ascribe is revolutionizing the world s approach to digital content

Transcription

1 ascribe is revolutionizing the world s approach to digital content

2 ASCRIBE S VISION We d like to change the Internet. Today, artists, designers and creative workers can share easily on the Internet, but keeping it as theirs with proper attribution or getting fairly compensated has proven difficult. At the same time, people that want to support creators haven t been presented with a simple way of doing so. ascribe was built to put creators back at the center. The Internet was built with a crucial flaw and while a redesign is wildly impractical, we can retrofit it by adding an overlay. We re building the ownership layer of the Internet. We re revitalizing the dream of attribution online by empowering creators to claim authorship, license their work and trace where it goes. Our mission: to give everyone the power to own and control their intellectual property. Create Limited Editions Secure Attribution Easy Transfer HOW IT ALL STARTED ascribe was founded in 2014 by Trent McConaghy, Bruce Pon and Masha McConaghy in Berlin, the city that best represents the intersection of new media art and tech. It all started with a conversation in 2013 after a gallery visit. Trent was gushing about Bitcoin and the blockchain when Masha wondered out loud, not for the first time, why it was not possible to buy digital art and truly own it. With neurons about the blockchain and digital art firing at once, the two wondered if the combination could help pull art ownership into the 21st century, when so many artists are working with digital processes. Can you own digital art the way you own Bitcoins? While Trent started building a prototype, they brought it to Bruce. With his expertise in global assessment management, Bruce helped them expand the scope by asserting that all digital intellectual property is an asset. The three started sharing ideas and having conversations that would eventually become the foundation of ascribe. In August 2014, ascribe was incorporated and the three set out on their most daring mission yet. Since then over 2,500 creators have declared 4,000 digital works and 22,000 unique editions. Furthermore, a dozen marketplaces and platforms have signed on to work with ascribe via their API.

3 MEET OUR FOUNDERS Collectively, the ascribe team has built over a dozen companies and has decades of experience in technology, art, law and finance. Here are our founders. Bruce Pon Chief Executive Officer Masha McConaghy, PhD Chief Community Officer Trent McConaghy, PhD Chief Technology Officer Bruce Pon has helped to build a dozen bank and industry startups in Europe, Asia and the Americas while working with leading companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi Corporation, Accenture and DuPont. Prior to joining ascribe, Bruce was a cofounder and partner of Avantalion International Consulting in Germany. He is currently an advisor and investor to six startups. Bruce has an Advanced Executive Certificate from MIT Sloan and a B.Sc in Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. Masha McConaghy is an art curator and researcher. She has extensive experience in organizing exhibitions and interned with the lead curator at the Louvre, Paris. She has worked in artist-run centers and has been an Associate Director of a commercial art gallery in Canada. Masha has a Ph.D in Arts from Sorbonne University in Paris where her PhD thesis explored the relationship between art and commerce from historical times to present day. She also holds an MFA in Curation, a Museology Degree from École du Louvre and a B.Sc. in Multidisciplinary Art Studies. Trent McConaghy has 15 years of deep technology experience with a focus on machine learning, data visualization and user experience. He was a researcher at the Canadian Department of Defense and in 1999, he co-founded Analog Design Automation Inc. and was its CTO until its acquisition by Synopsys Inc. In 2004, he co-founded Solido Design Automation Inc., once again in the role of CTO. Trent has written two critically acclaimed books on machine learning, creativity and circuit design and has authored or co-authored more than 40 papers and patents. Trent has a Ph.D in Engineering from KU Leuven, Belgium and Bachelor s degrees in Engineering and in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan where he won awards for the top PhD thesis and top undergraduate thesis.

4 Ascribe Raises $2 Million To Ensure You Get Credit For Your Art, TechCrunch - June This Digital Art Gallery Immortalizes Your Patronage in the Blockchain, Vice - June The Bitcoin Blockchain Just Might Save The Music Industry...If Only We Could Understand It, Forbes - May, Visit our website at for full coverage

5 ASCRIBE S COMMUNITY AND TRAFFIC OVERVIEW ascribe helps legitimize digital-based artwork by providing a concrete system of authenticity. It is an important part of the ever-growing acceptance of computer-created work by the art world. Jonathan Monaghan, computer animator & artist LOCATION Germany 20% ascribe was something we ve long been waiting for and eventually enabled us to start digital editions on Cointemporary. Valentin Ruhry, artist US 50% UK 10% Canada 5% Exhibiting art in public and digital space, gives us the possibility to mediate art to a broader audience. These channels also invite new challenges connected to rights and restrictions. As curators we have a responsibility to present the artwork, but also take care and protect it. I m very exited about ascribe, a security platform so beneficial for the art field. Daniela Arriado, co-founder & curator, Video Art Channel GENDER Other 15% Female 38% Male 62% AGE GROUPS 32% 27%

6 FREQUENTY ASKED QUESTIONS How does the technology work? When a creator registers a work on ascribe, a unique, cryptographic ID is generated and then stored on the blockchain. The cryptographic ID is a composite of the digital artwork and the artist s identity, creating a permanent and unbreakable link between the artist and their work. How much does ascribe cost? The service is free for creators. How does ascribe make money? We help to connect creators with marketplaces and platforms that want to sell authentic work. When a work is sold, we take a 3% commission. We only get paid if work gets sold. & How do you keep work from being copied? No one can protect digital from being copied. Rather, we ensure that no matter where your work spreads, it can always be attributed back to you and collectors can check whether the rights to the work are clear. Can I be notified when my work has been downloaded or shared? We are building tracing tools right now but they are not live yet. We can currently track over 14 billion images and we re working being able to trace video, audio, text and 3D soon. When we ve launched these tools, we ll be shouting it from the rooftops! Are you a marketplace? No. We support creators and rights holders to claim authorship and then encourage marketplaces to sell the works to buyers. We act as a backbone for digital ownership and handle the ownership processing. How might a museum use ascribe? Museums can use ascribe to increase their impact and reach in the wider community. ascribe offers museums the tools to enable visitors to discover and license authentic museum content. Using a white label marketplace, museums can issue authentic or limited editions from their collection. Visit our website at for a full list.

7 Contact Information Mailing address ascribe GmbH Wichertstr Berlin Germany CEO Bruce Pon Phone: Media Contact Carly Sheridan Phone: