Upland Raises $18M in Series A Funding

Uplandme

Uplandme, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based metaverse on blockchain that sits on top of the real world and allows users to play, earn and connect with others, raised $18m in Series A funding.

The round, which is now valued at $300m, was led by Animoca Brands with participation from previous investor FinLab EOS VC Fund managed by C3 Management and new investors OneTeam Partners, Block.one, Alumni Ventures Blockchain Fund, Global Founders Capital, Com2uS, Crit Ventures, Korea Investment Partners, Michael Ronen (former Softbank Managing Partner), Mike Vorhaus (Vorhaus Advisors), Michael Terpin (Founder/CEO of Transform Group), and others.

The company intends to use the funds to grow the teams in the US and Europe, and to invest in brand partnerships and user acquisition.

Founded in 2018 by Dirk Lueth, Idan Zuckerman and Mani Honigstein, the company operates Upland, a metaverse that sits on top of the real world and allows users to play, earn and connect with others. It follows the principles of an open market economy, using blockchain technology to ensure true ownership of digital assets (NFTs). Upland is available on iOS, Android and the web.

After it launched in open beta in early 2020, Upland is available in 13 US cities which have already opened and over 100,000 virtual landowners from all around the world. Over 2 Million NFTs have been purchased by players, and places like San Francisco and Manhattan have been sold out of virtual land since the beginning of this year. Each day, more than 60,000 daily active users buy, sell and trade virtual properties, build houses, complete property collections, and participate in treasure hunts and city tours.

FinSMEs

08/11/2021