A Complex of Metaverse: My Next Journey Begins

After many years helping to lead the BSV Blockchain ecosystem and its massive scaling of the original Bitcoin protocol to support real utility, effective September 30, I left my role as Founding President of BSV’s global association.?Many people having been asking what I will do next.?The short answer is not just one thing.?I expect a multi-faceted new journey with diverse business initiatives to achieve two goals: 1) advance real implementation of blockchain and other digital technology to achieve useful impact for consumers, enterprise and government (not just digital asset trading for investment speculation); and 2) empower people around the world.?

I’ve formed a new company – Blockchain for All – to provide advice, education & technology solution partners to make blockchain useful for all people, industries, and countries.?As I have done with BSV, I continue advocating for the importance of scaling: blockchain must handle high transaction volume, bigger data capacity, at low fees with fast speed to as act as data infrastructure for a more efficient, honest, and connected world.

Recently, I was pleased to announce that my next journey begins with the Metaverse. Working with two partners, my first major project is to build a physical “Metaverse ecosystem complex” across five global cities over the next five years.?The complexes will be anchored by immersive theaters or performance spaces, fitted with technology to enable “phygital” (physical + digital) experiences that combine what audience members see/feel physically in the venue with what also happens in connected digital VR/AR environments. But they will also be multi-use sites, with Metaverse and volumetric production studios, educational centre, potentially start-up hub, and even an adjacent hotel/hospitality property.?Not just a single or simple thing, this will be a complex of Metaverse.

After so many years of hearing people just talk about blockchain and other emerging technologies, we want to build a concrete, physically-anchored project for people to see results in action – even if the audience never knows or cares about the underlying blockchain plumbing. Over the coming months, I expect to announce participation with more businesses in my growing portfolio, but now, I’m excited to tell you about this Metaverse ecosystem complex as the first step in my new journey.

The Team

I was fortunate to be invited to join this Metaverse venture by my friends Ketan Makwana and Michael Jacobsen, who are both based in London. It’s a great team where we complement each other’s separate skill sets.?

Ketan is a tech entrepreneur and investor.?He founded and was Chairman of (the recently-acquired) Enterprise Lab, a talent business innovation agency that operates in 26 countries and boasts a network of 250 experience professionals delivering in their niche.?He also founded and is Chairman of Seventy7 Ventures , a venture partner platform that focuses on the digital and technology acceleration of the creative industries. ?He has influenced the launch of over 4000 start-ups, and is also very involved in innovation policy – having served as advisor to a former UK Prime Minister and helping shape digital economic policy for several governments.

Michael Jacobsen is a world-leading entrepreneur in the live entertainment & leisure industries, as well as author and media personality on business topics.?Michael co-founded an entertainment empire that controlled international IP rights to the motion picture property “Dirty Dancing”; he was global co-producer of the “Dirty Dancing on Stage ” musical theater show, generating over $1 billion in global revenue and recognized as one of the most successful live entertainment products in stage history.?Michael also developed, owned and operated many of the world’s leading entertainment and leisure properties – arenas, theaters, convention centers.

Both Ketan and Michael are warm-hearted, fun, pragmatic.?And like me, they are at points in their lives where they want business projects not just for financial gain, but for good - through the Ketan Makwana Foundation and Michael’s new Centre for Future Europe , they devote non-profit work to empower youth and developing regions through innovation and entrepreneurship.?This is a mission near and dear to my heart - why I've devoted time this year in Pakistan, Vietnam, Nigeria and other countries.

For the new Metaverse ecosystem sites we are building, we want our work to implement real use of new technologies, empower new generations of talent, and advance a world of good.

Roadmap for Metaverse Ecosystem Complexes

The plan is to build 5 sites across 5 major regions over 5 years:

1. London, UK - breaking ground East London in 2023, target launch in 2024
2. UAE – 2025 target launch
3. Singapore – 2026 target launch
4. Sydney, Australia – 2027 target launch
5. Miami, USA – 2028 target launch

To finance the project, we are fortunate to have a strong investment fund (secured by my awesome partners), which has already funded approximately USD $100 million for the London site.

We have also initiated discussions for a UAE site, and expect to receive a minimum of $100 million funding commitment for that soon.

Multi-Use Complex of Metaverse

While the design concepts are still in the works, we expect the spaces to feature:

·??????Digital screen and performance space enabled for connection to digital environments

·??????Vertically-arranged theater in “immersive pods” rather than normal theater chairs

·??????The audience pods can feature

o??Haptic floors (feel sound, music, vibration through your feet)

o??Smell sensory sprays

o??VR headsets

o??Gallery glass for live viewing & AR

The spaces will be able to host:

·??????Live events

·??????Avatar events (through volumetric studios)

·??????Streamed events (from anywhere in the world)

·??????VR/AR festivals

The sites will house more than just theater/performance space.?We plan for a multi-use complex to support a comprehensive Metaverse creative arts ecosystem including:

·??????Metaverse/digital production studio – housing a number of partners to help clients produce “phygital” content and experiences through “Metaverse as a service” business model.

·??????Volumetric studio (with green screens and cameras around the room, to help produce recorded and livestreamed content with a 360 degree effect)

·??????“Centre of excellence”/educational hub – working with local universities, government agencies and organizations to train a new generation of creative professionals skilled for Metaverse production & technology

·??????Some sites may include start-up incubator or shared workspace

Before the physical complexes are constructed, we will begin offering Metaverse services to interested enterprises and government entities. ?

We already have Transmira Corporation , an XR company using the BSV blockchain and developer of the Omniscape platform for XR Metaverse, lined up to provide digital twinning services.?From my past work with the BSV Blockchain Association, I know Transmira and its CEO Robert Rice quite well and am pleased we are partnering with such a high caliber team.

Furthermore, we envision each complex will connect to an adjoining hotel and/or residential complex to house travelling production cast & crew, visitors and more. This will be separately financed, built and managed by selected hospitality partners.?For the first London site, we expect Marriott Group to be the hospitality partner.

Entertainment & Beyond

Immersive entertainment will be the initial focus for the Metaverse theaters/performance spaces. ?Our environment can host virtual music concerts, musical theater, variety shows, esports competitions and more. ?I hope to see Justin Bieber, my friends from Broadway musicals, and even the Miss Universe Organization one day produce world-first “phygital” shows at our sites.

But we believe the Metaverse can do far more than just entertain. We’d love to see these venues also host immersive brand launches for advertisers, educational lectures, conferences, cultural experiences and events that we cannot now imagine.?

The volumetric and production studios can also become new hubs to remotely produce filmed content that can be used by Hollywood, Bollywood, and entertainment capitals of every global region.?I’ve love to one day see scenes from a future episode of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ produced at one of our Metaverse complexes, for 2D and also immersive “phygital” experience.

Along the way, we want the complexes to train a new generation of creative art professionals with learning and hands-on experience to produce world-leading Metaverse projects.

We also see tremendous opportunities to incorporate many different blockchain and emerging technologies into these performance spaces – AR, VR and other gateways to Metaverse; holographic and 3D displays; blockchain to power NFTs, digital currency for payments, rewards tokens; IoT devices; “smart everything”; physical sensory technology; biometric data; machine learning; and of course, the very best of entertainment production.???

Join Us in the Metaverse

We have a great team but know that success only comes with finding great partners.?We’d be happy to hear from:

• companies who have products and technology to deliver Metaverse and “phygital” experiences
• universities and organizations that can partner with us for Metaverse education in our “centres of excellence”
• producers of filmed or live entertainment, arts, fashion, education and culture who want to enter the Metaverse
• advertisers seeking immersive brand experiences
• government and enterprise leaders who want to support new ecosystems of Metaverse professionals and capabilities

I am thoroughly excited for this next big step in my own personal journey.?We have serious partners and players involved.?The multi-use concept combines many of my interests:?blockchain and other new digital technologies; my early roots in digital entertainment/media; my love of live performance; education and training professional talent; supporting start-up entrepreneurs; working with enterprise and government; and global cultures.

Over this past year, as I planned the next chapter of my career (and also turned 50!), I realized with more clarity that my driving passion is to empower people.?These Metaverse complexes can empower new ways to present entertainment, brand, and cultural experiences; empower a next generation of creative talent around the world; empower new start-up ecosystems; empower governments to support “first-in-world” technology; and empower all of us to enjoy the future of “phygital” life.

We have much work ahead for what is not a simple project. We look forward to welcoming you one day to our complex of Metaverse.