Issue number 10! Holy wow! It’s hard to believe we have hit number 10. Its probably more exciting for Bry and I than anyone else, but either way we are super excited about how our little community continues to grow. We are here to help people make informed decisions and do a little learning of our own along the way. We are super glad each one of you are here.
So getting into this month’s issue….ZenAcademy.
tl;dr
Last month, I talked about how Farokh pulled us into Rug Radio. Well here, we have a similar situation where Zeneca is the driving force behind and the face at the front of ZenAcademy.
ZenAcademy is the community and NFT collection that is built to offer exactly what I just mentioned: a trusted community that investors and collectors can lean on when web3 feels overwhelming or confusing.
Side note: it is starting to feel like having a notable, respectable and borderline famous person at the head of a project is one of the key indicators for success, but we can save this for another day.
Zeneca
Zeneca (who’s real name is Roy) splashed into the NFT/web3 scene about a year and half ago by writing an NFT newsletter and tweeting out daily stats on certain NFT collections. As this took off, Zeneca pivoted to focus his mission on creating a community to help people onboard into web3. Onboarding is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but here it means offering newcomers and web3 veterans alike a safe space where they can feel safe to ask questions and learn the essentials about the NFT space.
I had a chance to ask Zeneca a couple questions in the Discord server, and the mini Q&A is listed at the end of this issue.
ZenAcademy Overview
More than anything, I wanted to create a cozy little home in the metaverse where anyone, but especially those newer to the space, could enjoy a warm and welcoming environment and feel comfortable asking any questions they might have about the space.
The learning curve for web3 and NFTs is steep and it is never-ending. ZenAcademy exists to soften that learning curve and ensure anyone, anywhere, at any level, has a place to learn.
-Zeneca
ZenAcademy is just one of the business lines that Zenenca is building, of which, all fall under the umbrella of what he calls ZenLabs. ZenLabs encompasses lots of different aspects which you will NOT be investing in if you purchase a ZenAcademy NFT, but it does give you a larger picture of the ambitions of what Zeneca and his team.
ZenAcademy focuses on many things, but there are a few points that stand out to me and I think separate them from the crowd:
No ‘big ticket’ item. There is not a game, analytics tool or any other cliche offering that they claim to be building in order to entice people to join the community. They are focusing on “onboarding, educating, and empowering” people with the goal “to educate and inform.” That’s about as simple, clear and non-crash-grabby as you can get.
LinkedIn page. I realize this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but this is quite unique. Objectively, this is a signal that they are wanting to present a professional image and have no intentions of leaving their community members high and dry.
Not a DAO. We see lots of projects creating DAOs in order to make the community feel more in control. ZenAcademy is a company. The team is not completely ruling out a DAO at some point, that but for the foreseeable future it will remain a traditionally structured company/business.
Ethics. This really stands out to me and is another rarity in NFTs. Lots of projects get lawyers to protect themselves from getting sued, but here the team has set out rules for themselves to protect their integrity and their holders. One example is a fair trading policy that limits when team members and insiders can buy/sell the NFTs. Ethical standards are only effective as top-down and massively important in today’s web3 environment.
For a full rundown of the project, you can read their hefty gitbook here.
Quick Numbers
Team
As most of us know, web3 has been riddled with some…questionable characters, but building off of the point on ethics, let’s dig a little deeper into the ZenAcademy team and what they bring to the table.
When Zeneca was starting out just over a year ago, he was a team of one. He has since recruited a team of around 28 that includes himself, the Z-Team, Moderators, and Content Creators (according to the gitbook).
Evaluating a team can be difficult without an inside look into the daily operations or with people that are undoxxed or don’t have very public histories. What you can look at, though, is execution and the ZenAcademy team continues to deliver consistent results.
Content and community run the world
I’ve said it once, and I’ll probably say it many more times: content is king. ZenAcademy and Zeneca himself create a lot of content that is free and available to all.
Discord (must hold an NFT)
Access to the Discord is the one non-free product that is available as it is the main perk from owning a ZenAcademy NFT.
The Discord is a place where holders can come to live chat, get questions answered, discusss new projects, share stories of the ups and downs of the market, share funny memes and everything else that a live chat can give you. It is where all the where the magic happens. If you have never been in a Discord server, they can be really magical places where connections and lifelong friendships are made. Here is an awesome breakdown of what Discord is and how it’s used in the NFT space which of course it is written by none other than Zeneca ;).
A super cool feature of the Discord is that they have “Free Access” that allows you to check it out without having to purchase anything. You can view and explore the whole server, but you will not be allowed to contribute or type (this is most likely for security purposes). Here’s the idea behind giving the free access option:
We felt it important to have a Free membership tier to allow those without the financial means the ability to view most of the content we create, as well as to allow anyone to 'try before you buy' and see what our server is like.
YouTube + Podcast
ZenAcademy content exists in a couple different places. But one of the largest repositories of content is on ZenAcademy’s YouTube channel which has 7.92k subscribers. The videos there span a ton of different topics including strategies for growing your NFT project, interviews with founders, and features on specific NFT projects.
The YouTube channel is organized into different sections:
Shorts: very short TikTok style clips dropping NFT knowledge
ZenChats: longer form videos and live chats
Two Bored Apes: a podcast hosted by Zeneca and Jaime who each own Bored Apes, hence the name. If you like audio only you can find this on their website and all the regular podcast platforms.
Newsletters: ZenCaps + ZenDaily
ZenCaps is a super stellar weekly newsletter (almost as good as this one ;) ) about general NFT news. It is written by one of the team members, RogueRaven, who does an amazing job “cutting through the noise” of the NFT space to deliver digestible information. I personally subscribe and I highly recommend subscribing.
ZenDaily is a short newsletter (5 minute read max) also by RogueRaven, that brings you exactly what it says - daily updates from NFT land. If you like daily quick hits, this is the newsletter for you.
30 Days of NFTs
This is a absolute gem of a product. This is a crash course in NFTs that is sent to your inbox in 30 bite sized morsels, once a day for 30 days. This is a really innovative and accessible way to get a small, but daily dose of education. If you are new to NFTs and want to understand the ins and outs, sign up for this 100%. Send this to your mom and grandma to learn about NFTs (as long as they know how to operate their email accounts). This is an awesome resource for any newcomers and embodies that onboarding we were talking about earlier. It’s crazy that this is free.
Check it out here.
ZenAcademy Scholarship Fund
Aside from content, ZenAcademy is running other initiatives as well. There seems to be quite a focus of not just onboarding buyers/collectors into NFTs, but also artists. The way that ZenAcademy is doing this is through the ZenAcademy Scholarship Fund.
This was initially funded by a “How to Launch an NFT Project” paid course that Zeneca ran.
The first use of funds was to send 25% of the proceeds support Ukraine during its current conflict. The rest went into the fund to support future artists, where the current balance of the fund is about 17.5 ETH and can be followed on Etherscan.
The second initiative is something called Zenmas. This is where 13 different artists are funded to create unique art that is dropped to holders of ZenAcademy NFTs (Genesis and 333 Club) during the December holiday season. For the last iteration of Zenmas, 6.5 ETH was distributed to 13 different artists to fund them making the art.
This is a really cool way way to get artists some increased exposure while also rewarding ZenAcademy holders. I love initiative where there are multiple parties that win.
In the event you are an artist reading this and are interested in participating, the applications for this year are closed. However, there will be another Zenmas next year as well as additional artist programs in the future that will be funded by this fund. Keep your eyes peeled.
The NFTs
We talked a lot about the project, but what about the actual NFTs? We left this to the end of the issue because up until now, the visual of the NFT has not been the center of attention.
ZenAcademy has 2 two NFTs: Genesis Passes and The 333 Club. Both were launched on November 9, 2021. I will break down these 2 NFTs, but keep in mind that things are currently changing in the ZenAcademy ecosystem. I will also get into that after I introduce the collections.
Genesis
This is the main NFT of the collection. Each piece in the Genesis collection is an ERC-1155 token which are identical copies of a “Letter from Zeneca” laying out the mission of the project . It is a lifetime membership pass to ZenAcademy which currently entails access to gated Discord channels. These were minted at .03 ETH as an open edition, meaning that as many people that wanted to mint could within a certain time window. A total of 7,848 were minted.
The 333 Club
The 333 Club are very similar, but are the higher tier of ZenAcademy membership. Just like the Genesis collection, they are an ERC-1155 token where all editions are identical “letters” from Zeneca. This gives all the same access to the server as the Genesis, but it also grants you access to a small group of people that are labeled as “builders, creators, investors, traders, professionals, and the enthusiasts who value a friendly and focused environment to learn, help, and grow together.” Zeneca blocks time in his calendar each week for members of the 33 Club to book time to chat about building products, projects, or anything in between. These were minted for 3.33 ETH, which is a pretty hefty price tag ensuring that only the most serious of people would become members.
Time for some PFPs: The Summoning
That is all well and good, but now things are changing. On November 30, 2022 (one week before this writing), an event which ZenAcademy called a “summoning” officially began. This event consists of giving all holders a new version of the NFT. How this works is that holders burn their original NFTs in exchange for a new PFP (profile pictures) collection, replacing the original “letters.”
The art for this new PFP collection has not yet been revealed, so there is some excitement around who the artist will be and what they will look like.
The team decided to do this for a few reasons:
moving from ECR-1155 to ERC-721s to give them more functionality (for what exactly we do not know yet)
give holders art that they recognize and resonate with
have fun!
For those curious, this is a super fast breakdown of how it will work (Zeneca does an awesome job of breaking down the entire thing in the video here around the 9:00 mark):
Holders will burn their NFTs via the Summon page on the website and receive a free ZenChest (333 holders will receive a 333 Club Pass + 3 ZenChests)
Holders will burn ZenChests in Q1 2023 to receive their free PFP
The burning of the Genesis and the original 333 Club NFTs will remain open forever, so anyone that missed the summoning for any reason will be able to gain their new PFPs at a later date.
In all honesty, I really like this move. So much of the current NFT space is dominated by PFP projects and the identity that each collection can provide an individual. Moving to a PFP collection is a great way for people to both feel connected to their NFT and also to signal that they are part of the ZenAcademy community just by using it as an avatar on social media…not to mention no one wants to read an NFT.
New PFPs…and then what?
Time and time again Zeneca mentions that there is no roadmap for ZenAcademy, but only a mission of building a great community. But, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plans for the future.
Student IDs
A huge initiative that Zeneca announced is the release of a brand new collection of NFTs called ZenAcademy StudentIDs.
These new NFTs will be a free claim and have an unlimited supply, and will be launched in Q1 2023.
The idea with this collection of Student IDs is to continue onboarding people into NFTs and the ZenAcademy community. By making it free and unlimited, this will allow a lot of people to gain access to ZenAcademy resources without them having to purchase an expensive Genesis of 333 Club NFT.
Coaching Program
ZenAcademy recently introduced a personal and developmental coaching program with guidance given from RogueRaven and other additional coaches. The point of these is for community members to have access to personal coaching where they can talk through any personal or professional issues to tthe aoching sessions and talk through them. Applications to be coached have closed and sessions will begin shortly if they have not already began. This program may also expand into a second iteration.
ZenLabs
Beyond all of this, Zeneca has ambitious plans for the future with the parent company ZenLabs. This is a legit business that is incorporated in Dubai and includes several aspects. I won’t try to break all of them down, but near the top of this issue I dropped the organizational map to give you an idea of scope.
Reasons you would buy into ZenAcademy
You want to be part of a community that is nurturing the adoption of NFTs and web3
You are launching a web3 project and want to gain direct access to Zeneca and other builders in the space. Network can be everything when you are launching a project.
You are new to NFTs and want a safe environment to learn.
You are an NFT veteran that wants a place where you can feel safe and secure while
Unrefined Opinions
Bry:
This is one of my favorite project reviews this year and all credit goes to n00ble for thinking of ZenAcademy, doing the research, conducting Q&A and putting it all together for this week’s edition.
Zeneca as a content creator is very inspirational, we look to emulate the success he’s had in the domain of creating written content.
Educating the masses and moving towards adoption inch by inch is no small feat and Zeneca is a force in the space looking to do so. We aim to do the same.
In terms of the project, the NFT, and ZenLabs, it is well thought out and I have confidence that things will develop positively and be refined over time.
The price of the NFT is reasonable but I do see his community being majority made up of veterans and people who understand how the mechanics play out in favor of the price of the NFT increasing over time.
I am interested to hear the opinions of those who are new to the NFT space or have been watching from the sidelines, what would get you to buy an NFT as someone who’s been sitting on the sidelines?
n00ble:
What I like about this project is that it stands on its own. Zeneca/Roy has built a huge name for himself and he does things the way he thinks they should be done. From his poker days, it seems like he doesn’t subscribe to following trends, but makes calculated and focused decisions on what he thinks is best. It makes him and the project stand apart from the pack.
I often preach about the WHY behind why NFT projects exist. For ZenAcademy, that why is super clear and actually providing value to the space. Onboarding people to an ecosystem that has extremely complicated and intimidating tech is not an easy task, and simplifying things is something that the general crypto space has really overlooked. We see TONS of super smart people creating amazing tools, but if people don’t understand their unique value propositions or how to access them, then whats the point. ZenAcademy is an entire project dedicated to bridging that gap and that is a mission I can get behind.
I do have to say that Zeneca is probably the best in the space at doing this (simplifying topics), but the bar is very low. Within ZenAcademy there are so many initiatives and things are moving fast. It is really hard for people to keep track of things that are going on and for newcomers to get a full grasp of all of the programs. I don’t have a perfect solution in mind to fix this, but it is something that is rampant across all of web3.
Overall I am bullish on ZenAcademy and Zeneca in particular. I am excited to see what the PFPs look like and how many StudentIDs are minted (I will for sure grab one). And a founder that takes the time to answer some questions for a dumb communtiy member writing a newsletter shows me that this is something that is truly important to him.
Read his answers to my questions below and keep an eye on this project.
Quick Q&A with Zeneca
Why have you decided to not create a DAO around ZenAcademy? Its a bit unorthodox compared to many other NFT projects.
Most NFT projects don't have a DAO, only a very small % do. DAOs are complex and most of the times are ineffective and inefficient. I don't believe we have come close to figuring out the best frameworks for how to make DAOs work, both on a legal and practical sense. I'm very interested in creating a DAO for both The 333 Club and ZA at some point in the future, but it's likely a couple of years out. You can always create a DAO later, it's difficult to go the other way around and dissolve a DAO.
How do you see ZenAcademy specifically fitting into the future of web3?
More real-world use cases, with the tech abstracted away. Better infrastructure.
What does web3 look like past the NFT pfp craze?
I think we're well positioned to be a key community in the web3 space as a hub for learning and education, and a place where people can come to connect and network with likeminded individuals who want to build a better future together.
Why did you make your way into web3 from playing poker? Why are you unqiuely qualified to be helping onboard people to NFTs and web3?
I was pretty sick of poker and had been looking for something else to do for 5-7 years prior to moving full time into web3. I went to law school for a while, but it wasn't for me. Web3 was the perfect fit. A lot of my lessons from poker are applicable to this space (especially navigating the mental side of things). I think I'm not uniquely qualified to help onboard people -- there are plenty of others who are also doing a fantastic job at this. We have to work together.
I think I am good at distilling complicated information into digestible formats, which is really helpful for a lot of newcomers.
Friends of still building
As we continue to grow our broader community, we want to highlight other great content creators. And one that we respect and are lucky to call a friend is headsauce. Headsauce is a very well respected voice in the NFT space and constantly produces best in class content. With almost 12k YouTube subscribers and an NFT newsletter that brings your NFT news and highlights, he is one of the best. Check him out - you won’t regret it.
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