- Popular science-fiction writer Neal Stephenson has launched a metaverse-focused focused in partnership with Peter Vessenes, a Bitcoin investor
- Dubbed Lamina1, the platform is currently in beta mode but plans to open to the public next year
- Lamina1 aims to link digital spaces and be the go-to platform for web3 developers
Lamina1, the layer-1 blockchain with a focus on the metaverse and co-founded by Neal Stephenson and Peter Vessenes, has introduced its beta and Hub. Stephenson’s 1992 novel “Snow Crash” introduced the term ‘metaverse’, envisioning a fusion of digital and physical realms, but Stephenson believes that the current reality consists of disjointed virtual worlds lacking interoperability. Created in partnership with Peter Vessenes, a Bitcoin investor, Lamina1 is now in beta mode, although it plans to open its doors to the public next year.
A Base Layer with No Particular Interpretation
Speaking to Fast Company, Stephenson said that the blockchain is more “of a base layer” that everyone can tap to create experiences in the virtual space, adding that “it’s not one particular interpretation.”
Apart from launching in beta, Lamina1 also launched a hub that allows entities interested in web3 to try out new features and view their transaction history among other things. Speaking to Coindesk, the protocol’s CEO Rebecca Barkin revealed that the network’s beta mode is a natural growth of its testnet that it launched in January this year.
The executive noted that Lamina1 isn’t just another layer 1 platform but one that offers creators in the decentralized space a place to curate “high-quality content.”
A Simple Way to Join the Blockchain World
The Lamina1 beta currently focuses on simplifying the onboarding process including an easier way to create a wallet. Lamina1 comes six months after Stephenson’s Snow Crash novel manuscript was auctioned by Sotheby’s as an NFT.
With Stephenson coming from a fiction-writing world, it’s to be seen whether the platform will comprehensively capture the needs of web3 developers and users.
