Web3 Firm Artifact Labs Raises $3.25M From Blue Pool Capital, Animoca, Others

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post spun off its NFT business into a new firm called Artifact Labs last year.

AccessTimeIconMay 8, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. UTC
Updated May 9, 2023 at 4:13 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Artifact Labs, a Web3 company that works to preserve records of historical events on the blockchain, has closed a $3.25 million funding round.

The round was led by Blue Pool Capital, with Animoca Ventures also participating. Blue Pool Capital, is a fund that principally invests the wealth of Alibaba founders Jack Ma and Joe Tsai.

  • What Challenges Do Appchains Solve?
    00:59
    What Challenges Do Appchains Solve?
  • Appchain Protocol Tanssi Raises $6M
    18:57
    Appchain Protocol Tanssi Raises $6M
  • Breaking Down Internet Computer's 40% Rally
    00:59
    Breaking Down Internet Computer's 40% Rally
  • HSBC Brings Tokenized Gold to Hong Kong; Munchables Exploited for $62M
    02:14
    HSBC Brings Tokenized Gold to Hong Kong; Munchables Exploited for $62M
  • Artifact Labs said in the release it plans to utilize the funds to expand the company's operations, emphasizing an increase in developers.

    “It’s not about creating new IPs for speculation – for example NFT hype projects – it’s about driving new engagement with historically significant collections by using Web3,” Phillip Pon, CEO of Artifact Labs, said in a release. “We want to carve new space in the younger public’s consciousness for historical brands and artifacts…while supporting these important organizations with new revenue streams to fund their preservation work, we are also solidifying immutable on-chain data preservation through NFTs.”

    Artifact Labs was initially incubated by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP). In 2021 the SCMP launched a non-fungible token (NFT) standard called ARTIFACT for recording historical data.

    Throughout 2021 and 2022, the newspaper had a brisk business of selling NFTs of its historical front pages, including the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the Avian flu outbreak, the Asian Financial Crisis, and the death of the U.K.'s Princess Diana.

    Artifact Labs said in a release that it will be releasing NFT collections as a revenue stream for preservation organizations as well as developing and releasing technology to help institutions preserve their archives on-chain.

    Edited by Parikshit Mishra.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


    Read more about