TULSA, Okla., June 15, 2021 — Black Tech Street is launching a new fundraising campaign using the excitement around Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and smart contracts to inspire social impact giving from forward-looking innovators and investors.
“We are minting a one-of-a-kind Centennial Coin NFT to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre and to raise funds to secure the next 100 years of innovation and success for Black entrepreneurs,” said Tyrance Billingsley II, the founder of Black Tech Street.
Mr. Billingsley and impact and innovation company SecondMuse introduced Black Tech Street at the centennial of the Greenwood Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 30, 2021. Black Tech Street will build a tech hub of Black entrepreneurs in what was once the wealthiest and most successful Black community in the United States before it was destroyed by racism and hate a century ago.
“Building on the launch of Black Tech Street this month, we’re excited to launch the Centennial Coin in partnership with Blockchange. We want Tulsa to be ground zero for a movement and mindset shift that sees Black people everywhere embrace Tech as a means to build wealth and positively impact the world. This Coin is one avenue to kickstart that movement,” said SecondMuse Co-CEO Todd Khozein.
Blockchange is a social innovation fundraising platform that combines cryptocurrency, NFTs, and gamification, while leveraging tax policy, to create a self-sustaining charitable donation ecosystem.
The Centennial Coin will honor one of the founders of Black Wall Street, O.W. Gurley, while also representing the future of Black industry and innovation. Donors can bid on the NFT in an auction that will open on Juneteenth (June 19, 2021). 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go to Black Tech Street to fund programming.
What makes this fundraising approach unique is the power of smart contracts and the secondary market for NFTs. This evolves traditional charitable giving by making it possible for the initial donation to continue to pay dividends to the charity as well as future buyers. Each time the coin is sold on the secondary market, Black Tech Street will receive a royalty of 50% of the sale price and the buyer will get a commensurate tax advantage, creating an inclusive and self-sustaining economy for charitable giving where everyone wins.
“We call it regenerative fundraising for world-changing causes,” said Ron Guirguis, co-founder of Blockchange. “And we couldn’t imagine better partners than Black Tech Street and SecondMuse who are working to create intergenerational wealth for Black entrepreneurs in Tulsa and beyond.”
According to Mr. Billingsley, using the emerging technology of NFTs to both honor the past and build the future, is a perfect expression of the vision and ambition of Black Tech Street.
“We are using cutting edge technology and emerging financial vehicles to help fund on-the-ground programs designed to unlock the creativity, innovation and passion of Black tech entrepreneurs now and for years to come,” Billingsley said.
For more information on the Centennial Coin auction, visit bringblockchange.com
About Black Tech Street
Black Tech Street aims to facilitate $1 billion of investment in the Black Tulsa Economy over 10 years by facilitating entrepreneur support programming that will create a tightly knit, collaborative community of Black entrepreneurs and professionals. Black Tech Street will help build support networks that foster community, which is crucial for all entrepreneurs, especially for relocated entrepreneurs and professionals attempting to make Tulsa their home. To learn more, visit www.blacktechstreet.com.
About SecondMuse
SecondMuse is an impact and innovation company that builds resilient economies by supporting entrepreneurs and the ecosystems around them. They do this by designing, developing, and implementing a mix of innovation programming and investing capital. From Singapore to San Francisco, SecondMuse programs define inspiring visions, build lasting businesses, and unite people across the globe. Over the last decade, they’ve designed and implemented programs on 7 continents with 600+ organizations such as NASA, The World Bank, and Nike. To find out more about how SecondMuse is positively shaping the world, visit: www.secondmuse.com.
About Blockchange
Blockchange is a social innovation platform that combines cryptocurrency, NFT’s and gamification, while leveraging tax policy, to create a self-sustaining, efficient and transparent charitable donation ecosystem. Their platform connects charities and their specific initiatives with donors through the use of cryptocurrency, NFTs and smart contracts. It then uses gamification and tax incentives to drive a secondary market for the NFTs that benefits both the charity and the NFT buyers and sellers in a virtuous cycle. More than a new method of charitable giving, Blockchange creates ownable assets that help sustain real change every time it passes hands in the crypto-community. www.bringblockchange.com
SOURCE SecondMuse