Thread by @artblocks_io

READ THIS ARTICLE FIRST!

Then read below 😉

👇

https://twitter.com/derekedws/status/1381963559177908229

Dear NFT community,

Art Blocks escalated from an amateur-built hobby to a top NFT platform in a short period of time. While it caught me completely off guard, respectable thought leaders reached out early to express their support of the vision. 👇

As many of these individuals and organizations can confirm, the initial idea of raising capital for AB was totally off the table. I mean, this was my hobby, my baby, and my dream and it was generating income! Raising funds for Art Blocks didn't make sense to me at first. 👇

But as the platform grew rapidly, it became apparent that my coding skills were not going to allow me to keep the platform online. And it became impossible to keep up with the influx of artists and the growing community on my own. 👇

Keeping up meant formally bringing on talented folks with a passion for generative art like @jeffgdavis and @dogbot3k, working with a stellar legal team at @CooleyLLP, and hiring a handful of excellent contractors to help through various road bumps along the way. 👇

Furthermore, the unexpected alignment of vision from people I have immensely valued in this space made me FOMO for their direct involvement in Art Blocks. Other genArt platforms emerged soon after our launch and it was important to me to build a brain trust around our efforts. 👇

So with great humility and pride, I would like to announce the close of our successful funding round led by @Collab_Currency, Libertus Capital, @FLAMINGODAO and @TheLAOOfficial. I believe their early trust in our vision is just as notable as the platform's success to date. 👇

Alongside these beautiful organizations are beautiful angels. Beyond their financial contributions, they have been nothing less than hybrid human-electronic cheerleaders to both me personally and to the platform as a whole. 👇

@AkiraReloaded
@AndrewSteinwold
@gmoneyNFT
@iamDCinvestor
@jdh
@kevinrose
@robi_air
@rohamg
@squiggleworthy
@YuanXue2011

Thank you all for being a part of this crazy endeavor. Your feedback (and emotional support 😂) over the last few months has been critical. 👇

I also want to thank a handful of brilliant minds that have accepted advisory roles in the Art Blocks organization. @steveklbnf, @__rockland__ , @pxlqart , @dacalder, and @pixelpete your contributions are priceless. Thank you for engaging in this endeavor as well. 👇

Finally, I want to send love to our amazing community for nerding out about #genArt and for being patient while we navigate these early crazy times. We wouldn’t be here without you and it’s incredibly validating to see people truly exploring NFTs as *art*.

❤️,

Art Blocks