‘Wave with Ukraine’ NFT Launched in The Sandbox to Raise Funds For Ukraine

10,000 Editions of the NFT will be Sold at $100 Each, with The Sandbox Matching Every Dollar Spent and Raising $2 Million for Ukrainian Charities

In response to the invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv and Gothenburg-based NFT incubator, Ikonia (www.ikonia.com), has announced a sale of 10,000 NFTs through its partnership with virtual metaverse gaming platform The Sandbox (www.sandbox.game), with 100% of the proceeds supporting Ukrainian citizens impacted by the war. The money raised from the NFT drop will be split between three Ukrainian charities vetted by Ikonia’s Ukrainian employees. The Sandbox has committed to match every 1 SAND spent on the NFT, with the proceeds aiming to raise a total of $2 million to aid the Ukrainian charities.

The Sandbox-designed ‘Wave With Ukraine’ NFT depicts the Ukrainian flag, and will be able to be used within the Sandbox metaverse exclusively by owners of the NFT. Each edition of the NFT will be available to purchase from 30th March for $100. When purchasing during the 2-week sale window, users will receive an animated video of the asset as a placeholder. At the end of April, The Sandbox will airdrop the real, usable game asset to each buyers’ wallet. The NFT can be purchased using both a credit/debit card and crypto, ensuring the collection is readily available to the general public as well as those already well-versed in NFTs. Excluding small unavoidable fees, 100% of the proceeds will go to the selected charities.

The partnership supports Ikonia’s ambition to utilize the virtual world to stimulate positive social change in reality. Ikonia, for whom this project is especially important due to having a number of employees based in Ukraine, has established this collaboration to help preserve Ukraine in the metaverse. The project supports Ikonia’s ambition to establish a permanent presence in the metaverse, continuing their commitment to develop NFTs with metaverse utility alongside their aesthetic value, whilst adding a layer of gamification to the historical storytelling of their NFTs.

This NFT is being released as a unique drop in Ikonia’s MAUER collection, which has so far raised over $180,000 for charity with its previous NFT releases. The MAUER collection was released to mark 60 years since the construction of the Berlin Wall, with 51% of the proceeds of all sales going to charity. The ‘Wave With Ukraine’ NFTs are available to purchase via the MAUER website here: http://mauer.digital/#sandboxUkraine

The charities that will receive donations were chosen and vetted by Ikonia’s Ukrainian employees to ensure that the funds make maximum impact, and include:

RETURN ALIVE (http://savelife.in.ua/) – The Return Alive Foundation is one of the largest charity organizations helping at the Ukrainian front.
EVERYBODY CAN (http://everybodycan.com.ua/) – The international fund ‘Everybody Can’ helps children and elderly people with disabilities and also supports hospitals and volunteer initiatives in Ukraine.
UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN FUND (http://crisisrelief.un.org/t/ukraine) – Helps humanitarian NGOs and UN agencies in Ukraine assist the most vulnerable communities and people, providing them with urgently needed food, water, shelter and other basics.

Patrik Arnesson, Co-Founder and CEO of Ikonia said:

“The Russian invasion on Ukraine – the place I call home – continues to cause devastation across the country.”

Ukraine and its citizens need our support more than ever, and the NFT industry is a valuable tool in providing this financial aid to Ukraine. The money raised from these NFT drops goes to three impactful charities and will directly alleviate the suffering of those impacted by the war. If every edition of the ‘Wave With Ukraine’ NFT is sold, $2 million dollars will be raised. We are calling on the global NFT community and projects – such as Bored Apes, Cryptopunks, and others – to unite and commit to donating proceeds to support those whose country is under fire.

The Russian invasion has put Ukrainian citizens into grave danger, including some of our team based in the capital, Kyiv. Given the worsening situation in the country, we, as a company, have been forced to evacuate those employees working in the country and have rehoused them in secure accommodation elsewhere. We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our team during this time, and contributing everything we can to ensure that Ukrainians are safe again.”

Sebastian Borget, COO & Co-Founder of The Sandbox, said:

“We continue to support Ukraine through various initiatives led by our community and our Foundation, as we believe every little contribution can truly make an impact. The Wave for Ukraine is one effort we’re proud to be part of.”

For more information about Ikonia visit: www.ikonia.com.

For more information about The Sandbox visit: www.sandbox.game.

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