BAPESTM (Business Apes), a new global NFT (Non-Fungible Token) project, and Artemis Space Network, a commercial enterprise facilitating digital space missions, today announced the signing of a Mission Services Agreement for a charter mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The digital ISS mission will send 5,000 BAPES Genesis NFTs to orbit Earth and create the world's first decentralized space fund focused on investments into commercial space technology companies.
BAPES Genesis NFTs represent stakeholder investments in the BAPES NFT Project from a diverse global community. The first collection of BAPES NFTs was made available on February 16, 2022, generating nearly $1.5 million of community investment to date. Over $340,000 of this investment has been allocated to the BAPES 'Metafund' - a globally accessible venture fund that will be democratically governed by the BAPES Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) for investments into Web3 focused companies.
The BAPES ISS Mission is a first of its kind commercial digital space mission that will include a livestream webcast to the global BAPES Community while minting a new SpaceBAPES collection from the ISS. Holders of the BAPES Genesis NFTs will receive special blockchain credentials enabling an option to evolve them into SpaceBAPES NFTs. SpaceBAPES NFT holders will be entitled to collectively vote on and participate in investments into commercial space entrepreneurs and startup companies from a newly created space-focused investment fund (the 'Space MetaFund').
"The Business Apes NFT Project is not just about making money, it's about making a difference," said BAPES co-founder and CEO, Erik Lydecker. "We are focused on creating a solid foundation for our BAPES Community with long-term investment capabilities supporting entrepreneurs in meaningful projects."
"Space is a frontier of inspiration and opportunity that can unite and empower the world," said Bob Richards, co-founder of Artemis Music and the Artemis Space Network. "We applaud the BAPES' creation of a decentralized space investment fund supporting visionary space entrepreneurs and projects benefiting our human condition and our planet."
The BAPES Space MetaFund is the first of several crypto-native funds planned by the BAPES organization that will be governed by the organization's DAO as described in the organization's publicly available White Paper describing its foundations, philosophies, and roadmaps.
