NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Neon, the NFT and digital collecting platform for everyone, today announced that it has opened the world’s first NFT vending machine in New York City’s Financial District. Located just off Wall Street, the machine accepts USD credit and debit cards then dispenses a box with a unique code inside it for the chosen NFT, which is easily redeemable on the Neon platform. With no cryptocurrency, crypto wallet or specialized knowledge required, Neon has built the simplest, most accessible way to buy, sell and trade NFTs in the real world. The vending machine is open 24 hours a day.
“Our goal is to support artists and creators by letting them sell digital art to everyone, and to help anyone who wants to become a collector,” said Jordan Birnholtz, CMO and co-founder of Neon. “Giving people the choice to use vending machines and an easy online platform that decouples cryptocurrency from NFT participation means we can engage the widest possible audience. NFT buying and selling doesn’t need to be a mystery and you shouldn’t be required to hold Ethereum, write a smart contract, pay gas costs or bridge blockchains to participate.”
Supporting the Arts and Empowering Creators
NFTs have become famous for binding a unique and irreplaceable token to a digital work. They will become a ubiquitous, mainstream phenomenon by becoming more accessible to everyone. As they expand, NFTs will be employed by artists and creators in more ways, becoming the basis of exclusive airdrops, interoperability between games, and access to real-world art and experiences. Neon's team wants to hasten these opportunities by expanding access dramatically.
“While only 2% of Americans have digital wallets, 80% have a credit card or debit card,” continued Birnholtz. “That's a 40-fold increase in an artist’s potential audience. We want to empower creators and digital artists whose work has often been undervalued because it’s not tangible in a traditional sense. We make selling digital art even simpler than selling physical art. If creators want to make NFTs based on their existing content or based on new material, we want them on Neon.”
A Platform Built on a Carbon Neutral, Energy-Efficient Blockchain
The Neon founders and engineers chose the Solana blockchain featuring smart contract capabilities because it’s the most energy-efficient, leveraging proof-of-stake, and boasts a theoretical throughput of 65,000 transactions a second with near zero fees. All of Neon’s transactions are carbon neutral thanks to offsets purchased by the Solana Foundation. “We wanted to embrace a blockchain that’s fast, green and meets demand at global scale,” said Birnholtz.
Neon is supported by the Digital Currency Group, Entrée Capital, General Catalyst and Gaingels. Neon CEO Kyle Zappitell has deep experience in gaming development, including Xbox Mobile, and knows how to deliver fun, easy-to-use and exceptional products for a wide audience. The company plans to use early funding to hire more engineers, expand creative marketing and build partnerships with creators.
About Neon
Neon is an NFT marketplace and gallery built on the Solana blockchain. Delivering the world’s first NFT vending machine, set up in New York City, and the easiest-to-use online platform, Neon is the fastest way to buy, sell and show off NFTs—no knowledge of cryptocurrency and crypto wallets required. Collectors and creators just sign up with an email address and use U.S. dollars via a credit or debit card to participate. Using the Solana blockchain for fast transaction times, cheap fees and vast improvement in energy and environmental efficiency, Neon is built for global demand and scale. Neon is supported by a distributed team based in the United States. Find out more at https://neonapp.com.
