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§ Private Profile · 785 Castro St, Mountain View, California 94041, US
Uplandme, Inc. is a company.
Uplandme, Inc. has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Uplandme, Inc..
Uplandme, Inc. was founded in 2018 by John Schanbacher (Founders' Associate).
Uplandme, Inc. has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Uplandme, Inc. builds a metaverse forming a digital layer of the real world, allowing users to own, trade, and develop virtual properties mapped to physical addresses. The platform utilizes blockchain technology for true digital asset ownership, fostering an open, player-driven economy. This gamified experience is accessible via mobile applications and web browsers.
Founded in July 2018 by Dirk Lueth, Idan Zuckerman, and Mani Honigstein, the company was inspired by classic games to create a metaverse for real estate trading. Co-founder Dirk Lueth, a serial entrepreneur with a PhD in Economics, applied his FinTech and digital media background to conceptualize Upland’s blockchain-powered economy, mirroring the real world.
Upland’s product engages a global community in virtual property trading, world-building, and interactive experiences. The company's long-term vision is to establish the largest digital open economy, empowering its community through redefined digital ownership and continuous innovation. It aims for a digital universe where creativity and community drive economic and social interactions.
Uplandme, Inc. has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Upland - Series A Extension in October 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2023 | $7M Series A Plus | — | Animoca Brands, C3 VC Fund, Yves LA Rose | Announced |
Uplandme, Inc. develops Upland, an immersive layer-1 gaming platform and Web3 metaverse where players buy, sell, trade, and develop virtual properties mapped to real-world addresses, powered by blockchain technology on EOS.[1][3][5] It serves gamers, creators, entrepreneurs, developers, and brands like FIFA and the NFL Players Association, solving the challenge of true digital ownership in a gamified economy by enabling activities such as property trading, world-building, car racing, virtual shops, and social interactions, with players earning in-game currency UPX and the native SPARKLET token.[1][3][7] The platform has shown strong growth momentum since its 2020 beta launch, reaching over 3 million registered wallets, 8 million virtual assets minted and sold, $20 million+ in real-world value earned by players, and $25 million in total funding, including a $7 million Series A extension.[3][5][8]
Uplandme, Inc. was founded in July 2018 in Mountain View, California (Silicon Valley), by serial entrepreneurs Dirk Lueth, Mani (Emanuel) Honigstein, and Idan Zuckerman, inspired by Monopoly to create a blockchain-enhanced metaverse mirroring real-world real estate for true digital ownership and player-driven entrepreneurship.[1][2][3][6] Early traction came from seed funding by C3 Venture Capital (Germany), with partner Stefan Schuetze joining the board in 2021, enabling development of the EOS-based platform.[3] The beta launch in 2020 marked a pivotal moment, driving exponential growth through partnerships with major brands and a vibrant community, evolving from a simple property trading game into a full digital economy with third-party Web2/Web3 integrations.[1][3]
Uplandme rides the metaverse and Web3 gaming boom, capitalizing on blockchain's promise of digital ownership amid rising NFT adoption and virtual economies post-2020 crypto surge.[1][3][5] Timing aligns with maturing Layer-1 blockchains like EOS for scalability, avoiding high fees of alternatives, while real-world mapping taps AR/VR trends and brand interest in immersive marketing (e.g., sports leagues).[1][3] Market forces like decentralized finance, creator economies, and remote socialization post-pandemic favor it, positioning Upland as a bridge between Web2 users and Web3 via easy onboarding and hybrid apps.[1][2] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering open metaverses, enabling third-party devs, and proving sustainable player economies, potentially accelerating mainstream metaverse adoption.[3]
Uplandme is poised to expand its digital layer of the real world through deeper brand integrations, new gamified use cases (e.g., AR enhancements), and SPARKLET ecosystem growth amid Web3 maturation.[1][3] Trends like blockchain interoperability, AI-driven worlds, and regulatory clarity for digital assets will shape its path, potentially scaling to tens of millions of users if metaverse hype rebounds. Its influence may evolve from niche gaming to foundational infrastructure for virtual economies, reinforcing the vision of player-owned digital universes that started with a Monopoly-inspired idea.[3]
Uplandme, Inc. was founded in 2018 by John Schanbacher (Founders' Associate).
Uplandme, Inc. has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Uplandme, Inc.'s investors include Animoca Brands, C3 VC Fund, Yves La Rose.
Key people at Uplandme, Inc..
