Ex-OpenSea product designer raises $3 million to bring blockchain-based brand engagement tools to life

Kalder, a web3-native brand engagement platform, announced that it raised $3 million in its pre-seed round. The fundraising round will empower Kalder to reimagine marketing tools using innovative blockchain technology, mobilizing consumers through NFT memberships, contribute-to-earn experiences, and interoperable brand-loyalty rewards.

Gökçe Güven, Kalder founder and an early product designer at OpenSea – the world’s first and largest NFT marketplace – built the platform to provide brands with digital tools to execute sustained and dynamic marketing campaigns.

“Today, web3 tools for brands are merely one-off NFT minting or consulting services that charge six figures for a drop,” said Güven, who has been building projects at the intersection of crypto and consumer for more than four years with teams at OpenSea, Celo, and Robinhood Crypto. “Success in a Brand 3.0 framework requires an all-in-one tool that powers brands to engage newly minted communities.”

Investors for the fundraising round include Indigo Fund (DJ Blondish), 8VC, 500 VC, Human Capital, and Soma Capital, in addition to prominent angel investors including Meltem Demirors and Accel.

“As a creator, I believe NFT technology has much more to offer the industry than one-off, static collectibles,” said DJ Blondish from Indigo Fund. “Kalder is the next generation all-in-one solution that easily onboards brands, creators, and members into Web3 with NFTs serving as the gateway that evolves with your contributions and engagement. We are excited to be at the ground level of Kalder and can’t wait to see how it uses Web3 to transform brand experiences.”

“Through collaborations with brands like Christie’s and Vogue Singapore during my time at OpenSea, it became evident that creators are not coming to crypto for one-off collectibles, but to fill significant unmet marketing needs.”

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As the Internet moves toward a cookieless future, marketers are struggling with the declining effectiveness of Web 2.0 solutions. With Kalder, by gamifying user activity and tokenizing community participation, brands and creators can leverage engagement, experiences, and status like never before. In this model, new revenue streams will be conceived to monetize the digital community and cultivate new levels of customer loyalty.

Through Kalder, companies and creators can power collaborations, launch advocacy campaigns to turn customers into influencers, create exclusive tiers, track in-person and online engagement data, and reward customers on-chain.

Whether designing an NFT membership card for superfans, a one-time NFT experience airdropped to high-likelihood purchasers, or a social token to accrue benefits, these cutting-edge features were built to complement existing marketing campaigns or serve as a standalone program, depending on individual brand needs and goals.

The funding will allow Kalder to serve more brands off the waitlist and scale its brand experience features and team. Kalder is currently in waitlist mode with brands ranging from luxury to streetwear to hospitality experiences, and signups are open for the next month. Kalder is planning to launch its brand loyalty programs for all users to participate in the new year.

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