Nas Academy To Launch Token-gated Web3 Courses
Blockworks exclusive: Nas Academy and Invisible College partner to offer online Web3 learning library, with access granted via NFT
Source: DALL·E
key takeaways
- Students can unlock a bundle of courses as holders of an NFT collection
- One Decentralien NFT is worth 7 Sol, or $291, on the Magic Eden marketplace
A membership NFT grants the owner access to an exclusive community, and may reward its members with loyalty perks like merchandise or discounts. Nas Academy, the education technology platform founded by vlogger Nuseir Yassin, aims to reward a certain NFT community with its online courses.
In partnership with Invisible College, an e-learning platform focused on Web3, Nas Academy will enable holders of the Solana-based NFT project Decentraliens to take courses on Web3 and crypto. To join Invisible College, you’ll need to hold at least one Decentralien NFT.
One of the advantages of an NFT-based membership is that students can then sell the Decentralian NFT once they have completed the courses, and receive a return on their tuition investment, or recoup the value of the course. The NFT can then be used again by another would-be student.
Alex Dwek, chief operating officer of Nas Academy, told Blockworks that Nas Academy is committed to driving adoption of Web3 through education with the Invisible College network.
Invisible College has been operating as a Web3 educational source since December 2021, using NFTs as a form of tuition credit for access to recorded lessons, fireside chats and lectures ranging from “Intro to Web3” to “Investing in the Metaverse.”
Invisible College co-founder Nick deWilde said in a statement that “combining a catalog of high-quality courses with an NFT collection is a fundamentally new way to empower students to own their education,” and he owes it to Web3 technology.
Now it’s joining forces with Nas Academy, which is mostly known as a resource for emerging content creators. Offering certificates in social media and video editing, the academy also has a growing selection of courses for the crypto curious investor or creator.
Classes ranging anywhere from $49 to $597, normally paid via credit card or crypto, will be free for Decentralien NFT holders starting on Sept. 1. Some of the titles include “How to Launch an NFT Project” taught by influencer Zeneca and “Bored Ape Yacht Club, Explained” by a BAYC investor.
Students may benefit from cohort-learning or group based instruction, live interactive sessions and monthly Zoom meetups with crypto experts.
The startup recently raised $12 million in a Series B funding round with participation from investors such as Pitango, BECO Capital, FTX and HOF Capital.
Additionally, as education moves increasingly online, more traditional educators, such as textbook publishers Pearson, do not want to fall behind. The firm’s CEO Andy Bird recently told Bloomberg that it is considering using blockchain and NFT technology to take a cut from second hand sales of its online textbooks and materials.
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