Business Link-November-2021

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@abstractbodo AND POST MODERN NFT ART

RELAX AND UNWIND WITH NEON-SOAKED GENTLE PUZZLER FROM PHANTOM COMPASS

ABSTRACT BODO AND POST MODERN NFT ART

40 UNDER FORTY COMMUNITY UPDATES

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Business Link Media Group 4056 Dorchester Road - Suite 203 Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6M9 Tel: 905.646.9366

CIRCULATION

The Business Link is published 12 times per year and distributed digitally to businesses in Niagara region and beyond.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE Dear Business Link Readers, November is a great month! Businesses are fully allowed to open. The border has been opened. Students have been back to school. And, we proudly presented 40 Under Forty Hamilton 2021 on November 4. Our event broadcast hit over 750 views in 24 hours.

Congratulations to all winners in Hamilton! We thank all sponsors for their generosity and continued support and giving back to the community.

We challenged ourselves with a more advanced technolgy, Virtual Reality, in our event for the opening and closing remarks. They are not perfect, but it gives us a lot of confidence and excitement experiecing our new technologies. Our capabilities in video production, animation and VR techonlogies have been presented during four online events in 2021. The world is evolving, so is technology. Blockchain, NFTs, and metaverse become more and more popular key words. We endevour to adopt hightech in our marketing efforts to empower our local businesses with information, knowledge and business case studies.

Stay tuned and we will talk more about Blockchain In Business.

Yours in business, Marilyn Tian M.B.A President & Co-publisher Business Link Media Group

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CONTENTS

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Publisher's Note

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Business Link Presented 40 Under Forty Hamilton Broadcast Event on November 4th 2021

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Relax and Unwind with Neon-soaked Gentle Puzzler from Phantom Compass

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The World Is Yours, Reach Out and Take It

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Abstract Bodo and Post Modern NFT Art

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40 Under Forty Community Updates

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NEWS RELEASE

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Business Link Presented

40 UNDER FORTY H A M I LT O N Broadcast Event on November 4th 2021

B

usiness Link Media Group forty winners for this year – is Dr. proudly recognized this year’s Jenna Valleriani of Canopy Growth Hamilton Business Leaders Corporation. during its flagship 40 Under Forty Watch our online event at the live broadcast event. following YouTube link: https:// Master of Ceremony for the 8th youtu.be/mcS714HnYMo annual event, Jack Peets introduced Serving the Golden Horseshoe the awards winners for 2021.

Congratulatory messages were since 2003, Business Link Media provided by Rebecca Wissenz from Group provides unique marketing Wissenz Law, City of Hamilton solutions as well as event planning Mayor Fred Eisenberger, and Joseph and organization. The firm leverages Trombetta, President and Founder its wealth of creativity in addition to innovative technologies (blockchain, of Titan Mortgage Group.

NFTs, DAO and Virtual Reality) to “Congratulations to the 2021 provide unique marketing and winners of 40 Under Forty. You are business consulting value to our the futures leaders of businesses clients that enables them to meet and the community, it may not their marketing goals. always feel like an upward trajectory, In order to nominate an individual but you are the change makers of or yourself for the 2022 edition of 40 tomorrow.” Says Rebecca Wissenz.

Under Forty Business Achievement “Congratulate all winners who Awards, please email info@ are completely deserving of this businesslinkmedia.com or: recognition.” Says Charlie Agro, cochair of 2021 40U40 Hamilton. “I • For Niagara region go to: https:// businesslinkniagara.com/40would like to thank our sponsors under-forty/ for their generosity, support and for consistently giving back to our • For Hamilton region go to: https:// community.” businesslinkhamilton.com/40under-forty/ Best In Class winner – among the

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INNOVATION INSIGHT

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PHANTOM PASS COMPASS

Relax and unwind with neon-soaked gentle puzzler from

Phantom Compass is an award-winning independent game studio managed by industry veterans. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Niagara/Toronto, Phantom Compass is best known for its acclaimed 2014 pinball role-playing game Rollers of The Realm. As a passionate team of developers, the studio creates original video games, and provides game design and development services to many teams and clients in other industries. Learn more about Phantom Compass at PhantomCompass.com.

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Looking for something to help you unwind? Look no further. Phantom Compass has released its highly anticipated, award-winning game, Triversal. The game, which was released on Steam, was designed to help people relax and give their mind a soothing workout.

“W

e are very happy to be releasing a game that was designed to be relaxing and calming, particularly because it was developed during the most stressful period of our communal lives with the pandemic,” says Ericka Evans, Head of Production at Phantom Compass. “We hope it will become a game that people will treat themselves to because we all deserve a little peaceful time for ourselves.”

In Triversal, players must use special logic and problem-solving skills to perfectly place a luminous

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orb over a black hole by connecting it to stretchy tethers. While this seems simple enough, the challenges ramp up with more complex levels, additional modifiers like flexible tethers and tokens that can be used to purchase hints and receive bonuses. The calm but captivating game play is backed by a charming, tranquil soundtrack and presented in a gorgeous neon palette.

Great ideas stick, and that’s the story behind Triversal. “Triversal started as a small prototype that just had a great feel,” says Evans. “Our whole development team kept

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going back to it from time to time to take a brain break or to relax at the end of the day. We thought if it was that sticky and had such a great effect on our team, others would probably like it too.”

Phantom Compass is the developer behind award-winning games, Rollers of the Realm and Auto-Age Standoff and the team has become a leader in Niagara’s indie game community and innovation ecosystem.

has since launched their games on the largest video game platforms in the world. Phantom Compass has matured from a startup that needed support to a stalwart tech company in our ecosystem that is now a mentor and advisor to many of the game dev companies and talent in Niagara. As they continue to be a leader in the indie game dev industry in Canada, we are looking forward to seeing even more amazing things come from them in the future,” says Boese.

“Innovate Niagara has been incredibly supportive to the growth and success of Phantom Compass. The networking connections and business advice has been priceless as we “Phantom Compass joined our have gone through our growing tech incubator back in 2012 and pains,” says Evans. BL. “We’re thrilled to see the launch of Triversal, another flagship IP, from Phantom Compass,” says Steve Boese, Manager, Tech Incubation at Innovate Niagara.

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ENTREPRENEUR

THE WORLD IS YOURS reach out & take it

by Luka Lamaj

I

is Short, Art is Forever". At Docere, we won third prize out of 200 companies from across Canada, in a competition developed by the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE) in collaboration with the University of My main project is Docere (in which New Brunswick.

I'm the co-founder and CEO), a tech-startup in the field of medi- We are currently in the process of cine. It is a communication platform fundraising, having raised $10,000 (app) between doctors and patients to date, and we have just been adso that medical examinations are mitted to the Incubator at Ryerson done virtually. With features like 3D University known as the Digital body graphs, digital payments, pay- Media Zone (DMZ), which is one of ment using cryptocurrency, maps of Canada’s best business incubators doctors, etc., it is more value-added and accelerators with a 5% accepthan the traditional in-person visit. tance rate. During the month of December, we are planning to open The motto of Docere is "Ars Longa, talks with Super-Angel Investors Vita Brevis", which is Latin for "Life from Canada and America to invest am Luka Lamaj, a 21-year-old from Tirana, Albania and I study Biochemistry at Bishop’s University in Canada. I also have 3 projects that I am working on: The Docere App, Cool Historians and Lavel NFT.

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in our company. Early next year, we plan on launching the Docere App for Android and IOS. Cool Historians is a podcast where I personally talk about interesting stories of historical significance from all over the world. The format of this show is short, simple and engaging.

As the history is perceived by many as very mundane, I’m trying to make it “cool” for the public. So far, I have recorded 21 episodes where fascinating tales were discussed such as The Great Emu War, The Lady Pirates, Genghis Khan, Thomas Edison, The American Civil War, etc.

The podcast has an audience in 33 countries around the world, on practically every continent. I have appeared on 3 different shows on Albanian National TV Channels with a large audience. But this is just the beginning. My vision for Cool Historians is to create the largest community of history-lovers on all social media platforms. With the growth rate I am seeing, we should reach that goal very soon.

I started this podcast for all those who are passionate about history.

Now they can follow Cool Historians Podcast episodes on: Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast etc, and also on my Instagram and TikTok page: @coolhistorians

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13 King St. W. Stoney Creek ON L8G 1G9 905-662-6221 titanmortgages.ca License # 10324

Each VERICO Broker is an independent owner operator

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Lavel NFT is a special project that I am doing with my brother. We will be innovating in the Balkans market, as the first to bring the term NFT to the Balkans. But what is an NFT? A non-fungible token is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a digital ledger. NFTs can be used to represent easily-reproducible items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files as unique items, and use blockchain technology to establish a verified and public proof of ownership.

NFT is a trend that is still very new and I would compare it to Bitcoin in 2011.

Owning an NFT is becoming a social status symbol. Just as people buy Gucci or Louis Vuitton bags, they will also buy NFTs in the near future. We have just released our first NFT, which is sold on the “Rarible.com” marketplace.

I want to encourage all young people to pursue their passions, because we are in the right time to make a difference!

The world is yours, reach out and take it! BL.

Remarkable venues. Inspiring hospitality.

We transform ordinary moments into extraordinary memories.

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carmensgroup.com

You’re awesome!

We at KPMG would like to congratulate all those recognized with this year’s 40 Under Forty Business Achievement Awards!

We are inspired by the dedication, passion, and intelligence of this year’s award winners who have transformed the Hamilton region’s business landscape.

Let’s do this. kpmg.ca

© 2021 KPMG LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved.

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COVER STORY

@abstractbodo Post Modern NFT Art @abstractbodo

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I

am a 30-year-old forward-thinking and innovated artist. At an increasing rate, my appetite for art has reached further than the stars as I have embarked on a journey to the metaverse, aiming to one day have my own interactive art gallery.

From when I first discovered my talent, it almost seems like a wonderful plot to a movie: “@abstractbodo, was never an artist his whole life.” It has only been the last 4 years — after surviving a mentally life changing

year. It seems that I have unlocked limitless artistic potential. This potential started with the gift of having a truly original style, and a subconsciously artisitic brain that allows me to trust my heart and soul and work off of a hyper-emotional intuition and relatability.

From creating some of the world’s most exciting and cinematic paintings, crossed with various industries (i.e. pop culture, fashion and the aftermarket automotive scene),

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I have now taken my art to yet another level, and solidified my position on the blockchain as an NFT artist with massive potential. My next milestone, one that will give me the ability to give back to my local community, will be building a Metaverse gallery: an interactive gallery on the meta verse where artists can have their art shown through non-traditional methods such as physical galleries and coffee shops.

This will give creators of all genres the opportunity to efficiently — and on a much larger scale — showcase works of art literally to multiple universes (the physical world via AR, and the metaverse via VR, all at the same time), from music to hand-painted pieces,

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and my specialty augmented reality additionally.

I believe the future is held together by building a community now, and giving back the true meaning of art; it not only has the power to evoke emotions that heal, but that art is first meant to be seen. This is how I will give back, and benefit all communities: through the blockchain, NFTS and Niagara’s very own Metaverse gallery and art community all made, possible by the Business Link Media Group.

Additional note: Below is a great example of the future of music: on the blockchain. Click the profile’s LinkedIn, and it will show music projects sold

on a platform called Foundation. This is going to hit he music industry harder than Napster but this time is the artist taking back the power of control and royalties. It is still a new process, but there is a real potential for there to be pioneers of this new crosstech music industry, easily at the forefront of a complete shift in humanity/society. It is better than — or as clutch as — people who were conscious of what the internet could be when it first was introduced, and there wasn’t mass adoption, and everyone was narrow m i n d a n d

skeptical.

Being the first in an emerging total industry revolution… that’s what gets me hype. To people that allow their mind to expand and accept this is real, it’s going to explode faster and faster, and is a bigger deal than the power of social media. It’s not unrealistic to say those people will go down in history as pioneers of the new world.

Getting serious about this is guaranteed to have a massive advantage over the ones who wait until its mass adopted. BL.

Scan the QR code and buy it now!

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40 UNDER FORTY

40 Under Forty Community Updates

FORTY TOKENS

We have grown up 19.71% in the past 7 days and 761 members from all over the world.

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WHAT IS 40 UNDER FORTY? “40 Under Forty” is an award that each year recognizes 40 businesspeople under the age of 40 who have demonstrated an extraordinary level of success in the private, public and not-forprofit sectors. It has recognized 1000 winners in Niagara and Hamilton regions, Ontario, Canada since 2003.

WHAT IS FORTY TOKEN? Forty token has been issued and launched by Business Link Media Group on UTU.one, a secured decentralized social media platform built on blockchain technology.

The purpose of issuing FORTY token is to invite and recognize all 40U40 recipients who have been awarded since 2003 as well as those who will be interested in nominating and being nominated in future. It is a commitment from Business Link to give back to community of 40U40 brand value and profit sharing with the community members.

FORTY token holders are also the shareholder of “40U40”. They can mint their NFTs in the market without any gas fee, which not only benefits the content creators but also the community members, because revenue will be distributed to all token holders via smart contract.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH FORTY TOKENS? You can use FORTY tokens to access the exclusive content, purchase collectable NFTs (non fungible tokens), purchase advertising in Business Link digital platform, or donate to 40U40 committee to support our future events. In addition, FORTY tokens have growing value in Decentralized Finance (commonly referred to as DeFi) to empower every token holder to have a voting power and shared profit.

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HOW DO I GET FORTY TOKENS? You can download the UTU.ONE app from Apple store and Google Play and register with the invite code “FORTY”. You will be automatically given tokens to join in the 40 Under Forty community. You can also purchase more FORTY tokens with USDT, a stable coin backed with an exchange rate of 1:1 U.S dollars.

WHEN BEING ASKED ABOUT THE PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT, OUR MEMBERS PROVIDED THEIR TOUCHING MOMENTS

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“ 1. WHAT IS UTU?

U

TU is the world’s first blockchain-based, fully-fledged value social platform. UTU stands for “User to User” and is designed to redefine social values to benefit true users. It is a next-generation social platform with facial signup (no ID or per-

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sonal information, no key management, and account recovery enabled), and features the ability to create communities and tokens, customized community home pages with content moderation, and token management.

2. WHAT IS UTU’S INNOVATIVE VALUE PROPOSITION”?

UTU’s Unique Value Propositions: Real people - 3D facial verification technology to eliminate fake accounts and bots.

Create DAC - Create DACs and DAC tokens with one simple step.

Value exchange – Swap DAC tokens seamlessly and quickly.

Reward Tokens - Rewards users for the right actions and contributions.

Alignment - Align interests between platform, communities, and users to establish a sustainable ecosystem.

Blockchain technology – To provide security and trust.

3. HOW WILL UTU PROTECT MY PERSONAL DATA? The company has made a total commitment to privacy, security, and transparency by making a significant investment in blockchain technology. We aim to build a trusted social Network. Blockchain technology has made it possible to maximize security and privacy protection. When people register for their UTU account, only facial recognition is re-

quired. No other personal data is needed when creating the account.

UTU authenticates users to create a community of users responsible for their content through the transparency of their identities. Meanwhile, users can decide whether to provide their own data and content to gain income, but UTU will never use user data for profit.

4. WHY DOES UTU USE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY? UTU’s open blockchain architecture and smart contracts create transparency. The blockchain serves as an immutable, traceable history of actions that is available to anyone to review and understand. This trans-

parency means that a user’s history of actions on the UTU platform is part of the “chain’s ledger” record, and users know that this information could be available to others in the community.

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UTU leverages the world’s most ad- media by creating a secure, transvanced blockchain and AI technol- parent, using EOS.IO. ogies aiming to revolutionize social

5. WHY EOS.IO? UTU’s smart contract platform built on EOS.IO will eliminate transaction fees and conduct millions of transactions per second. Also, EOS.IO is environmentally friendly as it uses, we call “dPos,” a delegated proof of

stake consensus, unlike bitcoin or Ethereum’s proof of work consensus. Moreover, it doesn’t consume electricity/energy (mining), hence much less impact on the environment.

6. WHAT IS A DAC? The technical term D.A.C. stands for “Decentralized Autonomous Community” and UTU is at the forefront of this tech and social revolution.

DAC will have a community home page with customizable features, including the ability to promote content, design categories, search, link, trend, report, notify, and other content moderations. Its token management features include a wallet, balance, transfers, sell, trade, and your reward history.

DAC TOKEN is a utility token, not cryptocurrency, or for any investment purposes or circulation outside the UTU platform.

DAC TOKEN represents the identity and benefit for every single member in the DAC. The TOKEN is only utilized within the community for some purposes such as voting, proposal, task, and any verification for community activities.

Most communities are private DACs, the tokens of which have no price or DAC can establish a token an eco- exchange value. The TOKEN is renomic model based on a new pro- warded to the members who comduction relationship, thereby greatly plete the tasks or contribute to the improving the value of the commu- community. It only signifies the DAC nity and the efficiency of the opera- members’ identity and benefit and tion (DAC is using the same concept circulates within the community. as DAO - https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/The_DAO_(organization)

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7. WHAT IS AN NFT? Non-fungible tokens (NFT’s) are basically unique digital assets that can be bought, sold, and traded. NFT’s are not limited to only artwork. You can create audio clips, video clips, digi-

tal items, even blog posts or a piece of writing, and many other creative forms of work to sell as an NFT. Every NFT is unique and can only be owned by a single person or group.

8. DO YOU MAKE MONEY BY SELLING NFTS ON UTU? Absolutely! Revenues from NFT sales can be divided into two parts: Royalties: Any NFT that you create on UTU entitles you to 10% royalties on any subsequent resale.

Initial Sales: Your first-time sale of an NFT depends greatly on which market you choose to sell your NFT

on UTU. Your NFT should be sold on your NFT marketplace on your own DAC to earn the most from your initial sales. Based on the default settings, you will earn approx. 80% of the revenues from NFT sales on your marketplace, depending on your token shares.

9. WHY WOULD I GIVE AWAY TOKENS IF THAT DECREASES THE PERCENTAGE OF NFT REVENUES GOING MY WAY? Rewarding your fans with tokens will improve your engagement and help with the promotion of your work.

Therefore, even if you earn marginally less in terms of a percentage, the

overall price of your NFTs and the volume of your sales will increase.

It’s a win-win for all who’s involved and motivated to continue to promote your DAC community.

10. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOKEN OWNERSHIP AND NFT SALES? The number of tokens you own on a given DAC determines how much revenue you receive from NFT sales.

So, if you own 1% of the tokens on a DAC, that will entitle you to a 1% cut of all NFT sales on that DAC. In

the same vein, if you sell your NFTs on your own DAC, you will own more tokens than anyone else, and you will benefit more directly from NFT sales. BL.

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