BlackPool’s tokenized funding protocol offers a community-driven approach for direct exposure to the most lucrative opportunities and advanced strategies in the NFT industry.
What is BlackPool (BPT)?
BlackPool (BPT) is the first of its kind to introduce decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to the funding-backed NFT gaming and trading sector. The BlackPool funding operations manage a stellar range of gaming assets as well as digital art and sports cards.
A hedge fund powered by smart contracts and governed by a decentralized system, BlackPool leverages machine-learning mechanisms and real-world professional data analytics to deliver financial services in the form of leasing, insurance, valuation indices, and crypto strategy. The aim is to do this while giving everyone an opportunity to reap rewards in the process.
How does BlackPool work?
BlackPool is an on-chain protocol—a system by which transactions are encoded on a blockchain—and combines AI (artificial intelligence) with long tail investment analysis to enable passive income. The project focuses on competitive gaming, portfolio investments, and the maintenance of creativity.
They achieve this through loaning out assets, in-game competitions, scouting valuable assets and buying early, or accruing arbitrage opportunities between primary and secondary markets. Being community-driven, the BlackPool DAO comprises top business professionals from gamers to engineers who share access to voting rights by being shareholders of BlackPool’s token (BPT).
BlackPool scholarships
BlackPool scholarships are offered through the BlackPool Academy—-the BlackPool HQ’s gaming division. The idea behind the scholarship program was to provide players with greater earning potential during their gaming activities. This is established by investing in specified NFTs that are then leased to other gamers in the form of scholarships. This process lowers the entry costs, thereby accommodating more people to join the space.
Currently, two scholarship models are available:
- BlackPool Academy Scholar with BlackPool Owned Axie NFTs – Axies under management; initial step for creating the scholarship accounts
- BlackPool Academy Scholar Management Services (BPA SMS) – external Axie NFT owners leverage the people’s capital to create separate Sub-Scholarships
How to make money as a scholar
BlackPool Academy scholars generate funds by pairing up with BlackPool-owned Axie NFTs whereby yield is generated in the form of SLP. These “scholars” can generate earnings through an array of NFTs, which may include virtual land parcels, and then report back to the academy’s managers.
The yield breakdown in the BlackPool Academy Scholar Management Services is as follows:
- Scholars – 60%
- Owner – 15%
- BlackPool – 15%
- Manager – 10%
*Please note that due to the dynamic nature of scholarship programs, the below instructions are current as of the time of this writing but are subject to change often. For more support with the process, join BlackPool’s official Discord and Telegram groups.
BlackPool refers to its scholars as “Troops”. To apply for a Troop, follow the instructions below:
Step 1: Navigate to the BlackPool finance guild application form
Step 2: Fill out the application form, include all your relevant experience and the games that you are interested in becoming a Troop for, and then click “Submit” at the bottom of the form.
Remember that engaging with the BlackPool community through their Discord by answering questions, taking part in conversations, and attending events will catch the attention of leadership and increase your chances of becoming part of a Troop and receiving a scholarship.
How to make money as a manager
A team of skilled managers is responsible for distributing the earnings of the guild as well as training and vetting. They manage a large army of scholars. These managers make their revenue through the BlackPool troopers and are highly dependent on the guild’s verticals. Only managers with high-end assets and skills are chosen to compete at the top level of the games. The funds are earned through the highest-yielding NFTs.
Not much is known about the process of becoming a manager (known as a Troop Lead) in BlackPool. There is a form on the website that is sometimes used for Troop Lead applications, but it mostly gathers Troop recruits who are looking for scholarships. As with any other P2E project, being active in the Discord and joining conversations is a good way to gain respect in the community and increase your chances of getting a leadership role such as a Troop Lead.
For those really motivated, going above and beyond by streaming video games and creating content for the guild is a great way to contribute to the overall vision while standing out from everyone else vying for a top position.
Pros and cons of BlackPool
Pros
- Community-driven
- Addition of land plots
- Metaverse immersion
Cons
- Relatively new guild
- Speculative nature of NFTs
- Token price fluctuation
Pros
Community-driven
Contrary to traditional hedge funds, BlackPool is run by its DAO members making it decentralized and focused on each member’s own voice. This is what sets BlackPool apart from other similar investment funds. When the control is not centralized upon one single entity, increased trust among the community members is guaranteed.
Addition of land plots
Although BlackPool is a hedge fund focused mainly on NFT gaming and sports, the team also manages digital land plots. This gives BlackPool an added advantage compared to other guilds since interest in digital land plot investments continues to increase.
Metaverse immersion
BlackPool has announced its inclusion in the metaverse, which is something that is not common among other funds. The guild recently teamed up with The Sandbox to acquire a 6×6 land parcel within its landscape.
Cons
Relatively new guild
Although BlackPool has built an immense following and is backed by prominent investors, the company is still in its infancy. This means there may still be a lot of room for improvement. A quick Google search shows very little information regarding the company.
Speculative nature of NFTs
Traditional hedge funds that use fiat currency to run their business are granted more stability, whereas the value in NFTs is more speculative in nature. This could cause unwarranted distrust in people especially if they are new to the space.
Token price fluctuation
Similar to the speculative nature of NFTs, cryptocurrency tokens also waver in their value. Especially during bear markets, the volatility of the crypto market can hinder the interest of investors and players who may want to join the league.
BlackPool history
The idea behind the creation of the BlackPool guild began with a sincere belief in the long-term value of the scarcity that NFTs provide. With the main objective of offering financial derivatives to digital marketplaces, the BlackPool founders knew that a sophisticated understanding of the NFT marketplaces would guarantee dominance which would secure higher returns. This gave rise to a desire to democratize the system and for all the participants to accrue equal dominance and control through a DAO.
Collectively, every member decides how the guild is run, and each has full ownership of their funds. The company DIGITAL along with Delphi Digital, Play Ventures, Bitkraft, Backed, Fabric Ventures, and Cherry Ventures all pitched in to raise $6 million for the guild. BlackPool’s main contributor is Julien Bouteloup.
BlackPool games
Many big-league business investors have joined the BlackPool guild. Among them are some of the first supporters of blockchain gaming.
Examples of games that BlackPool is currently involved in include:
BlackPool tokens
- BlackPool
(BPT) - Price $0.089
- Market Cap
$1.24 M
BPT is the governance token of the BlackPool protocol. It is an ERC-20 token—a fungible digital token that is built on the Ethereum network—and currently sits at a market price of $0.43. These tokens are essential for maintaining the decentralization of the project as well as for distributing all the transactions. Moreover, guild members are given access to voting rights, make proposals, and granted exposure to the project’s portfolio for holding BPT tokens.
Self-organizing teams referred to as troops will be set up through the use of the BlackPool tokens. The underlying objective is to accrue more value for BlackPool through the team’s activities. The current three troops consist of Axies, Sorare, and Cometh; together they are referred to as The Barrel. This accumulated total value is then sent back into BlackPool.
BlackPool staking
Staking is a form of network contribution when a portion of a cryptocurrency is locked up in exchange for rewards or interest. In BlackPool’s case, staking BPT returns xBPT. The amount a guild member stakes in the BlackPool community represents that person’s share in the ownership of the NFTs in the guild. Another benefit to BlackPool staking is the contributor’s opportunity to share the yield that is generated by The Barrel. Due to the guild’s governance ecosystem, the total yield amount shared with stakers is determined by its DAO.
How to buy BlackPool tokens
Currently, BPT is only available on the decentralized exchange SushiSwap, so you will need to first purchase a major cryptocurrency from another exchange.
Step 1: Register an account on a crypto exchange like Binance and confirm your identity.
Step 2: Top up your fiat account on the exchange.
Step 3: Go to the “trade” section of the exchange and purchase a major cryptocurrency such as USDT, ETH, or BTC.
Step 4: Conversely, you can purchase the crypto directly with a credit/debit in the “buy” section.
Step 5: You will need a wallet address to connect to a decentralized exchange like Metamask wallet. Download Metamask and set up an account.
Step 6: Transfer your crypto from the exchange to the wallet by going to the “withdraw” tab and entering your wallet address.
Step 7: Connect the wallet to the SushiSwap exchange and “buy/swap” BPT token. The tokens will be in your wallet.
How to get started
There are several ways one can get involved in the BlackPool guild:
Step 1: Join the BlackPool guild as a gamer by signing up and filling out their application form
Step 2: Hold or stake BPT
Step 3: Join the BlackPool Academy and play using their NFTs
Step 4: Join as a BlackPool Vertical Manager
Step 5: Contribute your own NFTs
What is BlackPool doing in liquidity pools?
Currently, BlackPool has two open liquidity pools: Ethereum mainnet, SushiSwap and Polygon mainnet, ComethSwap.
What is BlackPool doing on Katana?
BlackPool is actively farming (lending or staking crypto in exchange for interest or rewards) both RON and AXS tokens in liquidity pools on the Katana decentralized exchange (DEX).
How many NFTs does BlackPool have?
The total number of NFT assets owned by BlackPool is roughly 6,000. This number does not reflect more recent projects or those not yet communicated to the public. BlackPool currently has a total of roughly $7 million in assets.