integrity Commission (ESIC).

About Ventek Ventures

Ventek Ventures is an early stage cross-border venture capital fund focusing on companies with the technology, team and timing to capture sustainable markets in the US, China, and Southeast Asia.

About Ayre Group

Ayre Group, founded by celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist Calvin Ayre, provides capital to scalable, high-growth businesses within the BSV blockchain ecosystem, the only infinitely scaling enterprise public blockchain. The Group targets investment in innovative ideas and ambitious projects that are ‘positively disruptive’, supporting their expansion with the Group’s extensive network and industry partners.

Blarecast Systems announces seed round financing

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on September 30, 2022.

Blarecast Systems, the UK-based startup aiming to provide an elegant and equitable solution for the music industry with BSV blockchain technology, has closed a seed funding round led by Ayre Group, supported by a number of other high-net-worth investors.

Utilizing unique patent pending technology, Blarecast is an innovative music distribution platform built for artists by artists. A project that has been over two years in the making, Blarecast is now ready to harness the power of the BSV blockchain – including its efficient micropayments capabilities – to streamline a range of next-generation use cases.

Blockchain-based music distribution isn’t new, but previous projects were dogged by economic and technical problems due to incorrect methods of payments via inflationary and pre-mined tokens. Blarecast’s BSV-based platform allows artists to upload, publish, distribute and sell their exclusive digital content and physical merchandise to their fans at a price set by the content creators, who receive payments instantly (even in micropayments), not months (or even years) after the fact.

Commenting on the funding round, co-founder and CEO Shem Booth-Spain said, “the trust, support, and direction of these partnerships will offer the Blarecast platform access to further technologies & expertise for the benefit of artists worldwide.”

Co-founder and COO Luke Mayernik added that, “Blarecast allows all rights holders (artists, bands, and record labels) to harness the power of the BSV blockchain to monetize their content securely within a truly innovative, simple, yet elegant application.”

Ayre Group founder Calvin Ayre said Blarecast’s platform “is music to the ears of those who believe in the BSV enterprise blockchain’s ability to reshape industries through its infinite scaling capacity, unparalleled data storage and cost-effective micro-transactions. With BSV as its foundation, Blarecast is poised to transform the music business in a way that prioritizes creators over gatekeepers.”

To learn more about Blarecast, attend (in person or virtually) the CoinGeek New York conference, the year’s biggest BSV blockchain event (October 5-7, 2021), at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. Blarecast’s Shem Booth-Spain and Luke Wenceslas Mayernik will give a presentation on their plans to Re-Invent the Music Industry with BSV Blockchain on Wednesday, October 6.

Transmira announces multi-million-dollar seed funding round

This article was originally published on CoinGeek on September 29, 2022.

Transmira, Inc., the Raleigh-based start-up pioneering Experiential Reality (XR) technology on the BSV blockchain, today announces it has opened a multi-million-dollar seed funding round. Transmira has attracted commitments from several prominent investors as part of the ongoing funding round, including Ventek Ventures, Ayre Group and other family offices, with opportunities now available for new participants to join the round.

Transmira is spearheading development of the Metaverse, in which the reality of the physical world meets the infinite space of digital gaming. Transmira’s Omniscape™ platform brings location to life, allowing businesses to engage with consumers by combining Augmented Reality (AR) with Virtual Reality (VR) in the exciting new XR environment.

Transmira CEO Robert Rice, who Advertising Age recognized as an Internet Gaming Pioneer, has described XR as branded AR combined with geolocation. Rice says XR helps businesses grow by putting content where their ideal customers are located. 

“Transmira’s groundbreaking patent on virtual goods and 3D non-fungible tokens (NFTs) linked to real-world assets will be fundamental in driving the new virtual economy and commerce in the metaverse. Transmira is beginning to roll out early features for Omniscape, starting with tokenized virtual real estate, a 3D NFT Marketplace, MetaPets™, and much more. Some of this will be on display at CES 2022 in Las Vegas in January.”

The funding round’s supporters include Los Angeles-based Ventek Ventures, an early stage cross-border venture capital fund focusing on the US, China, and Southeast Asia.

Founding partner Tony Zhang said that since Ventek was “the first investor in China’s social metaverse Soul (now majority owned by Tencent), we are very excited to work with Transmira and be part of the coming metaverse revolution. We have met multiple companies in this space, but we were by far most impressed by Robert and his team. Their unique understanding of XR and its applications, combined with years of experience in the industry, will allow them to aggregate brands and IPs to monetize metaverse technologies seamlessly.”

Ayre Group founder Calvin Ayre said he was “proud to support Transmira, an innovative start-up using the power and versatility of the BSV Enterprise Blockchain to explore exciting new ways for businesses to connect with consumers, particularly with younger demographics. Robert is a visionary with the drive to realize Omniscape’s fusion of the physical and the virtual worlds.”  

Rice said Transmira was “very excited to welcome a group of investors who bring global perspectives, experiences and deep networks of resources that we will be able to leverage as we begin releasing various elements of the Omniscape platform in Q4.”

Rice said the new capital will give Transmira “the ability to scale quickly as we prepare to disrupt the market and seize a leadership position as the first fully blended AR/VR metaverse platform that truly bridges the real and the virtual.”

To learn more about Transmira, attend (in person or virtually) the CoinGeek New York conference, the year’s biggest BSV blockchain event (October 5-7, 2021), at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. Transmira CEO Robert Rice will detail his vision for blockchain-based AR, VR and the Metaverse on Tuesday, October 5. 

About Transmira

Transmira, Inc. are a Raleigh, North Carolina-based start-up monetizing Metaverse XR technologies. The company is the developer of Omniscape™, the first blockchain-based XR platform that blends augmented and virtual reality together with a focus on location, virtual goods, and commercial opportunities for brands, businesses, smart cities, and content-creators.

About Ventek Ventures

Ventek Ventures is an early stage cross-border venture capital fund focusing on companies with the technology, team and timing to capture sustainable markets in the US, China, and Southeast Asia.

About Ayre Group

Ayre Group, founded by celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist Calvin Ayre, provides capital to scalable, high-growth businesses within the BSV blockchain ecosystem, the only infinitely scaling enterprise public blockchain. The Group targets investment in innovative ideas and ambitious projects that are ‘positively disruptive’, supporting their expansion with the Group’s extensive network and industry partners.

Baby Kairo Receives Medical Emergency Funding From Calvin Ayre Foundation

Baby Kairo’s parents, Jusette James and Tarik Spencer, now alive with optimism, expressed gratitude for having received the donation they almost thought would have been impossible, after reaching out to various organizations.

Kairo was born prematurely on January 16^th and was diagnosed with Small Bowel or Intestinal Atresia. The condition is one in which there is a narrowing of the segment of the intestine that connects the stomach to the large intestine. As such, Kairo has not eaten since birth and often regurgitates any food given to him via intravenous methods.

According to cincinattichildrens.org website, all children with intestinal atresia and stenosis require an operation, and the exact type of operation differs depending on the location of the obstruction.

With no on-island paediatric surgeon to perform this type of surgery, the family was faced with waiting for a visiting surgeon, before Kairo could be examined. The significant impact on travel caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, would delay Kairo’s chance of survival, as his condition would become critical after two weeks without immediate medical intervention.

When the CAF team met with the parents and uncle of Baby Kairo, it was a meeting punctuated by anxiety, hushed tones to disguise tears, but mostly of hope.

Speaking on their feelings of their precious son’s condition, Jusette, a nurse by profession, said “I think that this (being a nurse) is the hardest part for me; seeing and knowing the drastic ends of both of it. I know first-hand that anything can happen, at any time. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with – I never expected to have so much difficulty having my first child. Some days I don’t know feel like I can cope with it – I don’t know what else to do.”

Tarik added that for him, this was a very emotional time seeing Kairo like this, struggling and seeing Jusette stressed out and crying everyday. “I just want him to get through it and for him to be okay,” he said.

During the emotional presentation on Tuesday at the Ayre Group’s Canada Place Headquarters, the family accepted the donation in the amount of ES$67, 327. This will cover Kairo’s flight by air ambulance to Jamaica’s Bustamante Children’s Hospital, the cost of surgery and hospitalization.

CAF’s Executive Director, Corinna Delowsky, said, “We receive so many applications for assistance and the task of selecting the causes we support is very difficult. We would love to assist many more. Covid-19,” she added, “has posed an immense challenge and we have had to refocus towards Pandemic Relief. This new baby, who is only two weeks old, and his first time parents’ story really stood out to us. We hope our contribution gives Kairo a fighting chance.” 

According to Ayre Group’s Media Relations Specialist, Jamilla Kirwan, “Kairo’s story is very relatable, as many families can envision themselves going through something similar and can empathize with his family and how they are navigating this challenging ordeal. We, at the CAF, are so elated to be able to assist this family in covering their medical expenses, including the medical airlift, hospitalization fees and fees for Kairo’s surgery.”

Curlson James, Kairo’s uncle and the family member that reached out to the Calvin Ayre Foundation, described the bittersweet ordeal as such; “You watch your siblings everyday and when something like this happens, you can’t help them and you don’t know the extent of stress they’re going through but being able to sit behind a computer and send out a plea (requesting assistance) and getting the response we have, is remarkable.”

Under the consultation of Dr. Abel of the Mount St. John’s Medical Centre (MSMJC), the arrangements to have Kairo flown out can now be made.

The advent of Kairo’s surgery is promising as it is medically shown that children who undergo surgery for intestinal atresia, in general, do well and complications after surgery are rare. (www.cincinattichildrens.org)

The Foundation, was founded by business mogul and Special Economic Envoy to Antigua and Barbuda, Ambassador Calvin Ayre in 2005. CAF’s Pillars of giving are Emergency Response, Social Development, Education and Sports.

UPDATE: It is with much sadness that we inform of Baby Kairo’s passing, due to complications he developed. Kairo’s story is dear to us as we felt like he was our baby too.

We send our condolences to his family at this time of immense loss.

– Executive Director, Corinna Delowsky

CalvinAir Helicopters assisting with monitoring St. Vincent volcano

The post originally appears on https://antiguanewsroom.com/calvinair-helicopters-assisting-with-monitoring-st-vincent-volcano/ and we republished with permission.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Coordinating Unit, has selected CalvinAir Helicopters (CAH) as the top helicopter operator in the Caribbean to carry out the work of assisting scientists with monitoring the La Soufriere volcanic activity in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

According to a recent agency report, this support is extremely urgent to allow the scientists to analyze the data and present to the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines an informed interpretation of the current volcanic events.

It is against this backdrop that CAH was selected to assist the team with this undertaking, and will be responsible for providing The University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre’s (SRC) scientists with helicopter services for a period of seven (7) days, and then on an “as needed” basis.

According to CAH’s Director of Aviation, Mark Fleming, the decision was made after considering several other regional helicopter operations. “One of the requirements was to secure pilots with extensive mountainous terrain flying, as the peak is over 4,000 feet.

So it can be quite challenging with the strong winds at that altitude.

Additionally,” he added, “CalvinAir Helicopter pilots actually have extensive experience with flying for the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) with a scientist there. So we will be doing very similar flying on this mission; conducting observation flights around the dome; transporting equipment and supplies to monitoring sites; transporting the seismic research scientists and trying to find safe landing spots, where they will be able to set up and maintain their remote monitoring stations to analyze data.”

According to Fleming, the Antiguan-based helicopter operation conducts tours and charters around Antigua and Barbuda and surrounding islands.

“As well,” he said, “we’ll do more humanitarian work with Medevac flights as well as search and rescue and emergency missions like these, with the Montserrat Volcanic Observatory and now St. Vincent.”

The operation’s aircraft are stateof-the-art and not seen before in the Caribbean region. The Airbus EC130 is known to be the gold standard in helicopter aerial touring machines.

In addition, the style of its tail rotor reduces outside noise by up to fifty percent, earning it the nickname “ECO-Star”.

“CalvinAir Helicopters is the best of its breed in all-purpose helicopter operations,” said Calvin Ayre, owner of the company. “I am extremely proud of what our team has put together.

We can offer services across the spectrum, from search and rescue or medical airlift.”- POINTE EXPRESS

Calvin Ayre: How Bitcoin SV can help create a brighter future

In the December 2020 issue of the Luxury Locations magazine (pages12-14), a stellar feature is presented on Special Economic Envoy to Antigua and Barbuda, Ambassador Calvin Ayre; which includes his vision, his views on the super powers of Bitcoin SV and its utility, and his plans for the future. 

Visionary, entrepreneur, industry pioneer and philanthropist, are just a few adjectives that have been used to describe Calvin Ayre. The phenomenal backstory about his rise to billionaire status is definitely one for the books.

Born in 1961, Calvin credits his modest upbringing on his family’s pig farm in rural Canada, for tempering his extraordinary ambition with humility and a heart for humanity, particularly the less fortunate.

From early entrepreneurial ventures such as fruit delivery and internet service provider, to revolutionizing online gaming, Calvin pursued every opportunity that presented itself with passion and determination.

Calvin’s success and reputation as the leading man in the online gaming industry were firmly established in the early 2000’s. His re-invention; transitioning from the Bodog online gaming brand to blockchain technology – specifically Bitcoin SV – illustrates his relentless inventiveness and ability to transform entire industries.

Through his strategic partnerships with Bitcoin industry leaders, Calvin now uses his various platforms, including CoinGeek.com, to educate the world – from major businesses, investors and policy-makers to the man-on-the-street – about the unique superpowers of Bitcoin SV.

We think this is the just the beginning of the epic second chapter to a phenomenal career, destined to be ranked among the best of the century.

1. The Digital Assets Business Bill has recently passed into law in Antigua & Barbuda. We understand that you were involved with the bill and its creation, are you happy with the outcome, what changes do you think will come in the future?

Yes, I am definitely happy with the outcome. Antigua’s forward-thinking legislation was inspired by the Bitcoin SV blockchain and has the potential to usher in a new era of safe, credible and regulated digital asset businesses coming together to foster economic innovation.

I say that the legislation has potential to revolutionize the economic landscape because, in order to take full advantage of the legislation to foster economic innovation, while ensuring safety and credibility, Antigua and Barbuda must only support technology and a platform that works within the existing and coming legal frameworks of the free world, which is only possible via the Bitcoin SV blockchain. Other platforms and technologies seek anonymity and attempt to enforce their beliefs through rebellion, as opposed to through legal mechanisms, which cannot be tolerated in a functioning society. The foundations of these other technologies and platforms enable criminals to violate the law with impunity, which would create a system in Antigua and Barbuda that not only creates unworkable businesses that do not comply with the law, but a system that would enable terrorist funding and other extremely serious crimes. The Bitcoin SV blockchain does not allow illegal activities in any form and would facilitate an honest system that would allow this innovative legislation to achieve its potential on a global stage.

In terms of innovation, I believe the future will be driven by the tokenization of everything, all assets, and that means real assets too, not just digital. Similar to my views above regarding choosing the right technology and platform, in order to maximize the opportunities presented by Antigua and Barbuda’s forward-thinking legislation, scaling and utility will be vital, which again is only possible on the Bitcoin SV blockchain. Other platforms do not scale and are focused on short-term results and fast money, which has created a market of worthless projects and tokens that have no utility other than pumping and dumping for profits, which has destroyed the personal wealth of honest people and will damage Antigua and Barbuda’s economy. The Bitcoin SV blockchain is a massively scalable blockchain, with real utility, that will create a long-term and sustainable economy that has the potential to revolutionize the world.

Antigua and Barbuda’s legislation lays the foundation but the Bitcoin SV ecosystem is what will allow Antigua and Barbuda and responsible businesses to realize the possibilities and opportunities of this innovative and unique network.

2. How will the bill affect businesses in Antigua and do you think it will stimulate an industry for crypto currencies based businesses to operate from Antigua?

As mentioned above, to affect businesses positively, realize real economic value and ensure Antiguan businesses are rooted in credibility, we need to ensure growth is fostered through innovative, safe and credible technology, which is only possible through the Bitcoin SV ecosystem. If the wrong platform is used, the amazing potential of this Act will not be realized.

The legislation has the potential to significantly stimulate the Antiguan economy as it provides a complete structure to govern a wide range of digital assets, which is not easily found in other jurisdictions. The Act is also intended to foster adoption and innovation through regulations that will encourage and make it easier for the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda to run responsible digital asset businesses, which will ensure we create a sustainable economic vision and future for Antigua and Barbuda.

We all need to do our part to ensure only the highest quality businesses are allowed to operate within our perimeter and the first line of defence is ensuring only businesses working within the Bitcoin SV ecosystem can take advantage of this valuable law. Not only will the Bitcoin SV platform uphold Antigua and Barbuda’s reputation as a highly reputable jurisdiction, but it will solidify its reputation as a technological inspiration as only the Bitcoin SV ecosystem has the ability to scale and bring to fruition the full utility of the original Bitcoin protocol, and grow a system in which Bitcoin is used to change the world as Satoshi intended.

3. Have you applied for your license under the bill? How was the process for you?

Not only will I be applying for a license under the Act as soon as the regulations are finalized, but as part of my work with the government and as an Ambassador, Economic Envoy for Antigua and Barbuda, I feel it is my responsibility to bring reputable businesses to Antigua and Barbuda to help shape its future as the jurisdiction of choice for innovative and credible digital asset businesses. An example of one of these businesses is The Bayesian Group (Fabriik), a collective of companies operating in the fintech and digital asset market with a focus on solutions for a digital asset-based business world. It decided to build its businesses on the Bitcoin SV blockchain after evaluating other platforms, including, Ethereum, BCH and Litecoin, primarily due to the Bitcoin SV ecosystem’s safety and security, low transaction costs and ability to scale, thus leaving the Bitcoin SV blockchain as the only viable and realistic base on which to build new and honest financial and exchange networks. Credible companies such as the Bayesian Group (Fabriik) will be vital to Antigua and Barbuda’s growth as a global economic leader in the digital asset space.

4. You have invested significantly in real estate projects in Antigua. What are your plans for the next five years with respect to those projects?

Ayre Group’s state-of-art headquarters, Canada Place, is a sought-after multi-tenant office complex, which is home to our various pioneering technology companies. It is now fully functional and capable of housing several companies and up to 600 persons.

I’ve just completed construction of my own home on the island, so now I am able to concentrate my efforts on the Ayre Resort luxury property brand. The first of several 5-Star Ayre Resort luxury properties around the world will be developed on the white sand beaches of Valley Church, on the verdant west coast of Antigua. Each Ayre Resort will offer guests thrilling moments in the Bodog Casino Club, relaxing beach clubs, world-class restaurants and a unique opportunity to enhance their lives by experiencing the Ayre Wellness Centre and Spa.

My hope is to attract visitors who are interested in experiencing the island’s landscape and culture, as opposed to those who prefer spending their entire vacation in the confines of their hotel.

As Special Economic Envoy for Antigua and Barbuda, I fully support the Government’s long-stay visa program designed for persons who can work remotely and are desirous of doing so from a safe Caribbean island.

I strongly consider the island to be a prime location for high net-worth individuals to be able to live and work. It is my hope that others, especially knowledge-based experts, will in turn, be motivated to invest and contribute to the diversification of the workforce, through a transfer of knowledge. The recent passing of the Digital Assets Bill, again, provides significant scope for such knowledge and skills sharing.

With one of the focuses of the Ayre Group being Real Estate, I have the capability of providing first-class accommodation, fully equipped with high speed internet and nearby to convenient amenities and, of course, the beach.

5. You have had an illustrious career in online gaming, crypto currency and now real estate projects, what does the future hold for Calvin Ayre?

My future is envisioned as a world I helped make a better place.

On the business front, I have always strived to play a pivotal role in developing industries that will benefit people and the economy. You may have noticed that I have a passion to grow and develop the Bitcoin SV landscape. As I see other platforms and technologies destroying global economic well-being, I will fight hard to develop an economy founded on innovation, honesty and doing things the right way, which can only be accomplished using the Bitcoin SV blockchain as an anchor. Part of this mission will be to continue to invest in companies that are contributing to a better world by growing the Bitcoin SV ecosystem.

As mentioned above, I am also focused on growing the economy of Antigua and Barbuda in other ways, such as through the development of a new resort that will focus on health and well-being.

With respect to my philanthropic efforts, I will maintain and strengthen my commitment to The Calvin Ayre Foundation, which continues to make a difference and ensure that we leave the world in a much better place than we found it.

6. What advice would you give individuals who are interested in getting into or learning more about the industry?

To those interested in getting into or learning more about the industry, my advice is to avoid short-sighted platforms that damage economic and social welfare and instead educate yourself about the Bitcoin SV blockchain, as it is the original Bitcoin protocol and only platform that realizes Satoshi’s intentions to transform our world.

7. Where is your favourite place in Antigua and why?

My favourite area of the island is the entire west coast; from Pearns Point, south to Turners Beach. My home atop Ayre Estate Hill, has a breathtaking view of the entire area. You just can’t beat the natural beauty, calm, warm Caribbean waters and the relaxing lifestyle.

For more information, visit https://bitcoinsv.com/en or www.ayre.group.com