Swiss NFT authenticator ORIGYN raises €17.73M at a valuation of €266M; Know more here
ORIGYN co-founders (L to R) Mike Schwartz, Gian Bochsler, and Vincent Perriard | Image credit: ORIGYN
ORIGYN Foundation, a Switzerland-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to identifying, authenticating, and unlocking the powers of ownership for objects of value, announced that it has raised $20M (approx €17.73M) in a fresh round of funding. With this investment, the company is now valued at $300M (approx €265.96M).
As the first digital certification platform built on the Internet Computer (IC), ORIGYN and its verticals generate new forms of value for some of the largest consumer asset classes in the world including art, collectibles, digital media, and luxury goods.
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Investors in this round
The round saw participation from Investors including Bill Ackman’s Table Management, Polychain Capital, Paris Hilton, Coinko, Vectr Ventures, Carter Reum, Div Turakhia, and GD10 Ventures, among others.
Daniel Haudenschild, CEO of ORIGYN Foundation, says, “We’re incredibly fortunate and excited to include so many influential names in this funding round. ORIGYN is unique in what it brings to this world. It’s a sign of support for what ORIGYN is trying to achieve – using technology to solve for identity, authenticity, and proof of ownership. Our partners have seen the opportunity we provide to unlock value for owners and creators.”
ORIGYN Entreprise SA is the operating entity of ORIGYN Foundation.
A platform to protect, celebrate, elevate and reward creativity
ORIGYN Foundation uses intelligent technologies, including computer vision and artificial intelligence, on decentralised computing to identify, authenticate and unlock the powers of ownership for objects of value.
Founded in October of 2020, ORIGYN is led by its founding partners and council members Gian Bochsler, Vincent Perriard, and Mike Schwartz, as well as by CEO Daniel Haudenschild.
The foundation’s technology certifies and guarantees the authenticity of physical and digital items using advanced recognition and identification techniques created by experts in computer vision, artificial intelligence, and decentralised infrastructure. It also unites contemporary players across select industries to protect, celebrate, elevate, and reward creativity through its novel approach to NFTs.
Currently, ORIGYN has the following industry verticals:
- ORIGYN Art: an exclusive community for the fine art market on the blockchain. This vertical establishes a connection between physical works of art and NFT certificates to create the marketplace experience for creators, industry professionals, collectors, and enthusiasts.
- ORIGYN Collectibles: a platform designed to empower individuals with shared passions to buy, sell, trade, and experience collectors’ items. This vertical rewards and celebrates creativity by tokenising certificates of ownership that verify the uniqueness and authenticity of physical collectibles.
- ORIGYN Digital Media: this is a comprehensive ecosystem built for media creators of all types to activate their social capital. This vertical provides tooling for all forms of experiential content, artifacts, and marketplaces for the world’s most creative icons and their fans.
- ORIGYN Luxury: it is the only digital certification solution guaranteed to prove authenticity using a luxury object’s own biometric features. These digital certificates increase trust between companies and their clients with a paperless solution, guaranteed by ORIGYN, which facilitates the resale of the object. This vertical brings NFTs to life by enabling the object itself to become its own proof of authenticity.
Founded in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, ORIGYN operates globally in major technology and blockchain hubs, including its research and development division located in Manhattan Beach, California.
Capital utilisation
The proceeds from this round will enable the foundation to expand and improve ORIGYN’s verticals as directed by governing token holders. Additionally, the funds will also be used to fund ongoing R&D and onboard the foundation’s growing list of industry partners to the ecosystem.
ORIGYN claims that its authentication platform surpasses other NFT certification solutions in the market due to a unique biometric and ownership data included in ORIGYN digital twins, as well as the global guarantee that backs every digital certificate. The company will officially launch these digital certificates across industry verticals during the first half of 2022.
The foundation’s utility token, OGY, will also become publicly tradable in 2022. OGY is necessary to engage with the core services of the platform and is used to create and transact certificates of authenticity.
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